News & Articles
The Gift of Giving
It is never easy for a person to admit that he has totally misread a situation. This was my experience, and now is a good time for me to come clean about an assumption that I learned was totally off-base. Through the first decades of my career as a college professor, I was aware that…
Renewed Friendships
Earlier this year, I renewed a friendship from over forty years ago. I can’t remember which of us initiated the contact, but it has been a joy to chat back and forth even if it is only by email. Then, this past week, a friend from over fifty years ago found my contact information on…
A Magnetic Mystery
I attended a wedding recently, one where, because my wife officiated, I was able to observe the ceremony close up. Because my wife and I were both college professors for four decades, we have attended numerous weddings of students over those years, and we have both now officiated at several. Weddings are wonderful when everything…
A Grandparent’s View Of History
Americans of my generation were born in the early years of the Cold War, and, as the word “cold” suggests, our time in history seemed frozen. Yes, maps of the world had to be altered periodically to accommodate revolutions and other political upheavals in Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Latin America, but mostly the…
Lets Cool It
I suspect that most people would say that their favorite season of the year is summer. Summer is associated with vacations, good times outdoors, and beloved sports like baseball, softball, tennis, and golf. This is the season when people are usually more active and, consequently, usually experience better health. But this summer in particular has…
Turning Our World Upside Down
When I taught religious studies for over four decades, I became quite used to people trivializing religion or dismissing it as something weak and anemic. The whole point of being religious, some people would share with me, is to be kind. No wonder many people think that religious training might be good for children but…