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 …
Category Archives: Spirit
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 …
Light a Candle
As time passes, I become more grateful for the many blessings bestowed upon me through the grace of God. Many of those blessings come from people, some I know, others may be strangers, but their positive effect on my life is undeniable… like the grace of God. Ten years ago, a young attorney friend who …
A House Built on Prayer
I believe God guided me to the home I reside in, the men who built it, and the small, rural, desert community it is a part of. The house is less than a mile off the extended runway of the local airport, which is home to SkyDive Arizona, arguably the number one skydiving facility in …
The Children Need Your Help
After a brutal summer characterized by unparalleled gang violence and delays mandated by the Haitian Ministry of Education, we opened the doors to the Barefoot School in Cité Soleil, Haiti last week. This will be our second scholastic year. Our relationship with the Guepard Boxing Club of Cité Soleil [GBCCS] which operates the school goes …
The Veil of Heaven
One of the most beautiful books I have read is Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace by Kent Nerburn (1999). In his introduction, Mr. Nerburn writes, “There is a story told by some of the Native American people about the stars in the midnight sky. Each star, they say, is a hole pierced in …
Dealing with Challenge
My favorite month is September. As a child of the Berkshires growing up in New England, how could I not revere this special time of the year when the air is crisp and clean… when the trees display their finery in preparation for the winter. As September wanes, I reflect on a challenging 2022. As …
Crossing Paths with Angels
The medication to relieve my BPH (benign prostatic hyperplasia [enlarged prostate]) has not been effective. Passing urine and bowel movements have been erratic and hardly successful. I made a good decision late last week when I followed the advice of my friend and Mrs. tVM and scheduled an appointment with my VA medical team for …