In 1967, the guest speaker at the annual athletic awards banquet at the United States Air Force Academy was Jesse Owens, the great American Olympian whose four gold medals in the 1936 Olympics spoiled Adolf Hitler’s planned Aryan showcase. I was 18-years old and felt very special and very humble as I looked to the […]
Author Archives: tVM
The time is always ripe to do right
Time can be our ally, or time can be our fiercest enemy. Has anyone ever said to you, “Time heals all wounds?” Many attribute those words to the ancient Greek dramatist Menander. Country award-winning vocalist Clint Black includes a litany of classic ‘time statements’ in his memorable 2004 song “Spend My Time:” “Seems I made […]
The Fields of Friendly Strife
“Mandatory knowledge” was a key element for my classmates and me when we entered the United States Air Force Academy in 1967. Of the countless facts and dates I was required to put to memory, the one that has endured the years is a quote from General Douglas MacArthur to the 1946 graduating class at […]
Thomas Merton, Chief Yellow Lark and the Gifts of Sunrise and Sunset …
Oh, to be thankful for what we have and not rue what we do not have! That is noble and worthy of the Vitruvian Man. I wish I knew more about Chief Yellow Lark. Many months ago, I learned the Sioux prayer whose translation is attributable to him. Yet search as I might, I find […]
Confluence of Faith, Aldous Huxley and Ruth …
The Vitruvian Man seeks the confluence of faith, not its divergence. This confluence is not difficult to find, and all religions teach it. If we open our eyes, our ears, and our hearts, we will see it there. Our objective is to fuel the universe with God and to do that, we must understand that […]
Birds and Contemplation
I believe in the power of contemplation, that it can enlighten a mind and put a troubled soul at rest. My original intent with this blog was to reflect on one of my favorite passages by Thomas Merton: “When no one listens to the quiet trees, When no one notices the sun in the pool […]
The Fuel that Runs the Universe
At a recent BBQ, I tossed out a simple question: “Anyone here familiar with C.S. Lewis?” Everyone over 30 looked at me like I had a third eye in the middle of my forehead. A young friend under 30 gave an answer typical of his youth, “He’s the guy who wrote the flick ‘Narnia.’” While […]