According to a recent report on Haiti from the World Bank – November 2022 – Haiti remains the poorest country in the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region and among the poorest countries in the world. In 2021, Haiti had a GNI [gross national income] per capita of US$1,420, the lowest in the LAC …
Author Archives: tVM
Core Message
Every Saturday morning, the Pray As You Go website presents an examen, a Jesuit tradition involving reflection on and moral evaluation of one’s thoughts and conduct. I find this morning’s examen particularly inviting. In it, I am asked, “If you had the chance to give just one sermon, what would be your core message in …
A Lesson in Bipartisanism
According to Wikipedia, ‘bipartisanship’ is a political situation in which opposing political parties find common ground through compromise. As an adjective, ‘bipartisan’ suggests the agreement or cooperation of two political parties that usually oppose each other’s policies. In today’s political environment, the word ‘bipartisan’ is tossed about like a cheap dinner salad thrown together as an afterthought with no commitment, no …
No Distractions
We are back in school. Nothing has changed in Cité Soleil. With no functional government in Haiti – the last 10 remaining senators in Haiti’s parliament officially left office on Wednesday – the country is left without a single democratically elected government official. Meanwhile, the gangs continue to vie for power. Gunfire erupted yesterday and …
Do You Believe in Miracles?
One week after we discussed the value of Abraham’s belief in our previous post, middle son Brad shows up at the house with a special gift. Gifts are funny things. You’re never quite sure how the receiver will take them. With a few notable high-tech exceptions, Brad’s fairly good about giving gifts. He knows that …
Abraham Believed Anyway
I have a special place in my heart for my 2011 book Tobit and the Hoodoo Man. The book is about believing even in the most hopeless of circumstances, a situation most of us might confront at some point in our lives. The story I fashioned first occurred to me in 2010 when I read …
Happy New Year
May the LORD bless you and keep you; May the LORD make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; May the LORD lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace. Numbers 6:22-27 Mitakuye Oyasin
How Are You Doing?
When asked ‘How are you doing?’ I’m prepared with three well-rehearsed responses. Which one escapes my lips is a crap shoot on any given day. “I’m fine.” – I discovered Etty Hillesum years ago as I researched my Holocaust novel The Hamsa. My cousin Mary Ann from Indiana suggested I read the diary Ms. Hillesum wrote …
It IS a Wonderful Life
For 48 years, Mrs. tVM and I have watched the film “It’s a Wonderful Life” every Christmas season. When we first viewed it in 1974, the film was a mere 27 years old. That would be like watching “Braveheart” today; it doesn’t seem that long ago. As we watched “It’s a Wonderful Life” last night, …
Looking Forward to 2023
In 2023, we enter our 13th year publishing the Vitruvian Man website, and we remain committed to the two most important stories in all of literature: the story of the good Samaritan and the story of the adulterous woman. We are obligated to be our brother’s keeper to ensure that all life matters. We must …