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 prior to her incarceration and subsequent murder in Auschwitz in November 1943. Titled An Interrupted Life, her complete diary was not published until 1986. In it, she …
Category Archives: Mind
Simon Sinek and “Glow Kids”
Until an hour ago, I did not know who Simon Sinek is. My youngest son Jesse suggested that I watch a YouTube presentation by Mr. Sinek titled “This Is Why You Don’t Succeed.” I took Jesse’s suggestion and invested 16 minutes to watch the presentation. I consider what Mr. Sinek tells us so important that …
Hans Teaches Us Patience
Hans is aging quickly. He is 15-years old. It has been over a year since he could negotiate stairs. We have a ramp on the stairs leading to our front door just for him. Now, he has difficulty even standing up. Five out of every seven nights of the week, he will bark in the …
Forgiving Garrison Keillor
This morning, I forgave Garrison Keillor for his transgressions real or imagined. I sent him my words of forgiveness through the contact form on his website. Garrison Keillor You may or may not know Garrison Keillor or anything about him. I know him as a magical writer who has brought smiles to the masses with …
Loon Lake
Although I lived many years at the base of the Adirondack Mountains in Holland Patent, NY, I have never seen a loon. I read Loon Lake when E.L. Doctorow published it in 1980. We lived in Upstate New York at the time, but I remember little about the book. I do recall that I enjoyed …
Making the World a Better Place
I know for certain that THE MOST EFFECTIVE way to make the world a better place to be is by greeting, smiling and waving at every creature – man, woman, child, animal, and plant – you encounter throughout the day. Those simple gestures go much farther than any dollar you could contribute to the most …
The Presence of God
Sometimes it is easy to imagine the presence of God. Sometimes it is not.
The Ragamuffin Gospel
The best ‘spiritual’ book I have ever read is The Ragamuffin Gospel, and I discovered it through my association with the late great singer-songwriter Rich Mullins. I wrote about it four years ago in a post titled “Ragamuffin.” I am still far from all the answers and I remain a seeker, but The Ragamuffin Gospel …
Kayak Adventure
Earlier this year, I acquired a tandem kayak for the specific purpose of introducing my grandchildren to the activity. From my outdated perspective, there is far more adventure to be had in a kayak on a river than there is to be had in a theatre seat with a tub of greasy popcorn at a …
Scrutinized Sentiments
Even for those few of us who aren’t glued to a video screen throughout the day monitoring the ‘news’ as presented by ‘legitimate’ news broadcasters and the millions of social media experts who riddle out brains with a never-ending flow of commentary on whatever they disagree with, it was difficult to avoid the now famous …