Some days the news makes me angry. Some days it makes me sad. On rare occasions, it brings me to despair. Today is one of those days. After dinner tonight, I read this article in the Huffington Post that said both the assault weapons ban and the limits on high capacity magazines were not likely…
we drove home at dusk from our day of errands and dreaming over coffee the sunset was hidden by the foggy veil that showed us only enough road to to keep us moving along every turn of the tires pushed back the curtain enough for another step as we talked about what we had to…
My semi-regular Sunday synthesis of NPR and morning worship began in my kitchen and a segment on Weekend Edition Sunday called “Reminder: Our Memories are Less Reliable Than We Think.” Charles Fernyhough, a researcher from England, has written a book called Pieces of Light that looks at how memory works and what we carry with…
For most of the past week I’ve been looking forward to a surprise. Ginger told me she had an adventure planned for this morning. Last night she told me I needed to be ready to walk out the door at eight. I was, even though I had no earthly idea where we were going. We…
About two weeks after I started substitute teaching at Charlestown High School — over twenty years ago — the assistant headmaster called me into her office one day after school and said, “You like English, right?” By the time the conversation ended, I was filling in for one of the English teachers who hurt his…
one afternoon long ago I stumbled upon Albert Einstein sitting on a stair a map of the constellations at his feet what I remember is the playful look in his eye — as though the universe was intended as a source of joy today is his birthday — and Pi Day which he would actually…
Sometimes you get on a roll — I mean I get on a roll and I forget things I already know. Last night I got going on the idea that Jesus didn’t sing and it all fell together so nicely until I got up this morning to find notes from a couple of friends reminding…
I can remember buying the record. Vinyl. 1979 — my first year in seminary and her first record, self-titled: Rickie Lee Jones. The radio hit was “Chuck E.’s in Love,” but the record was full of great things beyond what was fed to the general public. I loved the abandon with which she sang and…
Last week at my church’s series on Poverty in Durham, one of the speakers said the biggest difference between those who hit on hard times and end up homeless and those who hit upon hard times and do not is the latter have a network — they have people to turn to who will help…
Tonight I am grateful that grace abounds. I have been in Nashville since Friday for several book-related events, most all of which have centered around gathering with friends and most all of them have gone late into the evening before the conversations stopped — or at least before I quit talking. I have not, therefore,…