Category Archives: Uncategorized

One of the characteristics of the heroic age was what scholars call the heroic boast—the bold declaration of what a warrior has done and is about to do. Beowulf does this in his great saga. This tradition has lived on … Continue reading →

We are now a society obsessed with a coming apocalypse: a climate change ice-age, wave after wave of zombies, earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis, plagues, asteroids, and hemorrhoids. All this makes for great drama magnified by special effects. But after a while … Continue reading →

My mother is 91 and has, for almost forever, been praying. I know she prayed for her three boys and now prays for all her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She is really sweet, but can pray mean: “Lord, make them miserable … Continue reading →

I had been working in my office hours without a break, so I decided to a hike around the lake in search of dragonflies. A few yards outside my office I spotted a dragon fly—a Saffron-winged Meadowhawk which zooms off … Continue reading →

Once in a while I see a mourning cloak butterfly on campus. They actually aren’t common on the coast but my college sits on the edge of a lake edged with willows, the butterfly’s host plant. Despite its name, this … Continue reading →

My four boys have gone through a number of vehicles. For a while Peter had a black Jeep. Until he owned a Jeep, Teckla and I had never noticed how many Jeeps were on the road—they are everywhere around here. … Continue reading →

“My anger protected me only for a short time: anger wearies itself out and truth comes in.” (C. S. Lewis, Till We Have Faces) These words of Queen Orual perfectly express the way in which anger is often a refuge … Continue reading →

I suppose lots of fathers want their kids to follow in their footsteps and be interested in the stuff they like. I’m an English teacher and nature lover. Most my boys, however, haven’t shown must interest in literature or nature. … Continue reading →

 Recently two of my grown sons have been coming to church with me. These kids have grown up in church so they have worshipped beside me for years. But honestly for most of those years I couldn’t hear them singing. … Continue reading →

I’m an educator so I usually regard ignorance as the enemy. But about a year ago I embraced it as a friend: I dropped out of Facebook. I am now blissfully ignorant of what is going on in the lives … Continue reading →