Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote one of the most beautiful, transcendent, enduring love poems in all of human history: How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love thee to the depth and breadth and height My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight For the ends of being and ideal grace….
Virtual Reality: the stimulation of simulation
Why am I just now realizing that “stimulate” and “simulate” are only separated by one lousy “t”? While I am basking in the wonder of my discovery, let me ask another nagging question: Why do we find simulating to be so stimulating? (Think Fantasy Football, xBox/PlayStation games, SIMS and other virtual reality “games” or worlds,…
After the Storm
Mumford and Sons is one of my favorite bands. Tonight, I was listening to”After the Storm” for the umpteenth time and for the first time, I really listened. I was struck by these lyrics in particular: And I won’t die alone and be left thereWell, I guess I’ll just go home, oh God knows whereBecause death…
Some godly men I have known and you should meet
Yesterday, wonderful people from parts of our past stopped by on Facebook to congratulate Donya and me on 34 years of marriage. Just seeing some of the names afforded an opportunity to revisit those places where we left large chunks of our lives and pieces of our hearts. One of the notes was from Cathy…
None Gave More (A Memorial Day poem)
Here’s to the boys Who died on unknown hills In unnamed battles Who rest in unmarked graves Whose near anonymous sacrifice Secured the safety And freedom Of untold millions To whom belongs The whispered but not unknown… And Eternal Glory Of the Widow’s mite. Jesus sat down near the collection box in the Temple and…
Memorial Day Memories: Me and Captain Hook
Circa 1972. He was an old man when I was a young boy. He was gaunt, grayed, and scraggly. His voice had that quality that reminded you of the sound your sneakers make when you shuffle your feet on a gravel road. Beneath a thinning mop of hair was a narrow face with hollow cheeks and…
If you fail to succeed, remember…
Success is failure. Ever feel like a failure? Ever look around at friends or family and think, “So-and-so has it going on and look at me?” Ever look at someone’s happy selfies and family photos on Facebook or Instagram and feel like an utter, unmitigated, complete failure? No? Me neither. (I will stop lying if…