The good are always near If you have eyes to see them Though often cloaked in Garments of some worn religion Their goodness like beams of light Passed through a cracked door Falling soft on hidden places Where all the …
Twelve Bells
In April of 1968, I was 16 years old and a disc jockey at a radio station in Northeast Kentucky, quite a heady job for a high school junior. The station had an Associated Press teletype machine that clicked away …
She Showed Up
By all outward appearances it was a successful life. I ran a growing nonprofit, served as an editor for a venerable magazine, taught courses at colleges and seminaries, preached in the rotation at two megachurches, hosted a national television program, …
A Game of Redeeming Features
The Mets had won the ‘86 World Series and everyone wanted season tickets for ‘87. When I went to the stadium the Mets staff took me to the visitor’s locker room, where only recently Bill Buckner had contemplated Mookie Wilson’s …
The End of Our Exploring
In the middle of the road of my life I awoke in a dark wood, where the true way was wholly lost. Dante begins his Divine Comedy with a sentiment for the ages, something with which we all can identify. …
Yes Is The Only Living Thing
Scott Peck began his best-selling book The Road Less Traveled with the line, “Life is suffering.” All the great sages acknowledge life’s suffering. That we suffer is not the question. The question is whether or not we suffer well. Psychologist …
Secret or Private
I had a great psychotherapist who had grown into his name—Solomon. Dr. Michael Solomon’s wisdom was of a kind rarely seen. He added breadth and depth to my complicated life. Often his words were simple, yet profound. For instance, he …
Dissed and Dismissed
I flew to Philadelphia, then took the Acela Express to New York City. I usually write when I am traveling. On this trip I watched. At my airport gate there was a slight young brunette with 5-inch heels and skinny …
I Take Her Hand and Spin
God always seemed so “other” from me. I had a kindergarten teacher who was about 95. If she ever liked children it was before both world wars. Miss Gibbs was mean-spirited and downright cruel. Midway through each afternoon we took …
Our First Suffering
In his insightful book, The Middle Passage—From Misery to Meaning in Midlife, James Hollis says we acquire a “provisional identity during the first adulthood.” Early in life we need boundaries and the values of mom and dad. Without them we …