It Takes a Lot of Tape to Raise Kids
Behind this type of play, though, is a genuine longing for beauty—a desire not only to appreciate the beautiful things one has seen or read or heard, but also to attempt to replicate them somehow.
Grief in Eternity
Yet at times, if only for a moment, I feel the shadow over my days is transformed into pure spirit. Such thoughts give me a surprising sense of quiet joy.
The Census Taker in a Church Pew, part 6
This rural mountain church continues to be good because it continues to do what is necessary.
The Final Prayer of Jim Barry
—it took 40 years for me to begin to realize these words Jim silently put into my hands on that last day of class were a prayer.
Remembering Family History: A Mess, a Murderer, and a Matriarch
Knowing your family’s past fugitives and pretty boys is the kind of localism anyone can aspire toward and practice.
Great Balls of Fire
With a clear sky above us, no one restricting our movements, we learned—sometimes flailingly, like chickens with our heads cut off—how to marvel.
A SNOOT’s Dream Deferred: A Review of Dictionary of Fine Distinctions
I suppose when it comes to discussions of the English language, I prefer sterner stuff.
A Garden of Children
If you understand that a child’s growth comes from a spark within, just as does the growth of a flower, a crystal, or a mighty oak, you might take a more trusting view of a child’s growth.
Medicine Wheel for the Planet: A Review
There ought not be unnecessary opposition between Indigenous and Christian perspectives. The creative work of caring for our ecology is hard enough; let us not also misunderstand one another.
The AI Mousetrap
AI promises free cheese, but there is no such thing as a free lunch. Although we often boast about AI’s ability to create, we should instead focus the conversation on the kind of society AI produces.