And the year ends with an eternal question:

Now more than ever

No such thing

Ethics, Republican Style

Why indeed?

It's about the peace.

The photo is from the website of St. John's Cathedral in Denver. My parents met at the serviceman's canteen that was run by the church, where Mom prepared and served meals. They married at St. John's. My earliest Christmas memories are of the colors and music there, including my participation in the children's pageant at which we discovered my intense allergy to hay.

Back then, the pipe organ was played by David Pew, and I remember being so enthralled that Mom took me to his rehearsals; she was always amazed that a toddler could sit still for so long. We were taught the story of Christmas and about the gifts that are given, not received. At home, I remember standing on tiptoe trying to look out the window, looking for the star, not Santa Claus. The lights and ornaments of the tree were reflected in that window, an amazing thing for a child's mind to contemplate.

Many decades have elapsed since then, but I can still lose myself in gazing on those old ornaments on my tree while listening to favorite carols. I find a peace there that I've never found anywhere else, which I suppose is the point. And I hope that never changes. For now, my imagination lets me wrap a bit of that peace in pretty paper and ribbon for giving to you.




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The party of God knows what

Size DOES matter

Dad and the GOP

Been watching the debate in the House, and the Republicans are all reading from the same cue card. That said, they have managed to remind me of an incident with my late father.

Dad had been grumbling at us for years, interrupting conversations to demand that we speak up. We finally convinced him to get a hearing aid, in spite of his insistence that he could hear just fine; we compromised by agreeing to only buy one (he insisted, due to the cost). So we got him a hearing aid compatible with the telephone.

Some months later, Dad and I were chatting on the phone and he started the old complaint that I needed to speak louder. I suggested that he turn up the volume on his hearing aid, and he responded that would do no good. When I asked why, he answered with “Because it’s in the other ear.”

Methinks today’s Republicans would do well to switch ears.



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Meanwhile, at the mall . . .