Welcome to the Family

Welcome to the Family

This year, I spent Thanksgiving week with people who, ten years ago, were complete strangers to me. Today, I call them family. They came with my wife. When she became part of my world, so did more than a dozen in-laws and (at last count) roughly a billion nieces and...
Lost in the Mail

Lost in the Mail

A few weeks ago, my wife and I received a letter from everyone’s favorite institution: the credit card company! It was, of course, filled with the usual pleasantries and how-do-you-dos and concern for my general well-being and—oh no wait, it didn’t do any...
They Shall War No More

They Shall War No More

On our way to the Feast this year, my wife and I met up with some of our family to tour the USS Alabama. It was gigantic. That’s what impressed me the most—the sheer scale of the thing. Everything about it felt larger than life, from the anchor chain, with links...
The Second Best Time to Plant a Tree

The Second Best Time to Plant a Tree

“Lord, Lord, open to us!” But the door remained shut. From the other side, a voice: “Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.” * * * To the people of Pompeii, Vesuvius erupted without warning. In the span of moments, the infamous volcano...
Bread in the Wilderness

Bread in the Wilderness

Time limits change things. When we’re free to complete a task at our leisure, it’s easy to put it off. “I’ll get to it later.” And later. And later… A day becomes a week, a month, a year. For most of us, setting our own timetable means...