“Repetition is the mother of all learning” some people say. I’m not so sure about that, but I am sure that Repetition is the father of Acquaintance, and Acquaintance all too often sires the illegitimate child Contempt. Even the most novel and noble ideas become ordinary and mundane when reduced to bare facts and repeated […]
Literary Rites of Passage
You are holding on tighter than he is. The palm of your hand is sweaty when you finally let go of that foam-padded bike seat. The brightly painted bicycle wobbles, but this time it doesn’t fall down. That little head turns and flashes a toothy smile. You shout, “You’re doing it! You’re doing it!” Your […]
Too Many Pickles (and a Few Great Books)
One of funny things about this modern world of ours is all its options. There are so many choices that at times one doesn’t know what to choose. As a person that has lived between two different countries most of my adult life I can really understand the problem with being overwhelmed. I remember the […]
Abel’s Island by William Steig
Why is it that so often our life in this modern world prevents us from living; no time for pausing or reflecting? Days roll into weeks, weeks into months, and before we know it, it’s Christmas. After a week or so of vacation we are suddenly packing up the Christmas and New Year’s decorations. Then […]
A Pathway to Full Life
There is an old Latin proverb that says, “Experience is the best teacher.” What we really know is not the sum of our theoretical knowledge, but what we have accumulated through truth applied to our experience. Though I hold this as foundational truth, as a father of four growing children it makes me shudder. There […]