As far as religious paradox goes, the radical vulnerability of God has got to take the cake (or the stollen, the bunuelos, the figgy pudding, the buche de noel, the truchas de navidad…). As I’ve lost my grip on all the other Christmas traditions still dear to me — the weekly advent services leading up; …
Are we all still such children or even animals at heart that we so love the light? For those of us in the northern hemisphere, and especially those in the northernmost reaches of the northern hemisphere, the winter solstice is cause for celebration. As a kid growing up in Duluth, Minnesota, I remember in the …
February, and I’m excited to be heading to MN… for a few days, anyway. I know. You’d think it’s the worst time, and yet — to share warm conversation about books with family and friends and friends-yet-to-meet — is an especially sweet pleasure in the midst of winter’s hold on the north. And word’s getting …
A hot summer day, slow river, cooler of bevs, swimsuit, and a few good friends — ingredients for a lazy day of tubing. At least that’s what “tubing” brings to mind around here in Richmond. Drinking, chatting, napping your way through an afternoon on the James in July. In cold weather places, tubing is a winter thing, too. …
Is it possible to overdue the thanks bit of Thanksgiving? — to get a bit cynical and scrooge-y (to borrow from the holiday on deck) about all the “I’m thankful for…”? Dear Abby runs her annual prayer, comic strips go sober, and the local news features some feel-good story of triumph thanks to X (family, friends, pets) over Y (tragedy, trial, …
