Personal Writings

Category

Signs, and Scoffing!

I was once in a group discussion about whether we believed in miracles and the “supernatural.” It was a fairly lively, opinionated discussion as I recall. But one idea I took away was that sometimes, a sign or a miracle can be something in the natural realm that happens with such specificity that it is considered to be a miracle or supernatural in the eye of the beholder. While of course many biblical accounts of miracles and supernatural happenings were...

Leftovers

There’s a large story I like to tell about leftovers–I was looking for an adjective to place before story and after a few came into my mind I settled upon large. I’m not sure why, maybe there’s just a kind of largeness to this lifestory. Sometime around 2007 or so, I was doing caricatures for a monthly clubhouse party for residents that lived in upscale condos, somewhere up near West Chester. The condo management would splurge on a lovely party...

Spiritual Sickness

I have felt fairly sick since Friday but seem to be turning a corner. All physical illness–like spiritual and psychological illness–seems to exist on a continuum. When something is wrong in our physical bodies, we start to notice symptoms. And then we try to interpret the symptoms–their severity, or find a possible cause. I’ve had four days now wondering why I was feeling great Thursday, working for an extended time outdoors and indoors that involved significant physical work, cumulating with...

The Violent Soul

This afternoon I pulled in front of the little pharmacy in East Berlin, PA to drop off two packages for UPS pickup. As I was unloading, my ears noticed the nearby church bells were playing a hymn that I’ve recently come to love and I thought it was an unusual selection to hear beautifully reverberating through the little main street of the town. I paused to listen long enough to confirm that it was playing “We’re Marching to Zion (Beautiful,...

RIPTIDE!

One day last week I had a day where one very particular interaction with someone dear left me feeling rather suddenly I was in a no-win situation, in some respects. Quickly, I plummeted internally with a variety of emotions from frustration to anger to a sense of loss, fear and futility…before long, every other task or situation before me (or inside of me or surrounding me) had the same feeling of being some type of confusing, exhausting no-win situation. I...