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Greeted by an Angel
“Welcome. I have been waiting for you!” As greetings go, that is much better than something like “Stop, in the name of law,” but they were startling words just the same. Especially when the person introduced himself as Angel. For a moment, it seemed like the beginning of one of those groaner jokes where a person asked the pastor if there would be golf in heaven. The pastor responds, “Well I have…
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Tea Anyone?
The Brits may be on to something. I must admit it surprises me.
Ever since we canceled our satellite TV subscription, the local library’s DVD collection has been a staple of our evening entertainment. There, we stumbled across several British-made series that we’ve enjoyed very much. Several were detective series, but not all. I confess I still struggle to find the humor in British comedies, but…
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Fruits of the Harvest
Mowing between rows isn’t a generally prescribed form of weed control in a garden. But drastic times call for creative measures. It had been a few years since I managed a decent crop of popcorn and supplies were running low. It wasn’t for a lack of effort on my part. The arrival of a weed called “foxtail” was the culprit. With a name like that, you might expect a cute or even adorable grass but…
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When Lightning Strikes
Recent events have reminded me of a 2001 movie called “The Man Who Sued God.” As the plot unfolded, lightning destroyed the boat of an ex-lawyer turned fisherman. The insurance company refused to pay his claim, insisting it was an act of God for which the company was not responsible. Frustrated by that answer, the man decided to sue religious groups because they were God’s representatives on…
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Background Noise
Remember the days when television stations actually ended their broadcast day? They signed on in the morning and ended at a designated time. The national anthem may even have played somewhere in the mix. Until the next day, there was nothing to watch but colors, patterns, or numbers. At our house, it was a feat worth noting if we kids managed to escape bedtime until the color bars appeared,…
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Whale Watching
Judi and I spent the last 18 months traveling on tours previously canceled due to COVID. It reached the point of being nearly ridiculous.
Judi and I spent the last 18 months traveling on tours previously canceled due to COVID. It reached the point of being nearly ridiculous. With two years of bookings being pushed back, we were away from home some part of every month for a year and a half. Occasionally, it felt like we were trapped in a travel marathon, finishing the laundry from one trip just in time to pack again. Finally, in…
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A Really Hip Dude
“I’ll get up with you when I get back.” Those words were overheard in the airport as a traveler wrapped up a phone call prior to boarding his flight.
“I’ll get up with you when I get back.” Those words were overheard in the airport as a traveler wrapped up a phone call prior to boarding his flight. I was not intentionally eavesdropping on the conversation, but cell phones have an incredible power to make people think they enjoy a veil of privacy. It is as though they live in their own private phone booth that accompanies them wherever they…
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Who is the Prodigal in the Room?
“Pray for the prodigal.”
That message flashed on the big screen hanging behind the pulpit area in a church we visited this summer. My brain, which seems to have a mind of its own, immediately quipped, “I wonder if they’d put me in that category?” I laughed to myself, but confessed that I did not know the answer to that question. I shared the thought with my wife. She chose not to answer. Make…
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Gate to Gate
Gone are the days of accompanying loved ones to the gate or rooftop lounges where one could sit and watch the plane take off and land.
I enjoy air travel, but these days it can be a challenge. Gone are the days of accompanying loved ones to the gate or rooftop lounges where one could sit and watch the plane take off and land. For passengers, it is a much more focused and time-consuming adventure.
Whoever assigns gates to incoming flights does an exceptional job of placing my arriving flight at the opposite end of the airport…
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Gathering Places
It was another day of journeying through the middle of almost nowhere. Or as I have heard it said, “It’s not the middle of nowhere, but you can see it from there.” That thought rode along me during much of our travel through the Mongolian countryside. But do not be deceived. Within this seemingly empty space, life abounds. From the tiniest of desert flowers to the herds of wild and domestic…
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Tilling More than the Ground Beneath You
A pick-up truck. A mostly deserted alley. Two unfamiliar faces quietly loading a tiller from one of the secluded backyards. What could be suspicious about that?
That was the scene a few months after relocating to another small Indiana town as part of my wife’s movement within the United Methodist itinerant system. We were still getting acclimated to the new setting. Circa 1998, I had not yet…
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Measures of Grace
It was a perfect end to the day. Occupying a park bench eating ice cream in the Tivoli Gardens with my wife and in-laws brought a touch of the surreal. There we sat, four little specks in the creation’s grand design, enjoying a frozen treat in a historic garden and amusement park in Copenhagen, Denmark. It always feels like a gift to be able to explore the world’s wide spaces, whether at home or…
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Surpising Times
Early in my Hoosier years, I returned home one day to find a cluster of lilies where none had been the day before. Green foliage had graced the area during Spring a few months earlier. Once it died away, the space was empty – until it wasn’t. Now, several weeks later I was greeted by unexpected bunches of beauty, standing proudly, waiting to be noticed. I soon learned that these were…
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When the Lights Go Out
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Going to jail was not on the itinerary. I have managed to avoid that fate pretty consistently thus far, except for a few games of Monopoly. My previous trip behind bars had been part of a project to visit vital Quaker meetings. A group from Sing Sing prison participated in the study, which prompted my journey there. I used to joke that it was the only meeting I knew where…
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How the Mighty Have Fallen
Well, it happened again. My wife and I ventured out for a few days, celebrating her most recent trip around the sun with a visit to the Caribbean. When we returned home around 9 p.m., three trees welcomed us back by blocking passage through the driveway. When we originally bought the house in 1999, the H/VAC guy who installed central heat and air said to me, “If you’re going to live out here, I…
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Rays of Hope
Display outside of the Charleston, SC Visitor’s Center
In the often-gray days of winter, laments frequently can be heard about the lack of sunshine and its effect on attitudes and moods. I sometimes join that chorus, having felt the absence of those bright, warm rays. For whatever reason, with the light, hope is not far behind. Around these parts, the complaint often ends with a statement like,…
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Museums Can Be Risky Business
Museums Can Be Risky Business
By request – An audio version. We’ll see how much interest there is in this option.
Storehouses or exhibitions? That is a question I occasionally ponder when working my way through museums. Is it a collection of great works for which the creativity or ingenuity deserve wide recognition? Is it a representation of important events that altered society’s path and should be forever remembered? Do…
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