The Boat: A Sign of Hope, A Sign of Our Future If you look at the lead photo, you will see the newest member of our family – a 38-foot speedboat (a friend of ours describes it as “zoom, zooming!”), that now sits in our driveway but soon will likely occupy a slip at a…

A Road Trip Toward Hope: ‘All Will Be Well?’ Julian of Norwich– a 14th-century English mystic – wrote down a series of visions that she received as she thought she lay dying. And probably the most famous line from her writings are the words, “All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all…

Escape to the Mountains: A View Through the Fog An old friend of David’s sent us some funny lines during the worst phase of the COVID-19 lockdown. One read, “Coronavirus has turned us all into dogs. We roam the house all day looking for food. We’re told ‘no’ if we get too close to strangers.…

The Upside of the Lockdown: Patience and Peace One day last week, during my daily “quiet time” (which most days are nowadays), it occurred to me that the peace David and I feel most days is a desirable place to be in any case. Now, I told myself, what I need to work on is…

Life in a Broken Time: Where the Light Shines Through Someone once said something like “we are all broken, and where the cracks occur, that’s where the light shines through.” And for me, one of my human sources of light, a dear friend, has just left this world for the next and better one. In…

“Don’t Tell Me What You Can’t Do, Tell Me What You Can Do!” Creating a Life in a Time of Darkness Well folks, this is a dark, uncertain time. And periodically, I’m hit by a wave of sadness. Sadness for us – can’t go out to restaurants, can’t see friends, can’t have church services ……

That Human Touch: The (Necessary) Perils of Social Distancing Somewhere in my Bruce Springsteen collection of music, I believe there is a song with the lyrics that refer to “that human touch.” When I first heard that song, I knew exactly what he meant by that. If I remember correctly, the singer had taken up…

Suffering and the Unpredictability of Life: Living East of Eden Last Sunday was the first Sunday of Lent. For those of you who observe the season, Lent’s a time of reflection and renewal of purpose, a time to pause and reflect on your life’s direction and what you are going to do with the rest…

The Face of Love: Compassion and Mercy in the Face of Evil Do you remember the film “Dead Man Walking,” starring Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn? I saw it some years ago when it first came out. Since David had never seen it, we watched it on TV a week or so back. Sean Penn…

How Full is Your Circle? I know, I know. I should be blogging about the current impeachment trial, but please … I just can’t bring myself to add more ink or voice to the pile of reports, as well as talking heads out there pronouncing their views morning, noon and night. I have my strong…