COVID gives us the finger If you've traveled at all during the pandemic, you may be familiar with the phenomenon of the 'grab bag' in lieu of the breakfast that most fair-to-middlin' hotels include with your room. We found this at once disappointing and hilarious, although in truth we'd be unwilling to eat from a … Continue reading Vacation Travel 2021, Part the Second: Asheville
The Episcopal Church
Journal Entry: Salve for a World Unglued
hold your loved ones close I stood at the bathroom sink early Friday morning and felt tears welling in my eyes, fought them, and then finally relented and let them flow. A short while later I emerged sweet smelling but a tad puffy in the face, ready to push up my sleeves and start the … Continue reading Journal Entry: Salve for a World Unglued
Easter Story: When Buildings Are More Than Mere Buildings
Today I attended an exquisite Easter Sunday service at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in my little Vermont hometown, but in the midst of the gorgeous music and liturgy couldn’t help thinking about Notre Dame Cathedral and the people of France. When I was a young undergraduate student at the University of Tennessee, I took an … Continue reading Easter Story: When Buildings Are More Than Mere Buildings
A Story about Humor: The Best Kind of Barometer (for Anything That Matters)
Is there really any better yardstick than humor for measuring, I don’t know, intelligence? Depth of character? General amiability in a person? I think not. I can recall several occasions where I forgot about this important metric when I was making an important decision that would palpably affect my life, and lived to regret it. … Continue reading A Story about Humor: The Best Kind of Barometer (for Anything That Matters)
Heavenly Noise: Holiday Sunday Photo Essay
Suffice it to say we have been busy. (Note to self: never again move to a new house just before Christmas.) A little peek at what some of us have been up to these last couple of weeks. Heavenly Peace on this Christmas Eve, from my family to yours.
First Sunday in Advent: Finding Peace and Home
Last Thursday afternoon I stood on the front porch of our new home having a delightful chat with a pair of young Mormon missionaries. Earlier I’d seen them combing the other side of the block for anybody whose ear they could bend to share their earnest message. One after another door remained closed; some folks … Continue reading First Sunday in Advent: Finding Peace and Home
Traditions: Peering Through the Lens of Nostalgia
There are a couple of late November moments that fill me with so much nostalgia and sentimentality I get chills. One is hearing the strains of Tchaikovsky's Miniature Overture to The Nutcracker for the first time in the long Nut season. Don't get me wrong: I am not a fan of the ballet, nor the score, with the … Continue reading Traditions: Peering Through the Lens of Nostalgia
The Episcopal Church Welcomes [Some Of] You
Disclaimer: Episcopalian friends, Episcopal school friends, brutally honest sentiments herein are not aimed at you specifically. Keep reading. I am a "cradle" Episcopalian, as we say. I attended Episcopal schools during several of my formative years, and for what I gained there I am thankful. My ex and I had a huge role in founding … Continue reading The Episcopal Church Welcomes [Some Of] You
Sycamore Stories 