A deep longing, an intense desire for something, especially home
The word for the day on Saturday was the Welsh word hiraeth, meaning a deep longing for something, especially one's home. How deep our longings can be for comfort, peace, and hope. Perhaps because it’s winter, those longings seem...
Six more weeks of the cold of winter out of the north
“Okay, campers, rise and shine, and don't forget your booties 'cause it's cold out there today,” says one of the two radio DJ’s every morning in the movie Groundhog Day. And yes, it’s cold outside again today but sunny. So, Punxsutawney Phil saw his...
Unusual hospitality and kindness, wisdom and miracles
It’s unusual to celebrate Christmas a month after the original date. But our son Alex had to work in December and is with us now, just in time for Winter Storm Fern, another somewhat unusual occurrence. With our usual precautions—a whole-house backup generator and...
What’s on your horizon? That is the question we should consider.
Over the years, I’ve posted many photographs of the mountains on our horizon here at Vanaprastha. Beautiful, indeed, but sometimes I struggle to find something good on the metaphorical horizon, especially during last week's cloudy, flat, blah days of winter. Yup,...
Mend with kindness—it’s good for others and healthy for you!
This past week, Keith had an ear-infection recurrence, but with medication, he’s on the mend. And repairs to, indeed refurbishment of the under-the-deck basement entrance and west walkway are complete—before pictures above, after pictures below. We thank God, a...
My word for 2026 is kindness, real everyday kindness
“Everyday kindness can be the greatest sort of heroism.” Karen Swallow Prior, On Reading Well This past week, I spoke with our contractor neighbor about little acts of kindness, an on-going and troubling neighbor situation, and a time...