Sunday was the Feast of St. Francis, and this was the first year in many, many years that I was not able to do a Blessing of the Animals service. That has always been one of my favorite services, and for these last 15 years, I always led them with little Henry. This is also…… Continue reading Remembering Henry, on the Feast of St. Francis
Revisiting “Mere Christianity”
This year at Gettysburg College, I am working with several first-year seminars as a Student Success Advocate (a new program this fall). All of the these seminars are very interesting and very engaging: one of them, which is about the history of tea, has started me doing Japanese calligraphy and practicing the Japanese tea ceremony;…… Continue reading Revisiting “Mere Christianity”
Seeking Peace in Hard Times
Tributes have been pouring in all weekend to Ruth Bader Ginsberg, may she rest in peace. Regardless of your politics, you can and should admire her tenacity, her endurance, and her long, rich life that was characterized by a fierce commitment to issues of justice, equality and dignity. She was a dynamo in a compact…… Continue reading Seeking Peace in Hard Times
A Love Letter to Mary Oliver, on her Birthday
Dear Mary Forgive the formality, but I feel as though we are old friends, because I know your words so well. Today is your birthday, and it seems to me to be a fine time to write you a love letter. And, I promise I will take your advice: consider this my few words patched…… Continue reading A Love Letter to Mary Oliver, on her Birthday
Grace and Strength: Comfort in Hard Times
No sense in sugar-coating it; last week was a rough week at Gettysburg College, which flowed into an ever rougher weekend, with the news that most of our students were being sent back home. Perhaps it comes as no surprise that most of them did not want to go—they enjoyed being on campus, they relished…… Continue reading Grace and Strength: Comfort in Hard Times
Radical Hope: Letters of Love
I wanted to share a few thoughts from a great book that I just finished, given to me by a dear friend. The book is titled Radical Hope: Letters of Love and Dissent in Dangerous Times, edited by Carolina De Robertis. The idea came about three days after the 2016 election, when she found herself…… Continue reading Radical Hope: Letters of Love
Facing New Challenges like a 90 year-old
If you are my age, give or take 10 years either way, and you loved Greek mythology growing up, you definitely have heard of Edith Hamilton. Well, maybe you haven’t heard of her exactly, but you certainly know her book, Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes, her retelling of many popular Greek myths. First published…… Continue reading Facing New Challenges like a 90 year-old
Thoughts on “White Fragility”
This post is about a great book I know you have heard about: White Fragility: Why It’s so Hard for White People to Talk about Racism, by Robin Diangelo. It was great–really eye-opening and also uncomfortable in all the right ways. I hope after you read this blog, you read the book. Let me start…… Continue reading Thoughts on “White Fragility”
Sowing for the Future
Last week, John and I returned from a much-needed vacation in the Finger Lakes. It was an area we hadn’t visited before, and we had a great time–I highly recommend it, even if you’re not a huge wine drinker, which we are not. There are lots of interesting things to see in the region, including…… Continue reading Sowing for the Future
Take Your Guns and Go Home
Saturday afternoon, I got a call from a friend. He knew that I had been planning to go with some students from Gettysburg College over to the Rec Park to watch the fireworks, and he was concerned. Did I know that there were dozens of armed, uniformed men walking around town? I confessed I did…… Continue reading Take Your Guns and Go Home
