I struggled to find a good photo subject for today’s post. Right now, most of my garden is ugly—dried up stalks, yellowing leaves. The brilliant oranges and yellows of fall foliage are still a few weeks away. My garden’s most prominent feature right now are dry, dusty brown remnants of summer blooms. All living things bear within them the certainty of decline and decay. All living things are subjected to the sometimes brutal forces of the world. For my garden,... Read more
Walker has written a story about Alzheimer's, yes, and about her mother, and about her. But fundamentally, it is a story about memory and faith—about times when they surround and buoy us, and times when they evade our reach. Read more
I am enamored of Pope Francis. Every time he clarifies what he believes about the Catholic Church, its priorities, and its purpose, I am grateful that God gave this wise, smiling cleric a worldwide audience. Francis’s thoughtful, humble way of speaking about God and the church is good for all Christians, not only those who are Roman Catholic. In an extensive New York Times article published Friday, Pope Francis is quoted thus: It is not necessary to talk about these issues [abortion, gay... Read more
I will confess something that will be not at all surprising to most of you, especially those who write blogs of your own: My Friday “Snapshots from Oak Ridge” feature is absolutely self-serving. I wanted some regular Friday feature that would be quick and easy, because posting regularly, even if every post isn’t read by thousands, is correlated with growth in blog readership and better Google rankings. I can come up with two or three decent (well, I think they’re... Read more
Yesterday my son came down in one of his more glittery, fabulous shirts—a shirt purchased in the girls’ section of the Gap. I didn’t think anything of it. My son has a number of clothing items that are meant for girls, and this shirt, with a big, shiny, spangly musical note on the chest, is one of his favorites. But he told me he picked the shirt on purpose for this particular day. There was going to be a new... Read more
R.J. Palacio’s young adult novel Wonder tells the story of Auggie, a boy with a severe facial deformity who goes to school for the first time in fifth grade. He confronts fear and bullies, but also makes friends—even with some of the very same kids who initially teased him. I thought it was a beautiful story, for both kids and adults (we read it as part of a parent/child book group at church). One thing that the author did particularly well was... Read more
I snapped at my daughter the other night over something trivial. As I helped her get ready for bed, she said something that hit me just the wrong way at just the wrong moment and I stormed out of the room, streaming a lovely guilt trip of words behind me. (I’m sure none of the parents reading this have any idea what I’m talking about because this never happens in your house, right?!) After a few minutes, Crazy Ranting Mommy left the building, leaving... Read more
I could cite (and have cited) statistics about why I support common sense gun reforms, such as banning of high-capacity magazines and so-called “assault” weapons, and closing all loopholes that make it possible for those prohibited by law from gun ownership to easily obtain guns. Statistics about how much more likely gun violence, including suicide, is in homes where there are guns. About the percentage of Americans of all political persuasions who support universal background checks (somewhere around 80 to... Read more
Karen Beattie and her husband went through a difficult few years. She was unexpectedly laid off just as her husband decided to go back to graduate school, leaving them without regular income from employment. After a miscarriage and a bunch of dead ends on their quest to adopt a child, they realized they might never become parents. Beattie begins to wonder where the abundant life promised by God is, why their prayers to adopt a child aren’t being answered, if... Read more
John Green’s bestselling young-adult novel The Fault in Our Stars is a love story about two teenagers, both with terminal cancer. I was particularly taken with the narrator, Hazel, who has metastatic cancer in her lungs and uses supplemental oxygen. This fictional teenager astutely observes the shame, frustration, and feelings of inadequacy that can come with inhabiting a body that doesn’t work as most bodies do. I have a bone disorder that has caused dozens of fractures and severe arthritis; in young... Read more
Ellen Painter Dollar
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