Reading a recent Facebook post of a cousin prompted me to ponder the virtue of gratitude. Is it a cause or an effect? My cousin was grateful for surviving a narrow escape from death after a frightening encounter with an errant dump truck. Gratitude was most definitely the result of her near-miss death experience. Her … Continue reading Gratitude: Cause or Effect?
Let’s take a vote. A show of hands please of how many people look forward to visiting a funeral home? Nobody? Thought so. You are not alone. Visiting a funeral home ranks right up there with root canals and eating fruitcake. Face it. You never know what to say. You are not sure how long … Continue reading Grace for the Grieving – What to Say at a Funeral Home and a Few Things Not to
Here I go again. This past week I had surgery on my right heel to remove a bone spur that was aggravating my Achilles tendon. If that sounds familiar, it is almost the identical surgery I had on my left heel last Christmas. So, once again, I am facing 7-8 weeks of immobility as I … Continue reading Avoiding the Insanity of Immobility
You wouldn’t know it to look at him, but my friend, Dick Willits, is a Master Woodworker. Nor would he be comfortable with such an exalted moniker. Now in his 80’s and long retired, Dick took up woodworking in his later years. Not sure if it was a repressed passion of his or that his … Continue reading The Master Woodworker
Soon after our wedding last year, I discovered an unexpected blessing from having married a woman who can sing. Patrice serves as one of the cantors who leads our church congregation in singing. She has perfect pitch and a musical range that few possess. Yes, I am not at all objective about this, but … Continue reading Love Lifted Me
There are those among us who consider the reading of fiction to be a supreme waste of time, at best pure escapism. I am not among them. I will be the first to admit there is a lot of literature that deserves the dust it gathers. Yet reading fiction for me has never been … Continue reading My Digory Moment
My eyes first beheld the Wall in July 1999 when my wife and I vacationed in Washington D.C. I remember it as if it was yesterday. While I have seen some amazing sights in my life, nothing has emotionally impacted me as those moments spent gazing upon a wall of names. As soon as I … Continue reading A Name on The Wall
This post is about a book I never wanted to write, but one I needed to write. It is a book about grief, my own heart-rendering, spirit-crushing journey through the valley of tears. Why would I be so transparent about something so intrinsically personal? Here’s the story behind the book. In 2005, I lost my … Continue reading The Story Behind the Book I Never Wanted to Write
For ten long grueling weeks, I have had to wear a hard cast on my lower leg. Unable to place any pressure on that leg put me in the unusual position of having to frequently rely on the kindness of others. It ain’t been easy. For most of my life, I have been healthy. I … Continue reading The Holy Wardrobe of Kindness
Uh-oh. Cupid, we have a problem. Or do we? For the first time in 73 years, Ash Wednesday will fall on February 14th otherwise known as St. Valentine’s Day. For those of us whose Christian faith tradition includes the Lenten season of fasting and prayer, this awkward conflict between sacred and secular poses a potential … Continue reading Cupid, We Have A Problem
