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,...