It’s difficult not to be discouraged. There’s no way to escape it. The problems of the world are huge. It seems like many people are hell-bent to make them worse. In the US, the pandemic is out of control and political corruption is at an all-time high. These serious concerns… Read More »Discouraging Times: Can We Say All Will Be Well?
It’s a common problem. It’s so common that in the 1990s, the late-night TV show Saturday Night Live created a skit about people addressing this problem. With Al Franken playing the character Stuart Smalley, Stuart attempted to convince himself that he was good enough, smart enough, and that “Doggone it,… Read More »Are You Good Enough?
The stream of news continues unbroken: the pandemic spreads in the US, Brazil, Latin America, and Africa while parts of Asia see another spike in diagnoses. At the same time, people live with unrelenting oppression in North Korea and Iran with autocratic leaders in many others. In many parts of… Read More »Peace in Our World; Peace in Our Lives
The world I grew up in doesn’t exist any longer. Sixty years ago, when I was a kid, the doors of our home were always unlocked. I played in the yard or in the woods behind the house by myself. When I was ten or twelve years old, I walked… Read More »All Things Are Passing
It was stunning and memorable. Over a several week period, the wall sculpture was built, piece by piece. It was modern but the images were recognizable. Each week, a few more pieces were added. When completed, the sculpture covered the entire front wall of the chapel. In the early 1980s,… Read More »(Re)Building Our Cities and Our Lives Together
My partner and I decided that we should support family-owned restaurants in our area. By not having seating patrons, many restaurants are experiencing a loss of business. We went to one of our favorite places: a Laotian restaurant about a 20-minute drive from our home. We pulled up and found… Read More »The Pandemic and Layers of Grief
I’m like many other people. I live with physical pain. I’ve not wanted to write about this because I know others have much more serious pain than I do. Also, I’m not looking for remedies. I take appropriate care of myself, but nonetheless, I live with physical pain. I have… Read More »Living With Pain
The questions begin as people look for ideas…or perhaps inspiration and support. “What are you giving up for Lent?” Candy, alcohol, time on social media, yelling at reckless drivers: the list goes on and on. We’ve come to associate the six weeks before Easter that is known among Christians as… Read More »Lent and Giving Up
