Personal Writings

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Positioning the Nativity

I remember the year that we bought a beautiful and somewhat large-figured nativity set for Christmas. I had unpacked and set it up on a piece of furniture in the dining room and I suppose without thinking through how to position the animals and humans around the manger, I had them placed some of them – probably all but Mary and Joseph – facing outward from Baby Jesus, toward the viewer. One day I noticed these were all turned around...

You Are Blessed on Your Way…

I’m captivated by ideas about life being a journey.  I contemplate references in writings to mothers.  I gravitate toward recognition of commonality of human thoughts and experiences with the Creator. __________ In recent readings I was reminded of a hymn, “Now Thank We All Our God.” It has been ages since I’ve thought of this one, having learned it at one point in high school choir. As I found a good version to listen again, I contemplated one of the...

Timeless Distilled Theology

Today in the late afternoon after being indoors focusing on mentally draining tasks and absorbed in backburner melancholies of sorts, I just had to get outside for my daily dose of that which is good for my soul. With so many outdoor tasks calling to me in the autumn as preparations for winter hasten, I found myself gravitating toward going into my small back pasture area to continue picking up black walnuts and shagbark hickories. I suppose my older son’s...

The Secret ‘O Life and Enjoying the Passage of Time

I’m not so sure that I’m enjoying the passage of time lately. There is a song by James Taylor I first heard about twenty years ago which I quite enjoyed. It had such an easy-going and visionary feel to it…and at thirty-eight years old and having not yet reached that over-the-hill pinnacle of life, I could listen to this with a somewhat contemplative-but-all-is-right-in-my-world-pretty-much feel. My oldest son was around twelve and my youngest around seven at that time. Life was...