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 …
Tag Archives: literature
Live As Though You Remember
It occurred to me this morning as I was researching my ‘manuscript in process’ that I have used the idea of “remembering” early in each of my historical novels. “I’ve been tempted to lose count of the years as each comes and goes, but I remember. Remembering is important.” – The Olympian: A Tale of …
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 …
The War Prayer
I may have mentioned I have been reading an excellent volume, The Rag and Bone Shop of the Heart: Poems for Men. I come upon poem after poem that demands and commands my attention. I so much like this book that I purchased four copies, one for each son and one for my son-in-law. Last …
Uncivilized
Galena, Alaska sits on the north bank of the Yukon River on the 64th N parallel, just two parallels shy of the Arctic Circle. Flying out of Galena’s now inactive Air Station in the summer of 1973 in my T-33, I once saw the sun set and rise within a 15-minute stretch. As I climbed …
The Star, an excerpt
I invite all subscribes and readers of The Vitruvian Man to download an excerpt I have made available from my working manuscript, The Exile of Gaspar. I have titled the excerpt “The Star.” You can download the excerpt as a PDF document or as an EBook for your Kindle. Details are available at ESKraay Online.
Instructions: How to Become a Hero
I do not believe I was ever required to read Rudyard Kipling’s poem “If.” Perhaps better known for his books Kim, Captains Courageous, Gunga Din, The Man Who Would Be King and The Jungle Book among others, Kipling penned “If” in 1895. I first read the poem on a rainy afternoon in the ’60’s sitting …
The Dog
Of all the animals on Earth, I have learned most from the dog. Although my boyhood home was next door to a veterinarian, Doc Dapson in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, I never owned a dog until 1975 when we lived on a farm in Upstate New York. In his epic poetry, Homer tells us of Odysseus’s dog …
You Are the Light of the World
We can all have extraordinary days if we pay attention and open our hearts and minds. Father Paul spoke about the Transfiguration of Christ at church this morning. I couldn’t help but think about the post we put up last Friday. “Look for the light,” Father Paul implored us, and in his intercessions I heard …
Etty Hillesum, March 9, 1941
On March 12, 1941, Etty Hillesum wrote in her diary, “‘Melodious rolls the world from God’s right hand.’ This line by Vewey was stuck in my head all day. I too wanted to roll melodiously out of God’s hand.” Me, too! I want to join Etty Hillesum in her quest! We all can, and it …