When George Frederic Handel’s “Messiah” was first performed at noon in the New Music Hall in Dublin, Ireland on April 13, 1742 in Dublin, there was no room in the hall. There was no room for gentlemen to wear their swords; there was no room for ladies to wear hoops in their dresses. With an […]
Letter: The Snow Forts And Comforts Of Childhood
It was brutally cold. With my face pressed to one small pane of cold glass and my brother next to me doing the same, we stared spellbound as the howling wind drove the snow against our upstairs bedroom window. Our vision clouded by the ferocity of the flakes in the growing darkness, we took refuge […]
Letter: Lost, Lost, And More Lost
The Christmas Tree farm, in addition to cut-your-own Christmas trees, featured a corn maze to get lost in, and a pumpkin patch. Because the tractor had broken down just as we were placing our tree on the tractor’s trailer, we decided to wait for a replacement vehicle given the tree my wife had selected was […]
Letter: No Shortcuts To Success
In simple computer language, the three keys in the accompanying photograph are shortcuts. Pressed in conjunction with other keys, they enable various functions to be performed more quickly, almost without thought, thus making learning easier. Or so we think. Upon discovering my computer keyboard the other night, my almost-two-year-old granddaughter took the time to pry […]
Letter: The Church In COVID Crisis At Christmas
The Nativity on the shelf was missing all the usual figurines except for a single angel perched on the manger roof prepared to make an announcement that this year would not be heralded by it, much less by a multitude of heavenly host. A policeman guarded the entrance. There would be no admission. Not this […]
Letter: Living Their Nine Lives
Cats have nine lives because they have a death wish. Running in front of cars, needing rescue from a tree or housetop or letting their curiosity get the best of them, they dance with their own demise. Our cat Tilly – short for Atilla the Hun – is a feline who has, maybe, six lives […]
Letter: Room For Debate – The Church Response During A Pandemic
Other than being called “a moron and not a pastor” (I am retired from the latter); suspected as suffering from depression (I am melancholy by nature); being lumped into a group of “far left Dems” (far from it); and it being suggested that I get out and do something positive for the community – a few […]
Letter: “Ten And Two” – The Gift Of Time
My father taught me how to drive a car. On a huge, abandoned slab of concrete I maneuvered the car through a course defined by the weeds which grew in the many cracks. There was nothing to hit that would damage the car – or dent an ego, either. “Just keep your hands at ten […]
Letter: Severely Restricting Religious Freedom During COVID-19 Is Not An Intolerable Act
Seeking repeal of the so-called “Intolerable Acts” of 1775, the first Continental Congress sent Britain’s King George III a petition for redress of grievances which in turn led to Patrick Henry’s “Liberty or Death” speech. But severely restricting any of our freedoms, including religious freedom, during COVID-19 is not an intolerable act. Pushing religious liberty […]