Last night, out of the blue, an email arrived bearing a 43-year-old video. Sent via a chain of friends and relatives, the clip showed me at my first wedding, singing my heart out to the accompaniment … [Read more...]
Wide Spot, September 2021: Words Matter
“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” When I was a kid, that children’s chant was a talisman to protect us from the startlingly painful names that kids fling—Fatty, … [Read more...]
Online House Church, July 18
Join in House Church from the comfort of your home--pj's and coffee are part of the joy, and right now, so are fans! Sunday, July 18th, at 10 am Pacific Time. Join via the Zoom app on your computer … [Read more...]
Wide Spot, June 2021: Fresh New Hell
The line “What fresh new hell is this?” was famously coined by the American critic Dorothy Parker when her writing was interrupted by the telephone. There’s something deeply true captured by Parker’s … [Read more...]
Wide Spot, April 2021: Close the Language Door
I thank my lucky stars (as my mom used to say) that I have a dog. Among other things, having a dog means that I am committed, no matter how somnolent, to an 11 p.m. walk every night around the front … [Read more...]
Wide Spot, March 2021: Fact or Feeling?
Two conversations and two questions: in the first exchange, a woman assured me that she was right in her stance about wearing/not wearing a mask because she could “feel it in her body.” In the second, … [Read more...]