The air is swampy down here. There’s a musty smell everywhere you go. The only thing that smells good is the occasional front yard bonfire as people incinerate their household items before the mold rots them. Everything else is on the curb, stacked high. A solidarity of devastation, no home is spared. It’s kind of sad to see people’s possessions like this, a premature disposal of a lifetime of accumulation. Maybe things they couldn’t sell in the last garage sale... Read more
I went to the downtown Post Office today to mail out my broken laptop. That’s another story for another time. Encased in bubble wrap and tape and a flat-rate box I was primed and ready to use the automated machine and leave. Two minutes tops was my goal. I thought about parking and dashing in, skipping the ceremonial dropping of the coins in the parking meter. But I’ve learned a lesson about the meters that ring the office long ago.... Read more
He was called a bastard son. It was outrageous really. His mother was just a young teen. The father was much older and there hadn’t been a marriage. The tongues wagged, clicking at the impropriety. And the angel story really was a stretch. The baby’s lineage wasn’t much better. It was filled with incredible scandal. Instead of a lush family tree, with lovely branches and perfect leaves, it was crooked. Go back a few generations and you’d find murder, adultery, debauchery... Read more
My friend is gone. He left this world today. I need to talk about him, to tell his story. He has lifelong friends, people who were much closer to him. And yes, they are probably in better positions to give witness to his life. But I’m the writer and this is what I’m called to do. And for whatever reason, I was there at the end to tell the story. It was a long time coming. The bad cells inside... Read more
I’ve been selling some unique things on eBay recently. Some headlights from my son’s old car. Books I haven’t read. Coins from my great uncle. A watch from somewhere. Memorabilia that I don’t want or need. I call most of it, “junk.” And yet, I’m always amazed at the price people will pay. Is it really worth that much? I’m learning a principle in the auction world. The value of an item is never determined by the seller. It’s always determined by... Read more
I walked into his room it seemed like there was a little less oxygen. I gulped. There was a cereal bowl in the corner of the room. And a single sock hung over the chair like a surrender flag. A tattered Michael Jordan poster hung on the wall. He was gone. The boy-man was now well on his way to becoming a man-boy. Our first born son – the one who carried my name as his middle name – was... Read more
The best summer days are those that are simple. We don’t have to complicate things. As kids, all you really need for a fun summer day is a ball, a stick and a box. The best-selling toys from this last Christmas season were hi-tech inventions, full of innovation and wizardry. Many of them need batteries or a manual. If I was a kid, I might be fascinated with them for a while, but then go back to something simple. If you... Read more
Jim Carrey speaks the language of redeemed men and women when he says, “Suffering leads to salvation.” Read more
Have you ever ignored the instructions, not even bothering to read them? Call it pride. Call it over-confidence. Sometimes you call it stupid. Read more
If you’re a pessimist, these are the best of times. Read more
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