Life in Every Breath

Hello at the end of the week, It is difficult to believe we are almost into the year holiday season. This coming week I will fly back to Iowa to spend Thanksgiving with family. Certainly, holidays are a different time for each of us; they bring back memories, which for some are blessed and bringContinue reading “Life in Every Breath”

And So It Goes

Hello from another day of grading and coffee shops (not completely, but I will explain), It is another weekend, and for the moment it seems more like a September afternoon (though now overcast) than almost Halloween. I looked at my hometown in Iowa, and I spoke to Max up in Houghton, and both places wereContinue reading “And So It Goes”

At 250 . . . Once, Always

Hello from the corner table, Currently, there are a lot of words tossed around (which is not really anything new, but perhaps different ones) that get used, pushed upon the other, and taken out of context. Or sometimes, thinking about the work of Anthony Giddens, the British social theorist, they take on new meanings. PerhapsContinue reading “At 250 . . . Once, Always”

The Importance of Integrity

Hello from my upstairs office, When I was younger, while I did not frequently lie about things, there were times I probably stretched the truth to some degree. Most times it was because I feared a spanking, which my mother was particularly adept at administering. There were times I perhaps revised the facts because IContinue reading “The Importance of Integrity”

Facing Mental Illness with Compassion

Hello from a quiet table and pondering the struggle of so many, This past week I have been confronted with two specific incidences where a person certainly struggles with some form of mental illness. Let me begin with two important facts. I am not a psychologist nor a psychiatrist, nor do I have an MSW.Continue reading “Facing Mental Illness with Compassion”

Dreamers

Hello from my study on the Acre, It is hard to believe that Spring is here (and today certainly felt Spring-like) and we are almost a quarter of the way through this year. It seems like only a few weeks ago the semester began and the Christmas holidays were still visible in the rear-view mirror.Continue reading “Dreamers”

Our Notional Nation

Hello from the Acre, sitting yet again in front of the computer, It has been a beautiful week, enticing us to believe Spring is here, but it is mid-March, and my past experience, from a variety of places, has taught me to avoid the enticement. Take pleasure in the days offered, get outside and manageContinue reading “Our Notional Nation”

The Shared Experience of Struggle Creates Equity, and perhaps Empathy

Hello from my kitchen on an early Monday morning, It is about 5:40 a.m. and I have decided it is time to get back to a productive schedule. I had actually set my alarm for 6:45, but I woke up about 5:00 and decided to get up. I am cooking oatmeal and decided to doContinue reading “The Shared Experience of Struggle Creates Equity, and perhaps Empathy”

“Life is hard, but so very beautiful”

Hello from my office at the University, It is a difficult day in the history of our country. This is not a partisan statement nor is it meant to be political; it is a simple statement of fact – because the House of Representatives has voted, for a second time, to impeach President Trump. ThisContinue reading ““Life is hard, but so very beautiful””

A Different Reformation

Hello from the kitchen bar on the Acre, I wish I had a magic wand like Harry Potter is able to carry, but if I did what would I do with it? What would be reasonable in this present situation? At what place, or specific point in time, do I wish I could go backContinue reading “A Different Reformation”