Aug 25Member-onlyOld hymns are old, but still meant for todayI never thought I would like old hymns as much as I like them these days. When I say old hymns, I mean the kind of songs that people sing in church that sound like they’ve been around since before grandma and grandpa were around. When I started singing them…Church3 min readChurch3 min read
Aug 16Member-onlyLife changing moments can be different for all of usIn the blink of an eye, or the flash of a light, things change. You don’t realize it until later, much later. The full impact of a life changing moment takes time to cement itself. To let itself be known. That was probably true for a friend who went from…Maine3 min readMaine3 min read
Jul 31Member-onlyChoosing to surrender is choosing freedomI’ve been reading about surrendering lately. It’s something that’s hard to do. Thinking about it makes us feel like failures, like we are not in control. Maybe that’s the point. Americans aren’t supposed to surrender. Growing up, we read in our textbooks that we went to war. Many wars, and…Surrender3 min readSurrender3 min read
Jul 26Member-onlyThree strangers, two guitars, and a new soundThree guys just met each other in the middle of an uneven and old historic street. They are musicians, or at least want to be musicians. I was sitting a few feet above them. The street is not really a street but more of an area with old brick-shaped stones…Friendship3 min readFriendship3 min read
Jul 16Member-onlyLosing tradition means losing communityWhen I lived in Silver City, NM, there was a yarn shop called Yada Yada Yarn. I always liked that name. I’m not sure if the proprietors defined it as a yarn shop. Maybe it was a fabric store, or a sweater store. There was yarn everywhere. Thick yarn and…Knitting3 min readKnitting3 min read
Jul 10Member-onlyPatriotism can be shown all year longI was at one of my town’s parks for the Fourth of July festivities. There were people everywhere. Many showed up early in the morning to claim their spot, put down their canopies, and roll out their grills. Everyone wants a good spot. A group of us from church gathered…America3 min readAmerica3 min read
Jul 3Member-onlyA grandfather’s quiet service worth honoringMy grandfather never talked about the War. In Spanish, he called it “la Guerra.” In the 1990s, as a World War II veteran heading into his twilight years, I was a teenager that wanted to know more about the War. We read textbooks about it and watched short films of…Military4 min readMilitary4 min read
Jun 26Member-onlySummer in the southwest is a place like no otherSometimes I get the feeling a lot of people think the Southwest is nothing but a dry desert. Everything a different shade of brown, cracks on the floor, and tumbleweeds rolling back and forth across long empty highways. To me, that is beautiful. Sure, a summer afternoon at 3:00 p.m…Summer3 min readSummer3 min read
Jun 19Member-onlyMy favorite waitress, a latte, and a smileThere’s a waitress at the Gadsden Hotel in Douglas, Arizona, whose name is Fatima. She’s there on Sunday morning when I need her most. More than the coffee, and more than the Sunday comics and word puzzles, she’s there. I sit at the bar in the café. Usually, the other…Coffee3 min readCoffee3 min read
Jun 13Member-onlySummer is here. Thank your teachers.Summer is here. The sun is out, and so is school. Teachers can be seen at stores during daylight hours. They are taking vacations. They are doing regular people things. The kind of things they can’t do during the nine months of the year they are overworked and underpaid. …Teachers3 min readTeachers3 min read
