Tradition and Transformation: Fasnacht and Carnival

Hello on a Friday the 13th, There is so much happening in our world presently it is difficult to find a moment to breathe, or at least that is how it seems. Is my looking at all of this my version of doomscrolling or is it something more? I would like to believe that IContinue reading “Tradition and Transformation: Fasnacht and Carnival”

Only Remembering or Telling What We Want

Hello from yet another February morning, Whether or not it only seems I am looking back at life more frequently or it’s an actuality, I’m unsure, but turning 70 must have something to do with that particular action. And yet as I ponder my life and the events or experiences, the people and places thatContinue reading “Only Remembering or Telling What We Want”

A Scar that Never Fades

Good early morning, Into the post-Super Bowl, pre-Valentine’s Day, middle of the week-Winter Olympics mashup of February. It’s the 10th of February, and a day for me that remains as clearly etched into my memory as November 22, 1963, the 28th of January 1986, 911, or even March 4, 2020 (I actually noted in conversationContinue reading “A Scar that Never Fades”

From Kent State to South Minneapolis

Hello as January turns to February, As a history major, as a person who studied philosophy at all levels in higher education, as a person with both a background immersed in the liberal arts and theology, I find daily life as simultaneously predictable and no, something fascinating and yet that often creates apprehension. As myContinue reading “From Kent State to South Minneapolis”

Finally Understanding my Father’s Passion

Hello on another chilly weekend, The week here in Bloomsburg, which began with the most significant snowfall I’ve experienced in my decade and a half, and then cold that is a bit uncharacteristic of Pennsylvania. The single digits or below zero windchills are not typical, like what an upper Midwestern boy knew from time inContinue reading “Finally Understanding my Father’s Passion”

Life Marches By . . .

Hello from a snowy town in Pennsylvania, Earlier in the week we experienced perhaps the most accumulated snow in a single storm here in Bloomsburg since I arrived in 2009. Only one other time did we have more than 12”. We have been forecasted to get something substantial, but seldom does it happen.i must sayContinue reading “Life Marches By . . .”

Imagining a Christmas Spirit

Hello from the living room of my sister-in-law, When I was small, this day was a day of anticipation, a day of incredible cookies, candies, Norwegian delights, and church with candles and carols. It would not be until later I would learn to decorate the house into a fairytale of my own, and make bothContinue reading “Imagining a Christmas Spirit”

Colorless Christianity

Hello from my small, but tranquil corner, As I ponder the reality of Advent and its implications for faith, as I reflect on the spirit of Christmas, I like many want to focus on the simplicity of the season, even when everything around me seems anything but. The purely driven snow reminds me of theContinue reading “Colorless Christianity”

Memories of Love

Hello from my new space, It’s been a good day and a half, and a great deal has been accomplished. Since returning from the Thanksgiving trip to Iowa, I have worked to recover from a serious cold, and packed in the various remedies, including homemade Chicken Noodle soup. I still have a cough, though productive,Continue reading “Memories of Love”

Imagining a Permanent Advent

Hello from the couch, I am back in Bloomsburg, and along with visiting relatives back in the Midwest, I got one piece of the nomadic past year back in my semi-permanent space. I think the next piece will be to load up bus components in Tennessee and get them back here also. I also managedContinue reading “Imagining a Permanent Advent”