Seasons and Siblings

Hello from a low-key Friday afternoon The metaphor of seasons is well-known, and its use across the genres of art is extensive. Immediately, Vivaldi’s classic Four Seasons, comes to mind, or another Italian, artist, Giuseppe Arcimbold painted four paintings on the seasons given to HRE Maximillian II. Scottish poet, James Thomson composed poems on tueContinue reading “Seasons and Siblings”

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”

Understanding Life

Hello on another day of significance, It’s an Election Day and as always the attempted reading of the tea leaves is on full boil. Additionally, there is an irony that the early morning news feeds all raced to be the first to report the passing of former Vice President/Secretary of Defense/White House Chief of StaffContinue reading “Understanding Life”

When Kindness is Dismissed

Hello on an mid-November evening, While my salutation is somewhat non-committal, and I am a generally optimistic person, the daily rejection of kindness or simple goodness in the world, the country, and even within my own minute corner of Bloomsburg of has me rethinking life on a fundamental basis. From basic manners or expressing careContinue reading “When Kindness is Dismissed”

A Sacred Form of Strength

Hello from a rather sparse space, Sometimes we find ourselves in situations unexpected, and the reasons are general more than some simple cause/effect sort of dialectic. And as importantly, or maybe more so, it is the consequence of a basic character trait, and even a perceived strength, but something that has been demonstrated or practicedContinue reading “A Sacred Form of Strength”

Out of the Depths, O Lord . . .

Hello from my study, There are a multitude of thoughts, emotions, concerns, and fears as I reflect on the pictures of our national Capitol yesterday. I do not mean that to be a political statement, it is a statement of one single individual, a former pastor, a Marine Corps veteran, a person who has RepublicanContinue reading “Out of the Depths, O Lord . . .”

Imagining a Century

Hello from my office at school, It has been a “manage-the-details” day. I am the chair of our department sabbatical committee, director of departmental internships, and an advisor to a couple of student groups. Each area needed attention today. I think I have about 95% of all the issues answered, but there is always somethingContinue reading “Imagining a Century”

To the Third and Fourth Generation

Hello from my office, I have been grading and chatting with students trying to help them manage a major paper, one much longer than many have ever written or even fathomed in high school. While I do not think it is a difficult assignment, I am well aware that this is not comparing apples toContinue reading “To the Third and Fourth Generation”

Wishing I Could be Three Again

Hello from the study, It has been an interesting 5 months. It is, almost to the day, that amount of time we started a Spring Break and the fear of COVID was becoming more of a reality. Since that time, the world has been turned upside down and that is a profound understatement. A CBSContinue reading “Wishing I Could be Three Again”

Questioning, Pondering, Disagreeing, and Respecting

Good late Saturday morning from my study, I have another blog I have been working on for about a week, but have decided to shelve it for the moment and take a different direction. I has some issues with sleeping last night, if I am going to be as transparent as I believe I should.Continue reading “Questioning, Pondering, Disagreeing, and Respecting”