Physician Richard Selzer describes a scene in a hospital room after he had performed surgery on a young woman's face: I stand by the bed where the young woman lies, her face, postoperative; her mouth twisted in palsy, clownish. A…
On Christmas Eve, a young father watches his 3-year-old daughter do her best to meticulously wrap a present. And she feels old enough to do so, without any help from a parent. (Remember that phase?)Choosing a roll of expensive gold-foil…
My walk this morning is in a new neck of the woods. I will be in discovery mode for the next several weeks. I do miss the sheep. But in the coming days, I will be on the lookout for a…
“I’m saying goodbye,” I tell the sheep. “This will be my last Sunday with you all.”They look, but say nothing, maybe waiting for a punchline.“I know, I wanted to tell you sooner, but there’s been a lot on my plate.…
“Holiday plans are a little catawampus,” I tell the sheep.“What are holiday plans,” one asks.“When you have a whole lot up in the air, you try to make plans,” I explain.“Do you have any plans,” another asks.“Well, not really. But…
“Remember, if someone dances with you in the rain, they will most certainly walk with you in a storm,” I tell the sheep this morning. “So, thank you for listening to me every week. I am grateful.”Their look tells me,…
The wind chill this morning hovered in the low 30s, stocking hat and scarf weather, so I tell the sheep that the homily will be brief. That got their attention and I see gratitude in their eyes.“it is a serious…
An eleven-year-old girl lived with her grandmother. Labeled "different," adjustment to school was not easy. Her mother was not a reliable presence. As if life is not tough enough, her father had been recently killed. She knew him only vaguely,…
Ted Shawn, a young seminarian called to the ministry, was stricken with polio. Somewhere deep inside, he heard another, although very unlikely voice, calling him to dance.So. That's what Ted Shawn did. With great difficulty, he quit divinity school and…
This morning on my walk, I stop at the pasture fence and stand for a good while. The sheep, lying in the grass, are huddled under a large fir tree. Finally, one asks, “What’s up?”“I have a soft heart. And…
