His name was Charles. I met him a few years ago shortly before Christmas. He had moved to Atlanta just a few months before that. That’s not the most accurate way to say that. Charles was relocated to Atlanta. He was a refugee. Having grown up in Cameroon, Charles was… Read More »This is Christmas
A friend stopped by the house yesterday. On the table, he saw rolls of Christmas wrapping paper. “Did you finish your Christmas shopping?” he asked. The truth is that I haven’t even started. I just bought the paper. Then he paused before saying, “I’m surprised you don’t have a tree… Read More »Preparing for Christmas
Earlier and earlier each year, Christmas decorations appear in stores. Halloween is not even past before the first Christmas items go on sale. Surprisingly, even with the commercialization of the Christmas holiday, the first sign of the coming Christmas season appears in early spring. Nine months before Christmas, the Christian… Read More »Mary’s Going to have a Baby!
Something that most people don’t know about me is I’m passionate about the performing arts. I don’t know when I was first captivated by theater and dance, but when I began college in 1975, I was originally a theater major. I never considered acting. Instead, I was fascinated by the… Read More »I Don’t Know What I’m Doing!
Thanksgiving in the United States. We often say that no other country has a holiday like ours. Of course, that’s not true. Canada celebrates Thanksgiving in October. Other countries have national holidays which include expressing gratitude for life. Yet, the celebration of Thanksgiving in the United States has become a… Read More »Thanksgiving in the United States
I hadn’t participated in an event like this before. I didn’t recognize the name of the organization, but as I read the email, I saw that I received the invitation on the recommendation of a young colleague who was a “change-maker” in this organization’s program. The organization works “at the… Read More »Creating Social Change and The Beginner’s Mind
As I waited for the coffee to brew this morning, I stood at the back door of my kitchen looking at the trees of the wood behind my home. While many leaves remain green, some branches were fiery red, some yellow, and a few were even brown. I opened the… Read More »Love Is Stronger than Death
I had fun. We laughed. We told stories. We talked about the problems of the world. It was a good visit with my friend. We met in a coffee shop and ended up spending over two hours together. It was the break I needed from being my overly serious self.… Read More »Pluralism: In Gratitude for My Friends
