For the benefit of those who may not know, ABAPITA is an acronym for aint blindness a pain in the, um, anatomy. Substitute any word you like beginning with A. I don’t spend much time harping on it, but there are times when my blindness is a serious impediment to my enjoyment of life. Recently […]

We are now in the time of the hospital stay that’s kind of stressful. Not that it’s a bed of roses in the best of circumstances, but there are things that raise stress levels more, particularly toward the end of the stay. The fact is, I could probably go home right now. I’m feeling pretty […]

Since I have some at least temporary freedom from my IV drips, I figured I would try and give you all at least an abbreviated report of what has happened over the past few days. It certainly fits into the life is what happens while you’re making other plans department. Okay, I should probably begin […]

I just finished a book called Jesus > Religion (yes, the greater than is part of the title) by Jefferson Bethke. It’s a fairly short book, and I think it’s well worth a read. The author is not a theologian; he appears to be a fairly typical recent college graduate who nonetheless has some very […]

Every year at this time, it has become more or less of a tradition for me to read Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol and watch the movie It’s a Wonderful Life at least once. They have become an integral part of the season for me. Over the past few years, however, and especially this year, […]

When I was younger, much younger, I actually enjoyed Christmas shopping. It was an event, something to look forward to. I especially enjoyed trips to the department stores—The Crescent in Spokane and Frederick and Nelson in Seattle. I treasure the memories of the Sunday Christmas brunch at the Crescent and indulging in a Frango shake […]

I haven’t had much to say as of late. It isn’t that I haven’t been tempted; it’s that I’ve been tempted in the wrong ways. There are so many words being put out there by so many, and the best I can say is there isn’t anything I can add at the moment that would […]

An issue was brought to my attention today that I feel needs addressing. It’s something I admittedly had not given much, if any, thought to, and I suppose it doesn’t amount to much in the grand scheme of things. But, as a person who maintains a blog, sporadic as it may be, this is something […]

Events such as the terrorist attacks in Paris and Beirut last week tend to bring out the absolute best and the absolute worst in people. Unfortunately, over the course of the past few days, the majority of what I’ve been seeing falls into the worst category. Several governors (all Republican, by the way) have stated […]

I have a rather shameful confession to make. Yesterday was Election Day, and I did not vote. I could tell you a number of potentially good reasons why, but in the end they all amount to nothing more than plain old garden variety excuses. The bottom line is I shirked my civic duty. The fact […]

Last week I wrote about my reading of Henry Nouwen, particularly his emphasis on solitude. Reading Nouwen spurred me to introduce myself to the writings of Thomas Merton, whose copious journals have been published in several books. Merton was a Trappist monk, and he always strove for perfect solitude and prayerfulness in his life. I’m […]

I have to admit, few things bother me as much as willful ignorance. I don’t mean lack of knowledge; that’s completely understandable. It’s impossible to know everything about everything, and it would be ridiculous to claim otherwise. What sets my teeth on edge is not just a lack of interest in learning, but an actual […]

I am currently reading meditations written by the theologian and monk Henri Nouwen. He’s been a favorite of mine for some time. He has a tendency to say more in a few words than many could in long, drawn-out treatises. This particular set of meditations I’m reading concern solitude and, coincidentally enough, that’s the subject […]

The other day I decided to put my money where my mouth was and actually give a bit of money to the Bernie Sanders campaign. When I talked about doing this on Facebook, I got a bit of push-back. Someone actually said they were surprised I was supporting a Socialist. It occurred to me it […]

I feel like I should apologize at the outset for the tone this missive is going to take. It certainly won’t be like most things that originate from this desk. I have finally reached my maximum tolerance level with the national political state of affairs, and it’s time to unload. Over the past few days […]