When Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee, heard about everything Jesus was doing, he was puzzled. Some were saying that John the Baptist had been raised from the dead. Others thought Jesus was Elijah or one of the other prophets risen from the dead.“I beheaded John,” Herod said, “so who is this man ... Continue reading
Lost in a world of my own
My favorite pastime has always been reading, and when I'm reading, I don't hear or see anything but the words on the page in front of me, as long as the story is well-written, the characters are interesting, and the plot is believable.It's a joke in my family that when I'm immersed in a book, ... Continue reading
Blizzard memories and winter compassion
Between February 14 and 15, 1958, more than 14" of snow fell in the Baltimore/Washington area. Temperatures dropped close to zero on the 16th. Power lines were down, and my sister and I were in the dark and cold with our father, who wasn't used to taking taking care of us. But he did well and we all ... Continue reading
Snowy memories
It snowed last night. Winter snows in Tucson are usually confined to the tops of the mountains that surround our city. Mt. Lemmon, at 9,159 feet, has had about 50 inches this winter, which is a good year for them. Every so often the snow makes it down to the 3,300 foot level where we live, and we ... Continue reading
The joys and horrors of sight
I can see clearly now the rain is gone. I can see all obstacles in my way. Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind. It's gonna be a bright, bright, sunshiny day. I Can See Clearly Now by Jimmy Cliff (popularized by Johnny Nash in 1972)Today I paid a visit to my retina doctor and now I'm ... Continue reading
Craving love
I'm craving a glazed donut. A Krispy Kreme would be ideal, but there are no stores nearby, so I would settle for a counterfeit. No fruit flavors, please. Certainly no crunchy sprinkles. Just give me a lightly-cooked melt-in-your-mouth baked morsel slathered in a creamy, sweet icing.The grocery I ... Continue reading
Where are you going?
He carried a huge red and white golf umbrella over his head to shade his pale skin from the Arizona sun. He was short, well-built, with a mop of curly, flaming red hair flying in the breeze as he hurried down the side of the road. I wanted to ask his name and where he was going, but I never ... Continue reading