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Reading and Catching Dreams 4.5.23
Dear James, You love letters. I do not know why you love letters. But you do. One day you will realize that those 26 foam letters that you love to arrange on the tub during bath time can be used to create magic, because when strung together, they create art that has no equal. As the Bible states, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” The Word is indeed powerful. All people love stories. Unfortunately, as asserted by a recent New York Times article, our current education system focuses more on teaching reading as an analytical skill instead of a…
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Humility 3.19.23
During this Lenten Season, our Church asked for volunteers to provide a reflection on the Lenten Gospel Readings. We were told to keep the reflection to less than 200 words. Being loquacious, both verbally and with the written word, I entered this holy endeavor intent on listening, reflecting, and finding one message, out of the many in this passage, that resonated with me. Elizabeth volunteered to provide a reflection on today’s reading, March 19th. So, together we read the Gospel of John, Chapter 9, where Jesus heals a man born blind. I invite you to read all 41 verses after reading the following reflection. Worldviews are dear to us. During…
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Review of “The Book of Joy “ 2.27.23
One of my book clubs recently decided to read “The Book of Joy – Lasting Happiness In A Changing World.” Written by the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the book attempts to answer the question: How do we find joy in the face of life’s inevitable suffering? After identifying many obstacles to joy, including fear, stress, anger, grief, illness and death, the authors make the argument that the ultimate source of joy is within each of us. What do the authors mean by this? One could mistakenly interpret their statement that we should focus on ourselves to create happiness and joy. They make it very clear that paradoxically, if…
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Poems from 2013
Five poems written 10 years ago on empathy, lost dreams, seeing people differently, gratitude, and starting over.
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A Daily Morning Prayer 1.3.23
Many of us have much to be thankful for as we begin a new calendar year. I thought I would share a prayer of thanks that I often use during a moment of silence or when meditating. It is my go-to prayer and covers everything for me. I will also share what each item I am thankful for means to me. Dear God Thank you for my life Thank you for my wife Thank you for my time Thank you for my mind Thank you for my health Thank you for my wealth As it was in the beginning, is now and forever, universe without end. Amen
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The Perfect Gift – Christmas 2022
Dear James, “In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree….” This story from the book of Luke is read to us every Christmas and most of us now know it by heart. But do we really know how it ends? Or is the end just the beginning? I was listening to a podcast when those questions popped into my head. The purpose of this specific podcast was to educate the listener on how to give the perfect gift. And it starts with reminding us that “gift giving is as old as humanity – to express love, offer admiration and obtain favors.” So, if gift giving is so important, why…
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Discussing “From Strength to Strength” by Arthur Brooks
A Discussion of Arthur Brooks' Book "From Strength to Strength - helping people find greater happiness as they age and change. Given at Christ Church Episcopal.
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November 25, 2022 – Black Friday – Ten Years Later
Dear James, It is Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. Although there are conflicting theories on why this day is called Black Friday, most people do agree that it started in the 1980s when someone decided that this day was the official start of the Christmas shopping season. And because it was such a big shopping day, someone also decided that most merchants do not turn a profit for the year until this day, officially putting them in “the black”, which means making a profit, versus being in “the red”, which means suffering a financial loss. And so, the term “Black Friday” was born. And since then, for some people,…
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November 11, 2022 – Passion and Movies
A letter to James about passion, movies and the Virginia Film Festival.
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Bavaria, Southern Germany – Thursday Sept. 29 to Saturday Oct. 1
This trip was supposed to happen in 2020 when the Hoffmanns had invited us to attend the world renowned Passion Play, which is performed every 10 years, for the 2020 performance. But due to COVID it was postponed to 2022. So, here we are. After driving from Weggis, Switzerland to Oberammergau, Germany on Wednesday, we walked around town in the rain to get our bearings before returning to our hotel and a warm Bavarian meal. Because the entire play is performed in German, we attended a one-hour English introduction the next morning, which was fascinating. I learned that the first play was performed in 1634 and every 10 years after…
