WARNING – DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE SENSITIVE ABOUT ANIMALS Events in our lives shape our reality, emotions and moral framework. When the groundhogs invaded our farm several years ago, I had mixed emotions. When a few showed up in our back yard we thought they were harmless and cute. And the AirB&B guests who stayed at the farm enjoyed watching them. But multiple holes began to appear in the yard, the adjoining pasture, and even under the foundation of our farmhouse, creating a safety hazard to cows and guests alike.  So, we made the difficult decision to exterminate them. But as I showed up one morning to check on…

As 2025 fades into our rearview mirror and we look forward with hopeful anticipation to what 2026 will bring, I offer up the following advice. Bring more awe and wonder into your life. Because our grandchildren’s parents were working on New Years Eve, Elizabeth and I were asked to watch our grandchildren yesterday morning. So, we left our house at the lake at 6:30 a.m. to drive to their house an hour away near Charlottesville. As a result, Elizabeth and I had “the opportunity” to spend the morning of New Years Eve alone with our grandchildren, James and Elizabeth.  Looking back, spending time with James and Elizabeth on New Years…

At our annual Christmas dinner with dear friends from our old neighborhood, we eventually get around to giving updates on our children. Our oldest son Davis is a second year head basketball coach at Monticello High School. And I did a little bragging on him in two ways.  First, he led Monticello to its best season ever during his first year as head basketball coach. But secondly, and more important to me is his approach to coaching. And as I told our friends, I am not even sure he would articulate it the way I would. I described it as follows. He is first and foremost a mentor. He is then…

Today, always a Thursday, is a day to treasure.  It is a day to slow down, spend time with family and friends, and to give thanks. But I am not sure we fully embrace this day’s essential meaning. And a note I received today from one of my friends relaying his recent experience visiting some “favelas” in Northern Brazil made me think about this even more. We all know the story of the native Americans and pilgrims sitting down together for the first Thanksgiving meal in a land that would one day become a part of the United States. However, the annual thanksgiving holiday tradition in what would become the…

Today’s posting may seem like a collection of random thoughts – and in a way, it is.  I write these postings as material for a future book (if it ever gets written), but also as self-therapy.  In fact, I recently responded to the following question on the Mennonite Health Assembly Association Website, “What have you learned about yourself during the past year?”, with the following:                   “I have learned that I need to write – not for others, but for myself. By organizing my thoughts that I share with others, it forces me to create a lucid narrative that helps me to understand why I hold certain world views. And…

So, what does one do on a “rest day” in Cusco to acclimate to the high altitude before cycling and hiking the Sacred Valley in the Andes Mountains? Well you walk slowly around the city, maybe buy something, go to a chocolate museum, visit an huge indoor/outdoor market, and make a reservation to eat dinner at one of the best Vegan Restaurants one of my friends has ever visited. viva El Peru Thank you Judy Amiano for recommending Green Point because the food was extraordinary. And Luna our server had plenty of positive personality and the ambience was very zen. If all Vegan restaurants were like this, I would eat…

Yesterday evening I had a conversation with a friend who attends church with me.  Afterwards, I realized that I had used a part of that discussion to complain about some things at our church. And to be more specific, I shared how some older people in our congregation who have been members for many years feel dismissed by our relatively new Rector because the new Rector seems more focused on recruiting young families to our Church. And then I added on to this general statement with the following experience I had. During our Ministries Fair several Sundays ago, I approached two young men who were staffing the Men’s Softball Table.…

We started in Dublin With lots of things “happenin” Including Temple Bar And singing on Grafton We journeyed to Tralee To start The Dingle Way A 110-mile excursion With feats each day We walked Tralee to Camp Where streams ran strong With views of Tralee Bay Where we met MAGA John To Annascaul we marched On a wet Day two As we swam in the sea Dining at South Pole Pub too From Annascaul to Dingle We trudged through the “mud” Not wanting to know What was in that Crud In Dingle we played And had a great time Dining on Oysters With Guinness and wine On to Dunquin Around…

Day 9 of our trip would be Day 6 of our hike on the Dingle Way. The 13-mile hike to Cloghane is one of the most remote and dramatic sections of the DINGLE WAY, and the most challenging as we reached the highest point. The trail offered a combination of history and breathtaking views. We crossed the shoulder of Mount Brandon, one of Ireland’s highest mountains and passed by groups of standing stones. This was by far the coldest day of the hike due to the elevation. We were literally hiking in the clouds. The descent down the mountain was steep, but we were rewarded by spotting a hut where…