Month: April 2016

Looking back over some recent posts, I realized that the blog has been a bit on the darkish side of late. I’ve kind of been on a pain, death and suffering kick. Cheerful installments have been as rare as Southern accents on National Public Radio. Which is a bit baffling to me because I think Southern accents are really quite charming. The late Shelby Foote could read from a vegan restaurant menu and hold my attention for hours. Recently, I had dinner with one of our elders and a normal member at a steakhouse in Knoxville, TN. The server, a … Read more…

At a news conference on September 11, 2001, with a ragged hole in the New York City skyline, someone asked Mayor Rudy Giuliani how many casualties he expected. Mr. Giuliani could have answered like a politician, but instead, he answered like a pastor; “The number of casualties will be more than any of us can bear ultimately.” He numbered our grief in fourteen words, named it unbearable and, thereby, enabled us to express it. The right word at the right time infuses a moment with meaning, meets questions with answers, soothes, heals and strengthens. Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. Armstrong’s proclamation from the … Read more…

My parents were involved in a serious auto accident this past week. Both remain hospitalized, but have a good prognosis. Recovery will be slow, but we are grateful their injuries were not more serious. My three siblings and I have spent the week tag-teaming in the hospital. In fact, I’m writing this post from a quiet corner in a waiting area down the hall from Dad’s room. It is a good vantage point from which to watch people as they come and go. And a hospital is a good place to reflect on what does and does not matter. I … Read more…

If I tell you to look for Toyota Camrys as you drive to work or school tomorrow morning, you know what’s going to happen? Every other car is going to be a Toyota Camry. Psychologists call that the frequency illusion. The suggestion that Toyota Camrys are everywhere is all it takes for the road to suddenly seem jam packed with Toyota Camrys. (If I write the words “Toyota Camry” one more time, you’re going to think I’m getting a handsome product placement bonus from the company that makes Camrys – Toyota.) In the realm of ideas, this phenomenon is called … Read more…