This is the most brilliant article of the day. Yes and Amen. It’s really long and the political worldview of the author seems, well–I would have said it was all about human nature rather than capitalism or socialism, but that’s not important. What’s important is that beauty should be one of the options on the table. Suddenly spending a whole week driving up and down the highways and byways of Nairobi was so instructive, besides being a helpful jolt out... Read more
Well, that was quite the adventure. Just a little week bitten out of ordinary life to pop across the Atlantic, and then to come back again. The kids are all asleep and don’t know I’m back yet. Didn’t take many pictures. Just when I happened to be holding my phone texting everyone, and then looking up to realize a picture would be in order. Here is the view from the hospital balcony. One afternoon I stood and watched a young... Read more
Off to the hospital again this morning. I have no idea how long it takes to get from here to there because as soon as I get in the car I lose all sense of time and space and just grip the dash and pray for mercy. My mother is an excellent driver–muscling her ramshackle land rover over potholes and around roundabouts with alacrity and venom. It’s not her, its the vast swath of humanity who drive according to their... Read more
That’s just a little joke. I mean, if I had seven takes to better health I’d be rich by now. So instead of that, how bout some news from Kenya. One The election is sort of still carrying on for another day at least. Some districts were unable to vote, for reasons I am not quite understanding, but will be able to tomorrow. There was some violence and demonstrations yesterday. And today people are slowly returning to work. So who... Read more
[My Own Travelocity Gnome] I’ve only been dealing in one liners for the last twenty four hours, having only myself to talk to. Headlines and Slogans like Airports I Have Known Futility Thy Name Is Windshield Wiper What Is It About Great Hunks of Metal Hurtling Through Space I thought that last one on the bus, long before I even made it to the airplane. The thing about international, and really all travel, that I had forgotten, is that it... Read more
So, I’m just going to be having a spot of travel today, if you have time to pray. I’m off to Nairobi just in time for the election redo, because what better time to go, when it’s getting really exciting and hotting up. Actually, that’s not really why I’m going. That part is just providence. No, my lovely dad is doing, to use a technical medical word, poorly. And my mom has been going relentlessly for several weeks now. And... Read more
It might be. I am looking out at a gentle gray sky, listening to a powerful leaf blower blasting small leaves down the street, and longing for the days before mechanization. There’s a wind, and a chill, and a child with a cough. Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to muster up a podcast. We’re going to try tomorrow, praying that the stars will align for all the regular work of the day to be dispatched without incident, giving us that elusive... Read more
There are a lot of reasons not to go to church. It is inconvenient at the very least, and often uncomfortable, being on one of only two days that you have off for yourself. Your work week, like mine, is probably relentless–from Monday to Friday just hanging on and trying to keep incompetence and exhaustion from marrying themselves together and ruining your wellbeing. To finally be able to take a breath for two days, to sleep as long as you... Read more
[These aren’t the books I’m reading right now.] Have wasted the morning reading funny articles about Hillary Clinton’s terrible book. I do think that’s been one of the highlights of this literary moment in history–delightful take downs of Dan Brown and Hillary Clinton. It makes me think that God must still care and want us to go on as a human family in some desultory way. I mean, the democratization of words means that any of us boobs can have... Read more
What is it that the psalmist says? The fool says in his heart that there is no God. And then what does he have? Only himself and the terror of his own mind. And if he has good health and a comfortable home, nothing to distract him from his deep delusion, he is going to go mad. Read more
Preventing Grace
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