From Santa-god to God

“Is there a Santa?” my 6-year-old son asked. It was 1989. “Yes,” I said cautiously. “There is a Santa, and he’s Mommy and Daddy.” Concerned that my son might feel let down, I added, “There’s magic in the world, too. It’s called science.” A few years later, after my...

The Curious Why? Why?

When I was six-years-old, my parents gave me a copy of The Curious Little Owl by Frances Ruth Keller. The story went like this. Once upon a time there was a family of owls: Father Owl, Mother Owl, and Little Owl. Though Mother and Father modeled the correct “Who?...

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

I couldn’t get the song out of my head. It haunted me as I walked the mountain road this past week—huffing the final incline up our driveway—and while driving to and from a joyful Thanksgiving with family. O come, O come, Emmanuel, And ransom captive Israel, That...