I’m a sucker for the New. Whether it’s browsing the stacks of a bookstore and salivating at the tantalizing jacket copy, or streaming a 90-second clip of new music, the impulse to acquire is often too strong to resist. I cave; I buy; I apologize to my wife; I invest in more shelves; the cycle…
But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it. Mark 10: 14-15 …
This summer, thanks to a timely inquiry with the utility company, we had a large, mostly-dead pine tree in our side yard chopped down. I arrived home from work one afternoon to see the chunks of stumps and logs jumbled in the yard like oversize Jenga pieces. Well, boys being boys, it didn’t take long…
— The Farmer A Parable (of Sorts) by Glenn McCarty — Once there was a young farmer who inherited from a wealthy uncle a farm in a far-off land. Surprised at being given such a weighty responsibility, the farmer questioned his worthiness of the gift. But with the counsel of his wife, the young man…
At his suggestion request, my younger son received two beloved items for his fifth birthday earlier this year. One was a strikingly authentic, midnight-black Batman costume, cape to cowl, everything a little boy needs to patrol the streets of Gotham on the lookout for evildoers. Did he like it? Let’s see – beginning with our…
“The Selfish Giant” is a story by Oscar Wilde that was part of Wilde’s 1888 collection for children entitled The Happy Prince and Other Tales. It is a sweet story of redemption, in which many have seen echoes of Christ’s sacrifice. I recently returned to this story after reading Jacqueline Woodson’s sublime memoir-in-verse Brown Girl Dreaming, in which she recounts the impact…
Emily-1000 by Glenn McCarty, illustrations by Joe Sutphin The first time Martin Flurburger discovered his left shoe floating in the fish tank, he figured it was an accident. He didn’t even take the time to consider how a brown saddle shoe could rise five feet off the ground or dunk itself into a covered…
This winter, we took our boys to a performance of “The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra” by the local philharmonic. It was a frigid day, but the radiators were steaming, and sun streamed warmly through the stained glass windows. The hall was packed with little lads and lassies in their Sunday best alongside parents…
Home plays were a big part of my childhood. There were living room engagements of The Wizard of Oz, A Christmas Carol, even the EPCOT Center “American Adventure” history-through-robots show. (We grew up in Orlando; that’s all you should know), with whomever my brother and I could talk into donning a wig or a mustache. There’s something…
Today we are delighted to welcome Glenn McCarty to the SW team as a regular contributor. He’s written so many lovely things here in the past and we’ve talked him into doing that on a regular basis. Welcome, Glenn! We’re grateful to have you with us. This post is a great example of why. –Sam…
On a clear December afternoon, Willow Street is still, the sky orange-gray, and the street a hushed symphony of swooshes. This is my plow day. I peek out the window through the curtain of flakes sprinkling the patio stones like diamonds, scoot out the half-opened door, across the driveway, and into the garage. The shovel…
The past few nights, as we’ve been working our way through George MacDonald’s The Princess and the Goblin, my six-year old son has turned to me after reading and prayers, and said in a soft voice, “Daddy can you stay for a few minutes? I just want you to cuddle me tonight.” I pause at…
