I’m afraid we need to talk about the Epstein Files again. As you no doubt know, President Trump has been teasing his personality cult with the release of the Epstein Files for as long as anybody can remember. That was one of the reasons he got into office. Many of Trump’s followers are not actually conservatives, but conspiracists. They don’t care about the more run-of-the-mill Republican issues. They are staunch believers in elaborate conspiracy theories like Q Anon, which claim... Read more
The Ohio is not a kind river. When you grow up in the state of Ohio, you learn that the word “Ohio” comes from the Iroquois language. It means “Beautiful River,” but it’s closer to “Good River” or maybe just “Big River.” I suppose there was probably a time in history when the Ohio looked beautiful, though it doesn’t now. I don’t know if it’s a good river, but it isn’t kind. The Ohio runs south between West Virginia and... Read more
Trump, Epstein, and a Generation of Scandal Adrienne was five years old when Donald Trump was elected president. I was told I’d go to hell if I didn’t vote for Trump. I was told that a vote for Trump was the only possible pro-family, pro-child, pro-life, pro-Christian choice. I couldn’t understand how anyone could ever think that that was the case, even though I thought the Clintons were atrocious. Adrienne noticed my frustration, and I tried to give a child-friendly... Read more
There was a knock at the door, when I was worrying. There’s so much to worry about just now. The restaurant had cut Michael’s hours for a few weeks, since they don’t do much business in July in a college town, which meant the checking account was grumpy with us. The news out of Washington every day continues to be grim, and the local news isn’t very nice either. I was also worried that I’d go to hell. I am... Read more
I went to Mass. I’ve been going almost every week lately. I’m giving myself permission not to go if I think it would give me another panic attack, but lately it doesn’t. I still have to stay in the foyer, pacing around. It’s a nice little parish. I wish I could tell the pastor I think so. I wish I could shake his hand and say that his homilies are nice and the music is very good. But I tend... Read more
We need to keep aware of what we, the people of the United States of America, are doing to immigrants right now. When I write the phrase “we, the people of the United States of America,” I’m not just being flowery. I’m reminding you that the United States is supposed to be a republic, which is a type of democracy. A democracy is a government of, by, and for the people. What your representatives in the government do, they do... Read more
I couldn’t find the Works of Charles Dickens. I have been trying to learn to read again, lately. Reading used to be my defining characteristic. I was the shy and lonely child who disappeared into books. Growing up in Columbus, I lived two blocks from the Whetstone branch library, and we went there almost daily. I’d get a stack of chapter books from the library and mow through them before it was time to go again. When I was... Read more
The first thing I have to be absolutely clear about, as a Christian, is that God will judge us by the way we treat immigrants. There are very few things about which we can truly say “the Bible is clear” and not end up with a debate. But the Bible is clear on immigrants. The Bible clearly states, “‘When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as... Read more
The calm after the storm is more difficult than the storm itself. When I’m running around trying to help a family in a terrible situation, I don’t have time to think about how terrible it is. After it’s over– when I’ve failed to rescue anyone, but I’ve done everything I can, and life goes on– that’s when I start to feel it fully. I am much healthier than I used to be. I’ve grown up a lot from when my... Read more
(A caution to my more sensitive readers: this story involves an injured animal, and a gun.) The rain came back. The heat wave ended– not in fire, not in ice, but in steam. The temperature dropped from ninety-five with a heat index in the three digits, to the high eighties and rainy every few hours. The rain made the earth simmer like a pot of rice. In between rains, Adrienne and I went outside. I pulled weeds, and she played... Read more
Select your answer to see how you score.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In