Considering WHILE on this Halloween
Today, on Halloween, let’s consider the word WHILE and the seasons of life. While as verb: to while away the Halloweens of our youth While seasons lasted forever, we whiled away our youthful time, marching from childhood into adolescence, which gave us lessons...
Unnecessary testimony and necessary witness
The testimony of God’s beautiful creation is all around us these days. The maple behind the house has shifted from tinted to full autumn color, glorious against the deep blue sky. God didn’t have to create such marvels for us—they are unnecessary—but He did. He...
Small group: study, growth, fellowship
Our small group of 8 gathered at an old farm off—aptly-named—Dark Hollow Road. We’d been meeting at our leader and hosts’ house for about a year. And although we’d enjoyed other social activities together, this was our first field trip: a potluck tailgate meal and...
To become: when becoming becomes us
To begin to be, to become, as here with fall coming to Vanaprastha. From foreground to background: marigolds clustered in bloom, spice bush leaves yellowing, river oak grasses going to seed in the meadow in front of the house and behind, maples tinted red. When...
Stay on the road and don’t look back
The physical road On Saturday morning, thanks to Ian’s wind and rain, Keith and I woke to leaves and debris scattered across the driveway and the neighborhood road. The road—that’s pretty much all we talk about during the annual meeting every third Saturday in...
Farewell summer: on wood asters and the wilderness
In the more open places are little lavender asters, and the even smaller-flowered white ones that some people call bee weed or farewell summer. From “An Entrance to the Woods," by poet, essayist, and farmer Wendell Berry. Farewell summer Only when we bid...