George Eliot wrote “no soul is a desolate as long as there is a human being for whom it can feel trust and reverence.” To have a friend is, in a sense, to acknowledge that I am tenderly held and can trust another’s love of me. Friendship is the melding of two spirits together in a bond of love and trust. The Book of Ecclesiastes teaches: “Two are better than one, for if they fall, the one will lift the other up; but woe to the one that is alone.” To have a friend is not a marital relationship...

MY FATHER'S WAR There is a PBS program titled “My Grandfather’s War”. I am of the age where it was my father’s war. I am the late child of German immigrants who left Germany before the Nazi regime became unbearable. My father would tell stories of while he worked in Berlin in 1925 he often had to step over dead bodies from the political battles the night before. He and my mother came to America, it wasn’t easy, but they made it. My father was concerned that he would be called to the American...

Perhaps one of the most frequently asked questions is, “How are you?”  Some common responses are: OK, Pretty good, Fine, Doing all right, Can’t complain.  Then there are those when asked how they are, go on and on telling you more than you expected to hear or really cared to know. When asked, “How are you?” why not try this answer, “I’m grateful!” You may be hurting, you may be troubled, you may be carrying a heavy burden, but there is always something for which to be grateful.  There is, for...

During the middle Ages about the time of 1300-1350 there seemed to be turmoil throughout the world. Wars were raging in many principalities of Europe, there were many outbreaks of Black Plague, there was political unrest during the Peasants Revolt, and there were cattle plagues and poor harvests. All seemed dark and hopeless. We call this time the ‘Dark ages’ A young woman who has been named Julian lived in Norwich England. She lived in Norwich all her life and for much of her time she lived...

HOW THANKFUL WAS THANKSGIVING?             This year with the COVID virus raging among us, it was difficult to get together with family and friends. To be safe many did not do so. Does this mean that our Thanksgiving was deleted this year? After all, it is traditional to “get together” at this time. But, to some extent maybe it would be worthwhile to consider the reason for and the history of Thanksgiving. The early Pilgrims were nearly at the point of starvation in a land that they knew...

  Peter and the Wolf is a musical composition written by Sergei Prokofiev in 1936. It is a symphonic fairy tale where a narrator tells a children’s story while the orchestra illustrates it. Each character of this tale is represented by a corresponding instrument in the orchestra: the bird by a flute, the duck by an oboe, the cat by a clarinet, the grandfather by a bassoon, the wolf by three horns, Peter by the string quartet, the shooting of the hunters by the kettle drums and bass drum. ...

  An expression that we often hear these days during the pandemic is that “we are in unchartered waters.” Water is frequently used as a metaphor. Water itself is a remarkable compound, H2O, that is put together by a hydrogen bond, which in itself is unique. Water is so special that it is sometimes used to explain the theological concept of the Trinity: one substance that has three states: solid, liquid, and gas. In Hebraic teachings water is sacred. The Book of Genesis starts out...

The Star Thrower There is a story told by scientist, philosopher Loren Eiseley (1907-1977) that tells a story for all of us to heed: “Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work. One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster...