Category Archives: Spirit

Letter from Birmingham Jail

Some things are not meant to be forgotten.  Fifty-three years ago on this day, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. penned his “Letter from Birmingham Jail.”  The letter is one of those things that must remain an important part of human thought. Five years ago, we first posted a piece that speaks to the heart of […]

Day Five in Haiti: Nicole’s Place

Late in 2003, Gail Rongen’s daughter Nicole Megaloudis’s name appeared on the list of potential women who would represent Greece in the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens.  Her dreams went unrealized when she died in a car accident as she returned to the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) campus late one night for an early […]

The Final Flight

As we buried my father’s ashes next to my mother yesterday, this will be my final post regarding his passing.  While there is much I could write, I will limit it to this.  My mother and father are at peace …. Together.  I am at peace. My spiritual traveler Mary Ann requested the audio of […]

God’s Hall of Fame

My mother passed away in August 2010; she died in the middle of the night in an assisted living facility not far from our home.  My father passed away 24 hours ago; he died peacefully in his own bed in this house just like he wanted to.  He was two months shy of his 93rd […]

The Most Beautiful Story I Have Ever Read

In 2014, I have read three books by Minnesotan Kent Nerburn.  I know him for his stories on Native Americans. Last week as I searched for new books for the bookstore I volunteer at, I found a book written in 1999 by Mr. Nerburn titled Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace, Living in the […]

Jimmy Stewart, Beau and Heaven

Last Sunday, my friend Father Charlie gave a ‘remarkable’ homily about a ‘remarkable fellow.’  His sermon was grounded in the 1927 silent film “7th Heaven.”  I did my research and found “7th Heaven” on YouTube.  I learned that there is a 1937 remake with Jimmy Stewart.  Both versions are available on YouTube. Last night, Mrs. […]

Jesus and the Disinherited

I never knew who Howard Thurman was until January 2014.  I know it was in January because that is when I posted “A Place for Angels,” a post about Howard Thurman that was well received.  I believe in angels just like I believe dog is man’s best friend.  That’s reality. I finished Thurman’s book Jesus […]

The Christmas Story

It is my Christmas ritual to share this piece every year.  Maybe you can read it to a child… maybe you will just read it to yourself.  I hope you read it, enjoy it and find value in it … Most people — certainly those younger than 60 — may only know “Ben-Hur” as a […]

Thanksgiving

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day, a day which was first declared a federal holiday in 1863 in the midst of the War Between the States by President Abraham Lincoln.  It pains me to think that 150 years later, it is more often referred to as the day before black Friday. The year has been a challenging […]