Some glad morning when this life is o’er, I’ll fly away.
For some reason, the “Fly Away Medley,” which our choir is rehearsing to sing this summer at our historic church location Trinity, is kicking my butt. The medley includes: “I’ll Fly Away,” “We’ll Understand It Better By and By,” “When the Roll is Called Up...
Almost heaven and very nearly but not quite there yet
On Friday morning, as I stepped outside with Mac dog into the “almost” at Vanaprastha—almost another day—I heard two barred owls’ spectacular, loud, emphatic calls in the dark before dawn. Ok-ok-ok-ok ok-ok-buhooh, variations of the mnemonic “who cooks for you.”...
Only the lonely, only the lonely know this feeling ain’t right
Mac dog sits quietly on the steps, pressing his body against the kitchen door, lonely and afraid. Whenever he “asks” to go outside, he won’t go until Keith or I go with him. Even then, Mac waggles his head back and forth between his need to relieve himself and his...
Show me a sign, take it to the limit, one more time
The occupational therapist handed me the instruction sheet and said, “Limit splint removal to hygiene and flute.” Limit, to restrict, the point beyond which something does not or may not extend, a restriction. Not words I like to hear or heed. But this time, it was...
Though God made us simple, we complicate ourselves
Walking outside around our mountain house this week, I think about God’s plan to complicate His creation with exquisite complexity. Redbud blossoms, Fothergilla blooms, purple asters and violets. The natural world presents an amazing array of intricacy, including...
If we believe, we are already clean, already there
“Enough already with this aging stuff!” I muttered. It was late Friday night, and I was standing in our walk-in closet, taking off my socks before going to bed. But I lost my balance, catching myself from falling at the expense of my right wrist. “I'm no longer...