There are books that we deliberately seek out, and there are books that seem almost to find us. Family Prayers by Henry Thornton was one of those books for me. I discovered it five or six years ago, and it has remained a personal favorite ever since. Thornton’s prayers have that quality I so often […]

I  have not published much here lately. That is not entirely unusual, as my writing has always tended to come in seasons. There have been times when I have written regularly and other times when weeks or months have passed while drafts remained unfinished, ideas accumulated in notebooks, and things I intended to return to […]

I spent this past weekend assembling a detailed 3D book-nook puzzle, one of those miniature architectural scenes made of dozens upon dozens of tiny wooden pieces. Each piece had been precisely cut with notches so small they were nearly invisible, yet every one fit only in a single location. The instructions required an exact order. […]

Each year, “Merry Christmas” is spoken more cautiously, if it is spoken at all. In its place, “Happy Holidays” has become the safer greeting, offered under the banner of politeness, neutrality, and inclusiveness. Just last week, after wishing a gentleman “Merry Christmas” over the phone, he replied with a carefully neutral “Happy Holidays.” These exchanges […]