Felix Culpa
The tension in the political climate is due to a longing. Everyone is looking for happiness. For peace. For rest, whether physically, emotionally, or spiritually. And too many expect the government to provide it. Read more
The tension in the political climate is due to a longing. Everyone is looking for happiness. For peace. For rest, whether physically, emotionally, or spiritually. And too many expect the government to provide it. Read more
Simplicity. It’s what I’ve been thinking about lately. Cotton Tenants: Three Families, by James Agee, is a book I’m reading that depicts the life of three white farmers and their families in the deep south, era 1936. Agee went on assignment for Fortune magazine for the story, but Fortune never published it. After Agee’s death, his daughter found the manuscript in his home, and had it published in 2013. It’s not pleasant. And it disproves that all white men have... Read more
It’s been three weeks since I wrote, and my only excuse is that my son got a puncture wound from a car wreck he was in, which led to sepsis, two surgeries, and IV antibiotics for six weeks. Oral antibiotics for another four. Surgery #3 is tomorrow (Tuesday) afternoon. So again, I may be gone for a while. Or, if all goes well and there’s nothing to do but stare at his huge, splinted thumb, perhaps I’ll be online, sharing... Read more
“Where my rights end and another person’s rights begin is a complicated matter.” That’s what a friend said to me last week during a discussion we had about Sarah Huckabee Sanders, and The Red Hen ordeal. As you know, the Press Secretary was thrown out of the restaurant for being employed by President Trump. Sanders promptly and politely left, and was then harassed at the restaurant down the street, until her liberal brother-in-law stepped outside the restaurant and asked... Read more
Literature. So much emotion is wrapped up in that word – at least for me. I grew up in a private school that certainly encouraged reading, but not the reading of classics. I don’t recall if classics and other interesting books were actively forbidden, if they were allowed but simply not emphasized, or whether I somehow missed out due to an “I hate reading “ attitude that formed while being required to memorize history dates and other bland material.... Read more
I have no doubt at all the Devil grins, As seas of ink I spatter. Ye gods forgive my “literary” sins — The other kind don’t matter. by Robert Service Not great theology, but a great way to begin asking your forgiveness for my “literary” sin (or is that literary “sin”?) of not writing for a while. If you follow me on Facebook, you’ll know my son was in a car accident, which led to some good bruises and contusions,... Read more
It can be difficult to determine, as a writer, how much good one’s words are accomplishing in this world. The pen is mighty. Words are powerful. And writers are fallible. Not everything I’ve ever said in public has been helpful, I’m sure. Or even true. Sometimes I read my old blogs and I realize I don’t even agree with myself! My opinions changed, or maybe my writing improved enough to say something better or more accurate. Then there are the... Read more
A week ago, I ordered Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance, and have been working my way through it. Slowly at first. Devouring it now. The story is strikingly similar to my own, on some pages, and for once, I feel that maybe the place and family I grew up in weren’t so abnormal after all. If you get a chance, please read it. Whether you come from the backwoods of Kentucky, New York, or out west like I do, there’s... Read more
Does anyone remember the scene in Because of Winn Dixie, where Opal (played by Dakota Fanning) is sitting on the doorstep with her girlfriend (whose name escapes me), and the two are discussing the joys, tragedies, and general ups and down of life? Opal was making a habit of giving the townsfolk a Litmus Lozenge to try and coax them into talking about what was making them all so downcast. When Opal’s porch friend tasted the Littmus Lozenge, she... Read more
First, a confession: I’ve not watched the entire royal wedding. I’ve seen Meghan’s dress, Harry’s getup, and many pictures of the family and wedding party. I’ve also seen video clips here and there, as they come across my Facebook feed. So I don’t have anything to say about the sermon or the vows, both of which I’ve heard various opinions about. We are full of opinions, aren’t we? It’s humorous that millions upon millions of people watched the Royal Wedding,... Read more
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