Compassion and Peace in a Confusing World
My mind and heart have not been “at peace” over the past few weeks. Our country continues to experience mass and individual shootings which, when added to horrendous past episodes, suggest hate and racial injustice abound. In addition, several friends have recently experienced pain, heartache, and loss. All of this has weighed heavily on my… Continue reading Feeling Hurt
I have written a good bit these past few months about the on-going pandemic and the possibility of its long-lasting impact on the millions of people. The obvious and direct impact has been the well over half-million deaths resulting from the COVID-19 virus. The Washington Post has published a beautiful tribute of stories about victims of this disease… Continue reading What Can We Do?
Will I Always Be this Cold? Where has this cold come from? “It comes from the death of your friend.” Will I always, from now on, be this cold? “No, it will diminish. But always it will be with you.” What is the reason for it? “Wasn’t your friendship always as beautiful as a flame?”… Continue reading The Cold of the Pandemic
I heard an interesting radio program the other day. People were asked, “When in 2020 did you realize that the world had changed?” After thinking for a while, my realization that our world had begun to change came on Monday, March 9, 2020. I was scheduled to visit several church members on that Monday, in… Continue reading The Times They Are A-Changin’
I was excited a year ago at this time of Lent. I was serving as the Parish Visitor and Commissioned Pastor at my Presbyterian church and I was asked to share in the leadership of our Ash Wednesday worship service, a Christian tradition which begins the Lenten season, 40 days before Easter. Congregational members during… Continue reading For Such a Time as This
I just read an article in the Washington Post which I would offer as assistance in the midst of the pandemic. Here is the link: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/wellness/cry-stress-pandemic-advice-coping/2021/01/22/d508f86c-575a-11eb-a817-e5e7f8a406d6_story.html A warning: the article is about crying. So, I can probably rule out approximately one half of all potential readers - - the men! Our culture still insists that men should not… Continue reading A Pandemic Response
About two years ago I attended the National Collegiate Athletic Association basketball championship with my daughter, an alumna of the champion, the University of Virginia. The Cavaliers won both very close tournament games, each with exciting and nearly unbelievable endings. Immediately after the final game, the young man sitting next to me gave me a… Continue reading What Just Happened?
Over the past few weeks I have heard the same refrain from family and friends, in telephone conversations, Zoom meetings, and in the few times I actually connect with a real-life person. Most everyone wishes me a Happy New Year... but beyond that they almost always say something to the effect of, “this new year has to… Continue reading Happy New Year!
Each year, come December, the John Lennon version of, So This Is Christmas, repeats in my head. So this is Christmas / Another year over, a new one just begun. The story goes, Lennon wanted to release this song in 1971 as a way to continue to protest the Vietnam war. He added, "War is over," among… Continue reading So, this is Christmas?
I have found the greatest degree of inner tranquility comes from the development of love and compassion.” Dalai Lama These past nine months in the United States have been confusing, isolating, and painful. Each day in the news or personally we witness fear and/or skepticism, along with sickness and/or death. And just about every single one of us… Continue reading Sore Souls and Hurting Hearts
At Peace 