• Days Gone By

    The Past Weeks “He sat quietly for a moment, lost in what was now and forever the past. The scene he described would never be repeated. That overheard sound would never be heard again.” Louise Penny, The Beautiful Mystery My desktop computer died a slow and anguished death. A couple of weeks ago, I realized,…

  • Seasons

    It struck him that the seasons sometimes gain by being brought into the house, just as they gain by being brought into painting, and into poetry. The hand, fastidious and bold which selected and placed – it was that which made the difference. In Nature there is no selection. Willa Cather Tomorrow, I am looking…

  • It’s Complicated

    Serving God is doing good to man, but praying is thought an easier service and therefore more generally chosen. Benjamin Franklin The bookclub I belong to chooses a genre each month instead of a particular book title. In April, we are reading American history. Benjamin Franklin’s biography by Walter Isaacson has been sitting on my…

  • Searching for Truth

    Perhaps the truth depends on a walk around the lake. Wallace Stevens My process for writing my blog post each week is always the same. I approach it as though I were a journalist. On Wednesday, I write a rough draft and the next day I polish it and post it by the Thursday deadline.…

  • House or Home

    Home is the nicest word there is. Laura Ingalls Wilder Early this week, the man delivering groceries looked around and, as he set the bags on the counter, said, “Beautiful. Your home has serenity.” I admit to be taken back. First by his generous compliment , then by the acknowledgement that those few minutes touched…

  • Charity

    A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes Charles Spurgeon Over the past few weeks I’ve written about faith and hope. I think the virtue of charity is worth considering. By this I mean the theological virtue where by we not only love God, but love…

  • Past is Present

    You must learn some of my philosophy. Think only of the past as its remembrance gives you pleasure. Jane Austen , Pride and Prejudice While cleaning out some files, I ran across a few old photos I hadn’t looked at in years. It sent me into a time portal. Once again seeing people and places…

  • Grace

    Angels are bright still, though the brightest fell. Though all things foul would wear the brows of grace, Yet Grace must still look so. Macbeth, William Shakespeare How things appear and how they actually are can vary greatly. During a recent luncheon, the subject of my blog came up. When I offered the title, the…

  • Art’s Influence

    Oh, some as soon would throw it all As soon a part away. And some will say all sorts of things, But some mean what they say. Robert Frost If you are looking for me on a Monday afternoon you will find me downtown at the Central Library. In the basement, surrounded by stacks of…