We put up the Christmas tree today and the entire time was lovely. We went to the great parking lot of trees and looked for a humble tree . . . avoiding the dreaded “proud tree.” “A proud tree,” you ask? And there is no good explanation except to say that long ago a wise child thought she could spot a tree grown up knowing it was better than the others and that child urged us to avoid that proud... Read more
Everyone is born to be free, but soon finds themselves in chains. This is not because of politics, unless referring to the governance of the soul. Within each person, desire fights with reason and desires too often win. Not that desire is bad, in place, desire adds sweetness and joy to life, yet we so easily develop a sweet tooth! Saying not now or not in that way to desire is possible, but never easy. Humans make external laws to help and... Read more
We finished it. Every year we work hard to create a Dickens’ Village worthy of Disneyland and every year we come closer. This year was the best we have done and we are proud of our success. Of all tasks, it is one of the most useless. We are not creating great art, or art at all, and as recreation it can be frustrating! Yet the project is one of my favorite things to do with my good son Lewis.... Read more
Sufficient is more than enough, but a culture built on consumption cannot stop. There are many harms that come from continuous wanting, but one of the worst is missing a single moment of beauty. Most days are pretty normal. Today I worked on The Saint Constantine School finances (job one for me!) and prepared for my lectures next week. Given that we are hosting twenty-one souls for the Feast tomorrow, I also had chores . . . many chores. There... Read more
If religion and politics were off the table, then we would not be able to speak at our house at Thanksgiving. Actually, we are good at disagreeing in our household, even enjoy disagreement, so we lack the history of uncomfortable conversations some others experience. However, I am told that this is not true in every household, so here is a guide from a person who has led hundreds of discussions to good topics for the dinner table. Be warned: this... Read more
We stood at Armageddon and we could not find the Lord. Five percent of the United States of America did not vote for Mr. Trump or Secretary Clinton. We are neither devastated that Clinton lost (oh blessed thought!) or thrilled that Trump won (the Republic lives!). Generally, we are the sort that put no trust in princes, refuse the lesser of two evils, and lose a great deal in this life hoping to win in the life to come. Maybe.... Read more
Thanking God for our blessings is easy and we do not do that enough! Thanking God and blessing our enemies is much harder and so I begin my Thanksgiving season with those folk. Jesus said: 43“You have heard that it was said, ‘You must love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. 44But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, 45so that you will become children of your Father in heaven, because he makes his... Read more
President-Elect Donald Trump, like President Obama before him, is not President by my vote. Of course, Secretary Clinton did not get my vote either! The whole election was what it was and what it was was depressing. Yet there is a family tradition of saying nice things about the souls created in the image of God for whom we did not vote. We did it for Obama and for Clinton. Now we turn, with difficulty, to thankfulness for what is... Read more
My Papaw Earl was a brave man. He once earned a coin by climbing to the top of a bridge. As Frank Capra might say, he worked hard and he prayed hard until Union Carbide killed him. They decided back when jobs were hard to get that they could hire men to cut asbestos and save money by giving them no masks. Papaw would cut asbestos and it would rain down on him like snow and it began to choke... Read more
When I was in seventh grade at a school I shall protect, I was not one of the Cool Kids. I have never been one of the cool kids, just as I am not now one of the Cool Codgers. Instead, I was a nerd. It was at the school, blessed memory, that I found Lord of the Rings. The library shelf had a black book with a red eye stamped on it, I picked it up and my weekend was... Read more
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