I resolve. I've never been the enemy of New Year's Resolutions that some people are. My Dad was vocal about his dislike of this tradition: "You say you're going to do something and then you don't. If you really cared that much about it, you wouldn't put it off till January 1." From his perspective,... Continue Reading →
As I think and write tonight I am sitting on the 10th floor of Bay Lake Tower of the Contemporary Resort at Walt Disney World. Out the window I can see "Cinderella's Castle" all lit up with icicle lights for Christmas. The fireworks show just ended. I almost always read a book to prepare for... Continue Reading →
This could be titled Phlegm 3, but I got tired of the nasty connotations of that word. As I have sat at home today, thinking, praying, pondering, and being generally disgusted at how little I can do, I had these thoughts, mostly as a result of my time in the hospital. If I am physically... Continue Reading →
Reverent devotion to God. I can respect that. I met lots of pious people in my recent trip and conference. Please don't confuse piety with being sanctimonious or pretentious. Piety connotes humility while these other more common traits suggest self-absorption rather than God-absorption. In my last installment of this series, I told a story of... Continue Reading →
I learned some significant lessons recently at an International Religious Freedom Conference in Washington D.C. I was granted the undeserved honor of sitting beside some esteemed friends on a panel about Nigerian Genocide, and I guarantee that I learned more from them than they did from me. There is quite a difference between fighting for... Continue Reading →
Upon attending the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's performance of Schuman's Symphony No. 9 (Le fosse Ardeatine) in February, I learned something very interesting, at least to me. That thing, the concept that I learned, took me by surprise as I listened to the explanation of the eerie, minor-keyed symphony. It involves the etymology of the word... Continue Reading →
I can't say I'll miss this year. Not because it has been bad - it hasn't - but because I'm ready for a few changes. I want to be more true to myself. Is that so much to ask? No more trying to be a redneck. No more trying to be part of either political... Continue Reading →
Imagine a happy, classic American family: two parents, Reagan and Roosevelt(Rosy for short) Washington, two kids, Liberty and Unity, and a dog and maybe a cat. Let's go ahead and put a goldfish and a guppy in a tank on the bar between the kitchen and dining room. One kid is in dance and the... Continue Reading →
After a long therapeutic ride, Reagan returned home to find that everyone had gone to bed. The kids were asleep and Rosy may as well have been. He climbed into his side of the bed and drifted off into a fitful, restless sleep. The next afternoon Rosy texted him and invited him to dinner. She... Continue Reading →
Over time, as the parents aged and the kids matured, the groove became more of a rut. They never felt it change though. Reagan found himself feeling less a part of the family, as the girls seemed to do their own thing so often and have more of a connection with Rosy. Rosy was receiving... Continue Reading →
