Short? Or long?

Once upon a Christmas-time a couple of years ago, we had this brilliant idea of giving gifts of travel to a couple of our kids and their wives. The idea was, ‘let’s go somewhere together – some place fun, just the four of us – and spend time together in a place we haven’t yet … Continue reading →

Final Things

Fifteen months ago (January 12, 2021) I sat down to write a letter to man who had entered into a final phase of his earthly life. On April 14, 2022, he at last departed from this world to enter into Glory. Tomorrow, I will whisper a final good-bye to him as we visit with the … Continue reading →

An ‘Aha!’ Moment… Epiphany

December holidays and the flurry of it all go by in such a rush, don’t they? The mad scramble to deck the halls, the cooking and baking and, I suppose, there might still be some candle-stick making; the parties and gatherings, the toasts, the laughs, the tears (always mine); some caroling and movie-watching, or maybe … Continue reading →

Fledgling Lessons

A few days ago on a quick trip to who knows where – grocery store? Amazon return at Kohl’s? (which is great marketing for Kohl’s I must say) – I was momentarily and totally distracted from my driving duties when my eye caught a bird in low level flight. What was it? A hawk? I … Continue reading →

Chasing the Dream

Some weeks ago – just a few, really – a long-time friend and occasional ‘off the ledge talker’ encouraged me to get busy doing the thing I keep saying that I want to do, even though it scares the pants off of me, makes me feel like I might throw up, and generally saps my … Continue reading →

“Grow Old Along with Me…”

Five days ago, I celebrated my sixtieth birthday. I say ‘celebrated,’ because the occasion warrants a WooHOO!!!! of some sort. I mean, SIXTY. That’s fifty plus ten ‘trips around the sun,’ as the ubiquitous they seem to be saying all the dingdang time. Six decades and a five day running start on the seventh. Here’s … Continue reading →

“Casting Off”

During the summer of 2019 I said ‘yes’ to a part-time teaching opportunity for the 2019-20 school year. Last week, I held my last zoom classes, shared my last words with my students, one of which was a reminder to submit their final essay exams at the scheduled time, and then, just like that, without … Continue reading →

Recipes

You know how certain words appear to be so strange and meaningless the longer you look at them? ‘Recipe’ is one such word. How are we supposed to figure it out phonetically? What inkling can we glean that it’s a three-syllable word, for cryin’ out loud? And is the ‘re-‘ a prefix? Can you cipe … Continue reading →

Losing Artfully

In these days of COVID-19 quarantine/isolation/stay at home orders around my community, my state, my country — and in all likelihood in yours, it surely feels as though we’ve lost more than we can bear. So many lost school days. So many lost dollars. So many lost jobs. So many lost loved ones. The losses … Continue reading →

“Who is this King of Glory?”

Most of the time, when I say something about the past, I use some vague chronology that typically features the words, “a few years ago,” so that I never have to acknowledge that a “few” have quickly, stunningly, become nearly twenty. Where does time go???? A legitimate question that I can’t actually answer. I can … Continue reading →