Those vacations…for Norman and me…were heaven. We loved the lake. We loved the kerosene chimney lamps that Dad lit at night. We loved the high sandy bank leading down to the lake, the pine trees, the calls of the loons, the fresh breezes, the sunsets, the whitecaps on stormy days, and even the wake from the daily mail boat.
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I do not want to end my day;
I wish to stay awake and play.
I do not want to end my night;
My bed is warm; my dreams delight.…
I’m traveling to a valley
where children laugh and play,
And people share
and kindly care
and never go away.…
Sun burns hot and the wind blows cold.
Mother Earth, are you growing old?
Fever rising in afternoon
Sinks to early dew.
Day is growing too dim too soon.
What have we done to you?
What is the real agenda of those promoting culture wars? This is not difficult. These are the same instigators that pitted Blue Lives Matter against Black Lives Matter, gun lovers against gun-control advocates, Christian Nationalism against church-state separation, anti-abortion against pro-choice, anti-vax against science. Yesterday the hot-button issue was posting “In God We Trust” signs
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Though a few of the men legislating or ruling away women’s autonomy truly have such fragile egos that they can’t feel empowered without crushing others, most of them are simply using this as a wedge issue to fragment the working class and solidify the power of the ruling class. However, why these laws are being
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“What an amazing quilt!” I exclaimed as I stood in the doorway of the old craftsman’s shop. He looked up at me and smiled. “Every one is different,” he commented as he nodded at the quilts displayed around the room. “Come in, have a look. I don’t mind.” I stepped inside and approached his bench.
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Last month I saw a meme of a Twitter post by a man named Stephan:
“As a Dutchman, I get universal health care, excellent roads, good public transport, and easily accessible high quality education.
As an American, you get to dream that you too will be rich some day.”
What an apt contrast between a society that cares for everyone and a society that…
Is that a light upon a hill?
I know just what kind it is;
They’re all the same:
The light of flame.
Hungry tongues lick up the poor
Slurp up the thirsty…
In Cronenberg’s classic 1986 film, The Fly, deteriorating inventor Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum) is telling a woman he’s chosen for his next experiment, “Don’t be afraid,” when Veronica (Geena Davis) who has entered the building in time to overhear his reassurances, interjects the memorable line: “No. Be afraid. Be very afraid.” … What a fitting metaphor for today’s United States of America!
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On the last Sunday service of June, 2020, Pastor John Koletas of the Grace Baptist Church in Troy, NY, held his third AR-15 giveaway. When protesters arrived at the church, shouting and shoving ensued. However, the tweeted claim that churchgoers were “dragged off the steps of their church and getting beaten by the leftist mob”
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Lullaby whoever you are
Let sobbing fade to sleep.
Lullaby wherever you are,
whatever has made you weep.
May this melody reach out and find you,
settle your mind at ease.…
The amusement park scene in the movie The Third Man pictures Harry Lime (Orson Welles) conversing with his old friend at the apex of a Ferris wheel about the adulterated penicillin he sold. “Look down there,” says Lime. “Would you feel any pity if one of those dots stopped moving forever?” Implicitly, that sentiment is
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Another attempt to mix religion into government took a step toward law in February, 2019, when the Kentucky House of Representatives passed legislation to require that the motto “In God We Trust” be posted in public schools. Kentucky is the seventh state to push religion into government this way. In 2017 Arkansas enacted its own
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See the laughing little flames,
Candle flames!
What a world of aches and pains their flickering proclaims!
How they flicker, flicker, flicker
On the frosting of the cake,
While the wicked watchers snicker
As they count, for here’s the kicker:
The sheer sum the candles make!…