today is the twenty-seventh of October.
Twenty-seven Octobers ago, I was in first grade. (I’ve skipped a lot of years, eh? The memory gets fuzzy.)
I don’t remember much about October of that year. I don’t even remember my Halloween costume, but I do remember the big Halloween carnival that took place in the front courtyard of […]

Weekend
We had a really wonderful weekend all told. I got back from Big D Friday night. Saturday was mostly a day off, although I made a quick appearance at church for a Sunday School training event. Then a few errands.
Sunday was Christian Education kickoff. We had about 80 people in adult Sunday School, which for […]

from a Washington Post article inviting various luminaries to offer their revisions (humorous and otherwise) to the Pledge of Allegiance.
I love our imperfect country, and I love it partly for the ideal of respect for differences, the dignity of the unique individual. No communal incantation can embody that ideal. I don’t believe that I got […]

…time for you to
Rise up! with a sudden sense of wonder
Rise up! as the joy comes to your eyes
Rise up! from the burden you’ve been under
Beloved, it is time for you to rise, time for you to rise!
-David Wilcox, “Rise,” Into the Mystery
I’ve been a little scarce here recently. Of course. When my life is […]

See here for the first 10 days of Christmas. Here are the final two:
Image 11. The zen-like way my child opens presents. She very deliberately tears back the paper, and when the gift is revealed, she examines it with this patient mindfulness. No interest in what’s next—the thing before her is the most important thing […]