I wish I could find a picture of her. Especially when dressed in her clown costume to do a program with children. She was a woman born deaf but could communicate on levels that surpassed many ‘normal’ hearers. And I believe she was an active agent in saving my life. It was a good day…
Posts
How much is enough? . . . Sometimes ‘less is more’
This picture reminds me of a childhood experience. An uncle offered me a choice between two coins: a nickel or a dime. He didn’t include a quarter since it would have defeated the exercise. Of course I took the nickel. You know why. I was 5 years old. My awareness for the respective value of…
“You can do it . . . !”
“You can do it, Ron! You can do it!” Mile 17 or 18 of the New York City Marathon. What’s often called ‘hitting the wall.’ A point in the 26.2 miles where a runner longs to just collapse into a fetal position on the sidewalk. I had already shifted into an even slower gear than…
Mark and Crystal
It’s a pleasant Sunday morning in September, a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, and I’m heading to church. A contemporary service that meets in an old theatre on a downtown street found in every city. You know the one. The street where ‘less-than-desirable-to-meet’ people tend to hang out. I was about to walk past this…
A Tale of Two . . . – “Can’t we all just get along?”
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it…
Repenting of Religion
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a Lutheran pastor and theologian in Germany, was killed by the Nazi regime just weeks before liberation of the prison camp by Allied troops. In his relatively brief life, Bonhoeffer set out a path for what he called ‘religionless Christianity.’ It was a call to reject ‘religiosity’ and embrace a living and active…
On ‘Repenting of Religion’
Note: This piece is an extension of the material in ‘Repenting of Religion.’ You may want to start there. (see My Bookshelf). In his book, Repenting of Religion, Greg Boyd tees up against the deficiencies of organized religion. As a successful pastor, he is obviously trying to build the Church and local community of faith…
To Swear or Not to Swear, . . . That is the question
I know, it may be ‘cheesy’ to do a spin on Shakespeare’s ‘to be or not to be.’ But it makes the title more appealing than ‘Language Used at Work, at Home, and Everywhere Else‘ (my original title). My personal history with ‘swear’ words is pretty conservative. When our son was in his mid to…
On ‘Just because I could . . .’
Postscript (February 2026) For the backstory on my comments below, you should first read “Just because I could . . . a thing called ‘Power’.” In May 2025, a town hall meeting was called in protest to the sudden ban of all boats on the lake. The Park Superintendent who made that fateful decision was…
‘Almost there . . .’
It was a 5 kilometre community run for a cancer charity. I had just started distance running (at age 55) and was testing my speed intervals in preparation for an upcoming longer run. Approaching the last kilometre, I overtook a young man who was slightly swaying from side to side at a slow pace. I…