Posts by D C

Ukraine’s President Zelensky is worried. That might sound like the understatement of the year, given Putin’s invasion and destruction of his country.   But the worry I’m talking about is one that Zelensky expressed in a recent interview with NBC’s Richard Engel. President Zelensky is worried about you and me, average Americans. He is worried that our support for…

I’m sure many readers have noticed that TV meteorologists often sound apologetic when they forecast approaching bad weather.  If there have been days and days of rain, weeks with insufficient rain, or bad weather expected for an upcoming holiday, meteorologists often adopt that “I’m so sorry” tone in their voices when they tell us that…

With my wife and me both having compromised immunities, we have played it safe during the pandemic. In addition to receiving shots and both boosters, we still carry masks with us for situations that seem problematic. The pandemic has reminded me of something my elders said when I was young: “You can get used to…

Perhaps we all have a favorite sport to participate in or watch as spectators.  For me, that sport is baseball, although my love happily includes softball.   Part of the beauty of baseball for me is the beauty of the playing surface itself.  I will never forget the first time my father took my brother and…

One of the tenets of Buddhism is that human beings find life frustrating because we see problems where no problems exist.  I was reminded of this bit of wisdom as my wife and I faced our annual springtime ritual of pulling weeds and digging up unwanted tree saplings from the garden and yard.  Buddhism would…

Dachau.  Do you recognize that word?  If you do not, the residents of the German town of Dachau are overjoyed.  If you do recognize that word, then you know that Dachau was the site of one of Nazi Germany’s most infamous concentration and death camps.  It is estimated that 200,000 Jews, Communists, homosexuals, and other…

Although the parable of the prodigal son is one of Jesus’ most beloved stories, the story isn’t normally linked with the season of Easter.  Yet this year, I realized there is an important connection. To refresh our memories, the parable of the prodigal son is the story of a father with two sons.  The younger…

Nearly twenty years ago, I discovered the Spanish flamenco guitarist Paco de Lucia.  That led to my buying two of his LPs, which I enjoyed until my turntable stopped turning.  Then I simply forgot him.     Over this past year, however, I stumbled upon the numerous recordings of Paco de Lucia that are available…

In a well-needed attack on the clutter in our attic, my wife found a box of memorabilia that my parents must have given me when they cleaned out their own house.  I am sure that I hadn’t opened this box for nearly fifty years. In the box was the first Bible that I was given…

Ukraine might seem far away from central Indiana, so when Putin’s war began, we could, if we wanted, ignore the tragedy that has fallen on that country.  But no one who has filled up at a gas station or shopped in a grocery store in the last weeks can ignore the connection that exists between…