Maybe 2024 was a wonderful year for you, filled with health, happiness, bounty and prosperity. Perhaps you felt like the psalmist David, so overwhelmed with the blessings of God that he could barely contain himself, singing: “From where the sun rises to where it sets, you inspire shouts of joy” (Psalm 65:8 NLT). And amid those […]
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Our Christmas decorations are finally out and up and, like always, there was plenty to do. The tree was purchased, white lights were strung (inside and out), wreaths with red bows were hung, and the multiple nativity scenes were set up on book shelves, table tops and credenzas. Our holiday pillows were thrown, candles placed, […]
This Thanksgiving will be different than so many in the past. The large gathering of 40+ family and friends for our boisterous and fabulous meal that we have hosted for almost every one of the past thirty years won’t be had. The reasons are many. Our kids are grown and settled in their working lives […]
The story is told in Mark’s gospel of Jesus and his “inner core” of Peter, James and John taking a walk up a high mountain where Jesus was “transfigured.” The voice of God spoke from a cloud that covered them and confirmed what Jesus’ miracles were pointing to all along: “This is my Son, whom […]
I attended a vigil with the Congregation Ahavath Chesed at their Temple in Jacksonville. It was a moving ceremony remembering the eleven people killed and several wounded at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood, gunned down by the automatic weapons fire of a hate-filled man who said, when apprehended, that “all […]
What are you passionate about? I got a kick out of watching the recent FIFA World Cup (pun intended). I mean, here I am living in the Southland mecca of college football, with a local NFL team to boot (pun again), and I thought I knew what passionate fandom is all about. There’s no doubt […]
If you’ve never been to a Naturalization Ceremony, where immigrants are sworn in as new citizens of The United States, you should look up the schedule at your local federal courthouse and go sometime. I’ve been to several over the years in a variety of capacities, and they are the most uplifting of events. Smiles […]
Ben Howard’s song “The Fear” repeats the prophetic and potentially haunting refrain: “Oh, I will become what I deserve.” [1] While what we deserve may be subject to debate or even delusion, I can’t help but wonder if Ben has put his finger on a fear that most of us experience when we allow ourselves […]
I’m a foodie, I admit it. Not that I claim to have any sophisticated palate, but my culinary tastes are broad and varied and I take tremendous — sometimes even rapturous — delight in eating. I know what’s good and what I like, and it matters little to me whether a dish is ethnic, fusion, […]
I recently left my office before 5pm to get home in time for an important phone meeting that would last well into the evening. My plan was to beat rush hour and join the call from home so I could avoid another late night at the office. As I left the parking garage, I drove a […]