The Quarantine Writing Project

I’ve written before about discovering the letters my grandfather wrote to my grandmother while stationed in France and Germany during World War II ( you can read about them here, here and here), and what a treasure it has been to read through those letters. They’ve given me a window into the past that history books, or even news articles from that time, could never offer. I’ve learned about their personal hopes and fears, what they saw, and how they managed each day.  I’ve read those letters dozens of times, and they never get old to me. They make me feel close to grandparents in a way I never did while they were living.

It occurred to me the other day that it would be such a shame Continue reading “The Quarantine Writing Project”

On Laughter and the Time My Father Fell Into a Grave

One of the things I’ve enjoyed most over the past few weeks is watching the ways in which people’s senses of humor have responded to the sudden challenges they face being quarantined, working from home, helping their children with online learning… There’s some really funny stuff out there, folks!

Some may argue that this light-heartedness during such immense suffering is a sign or our shallow flippancy and desperation for distraction- refusal to quiet ourselves in somber reflection and self-examination. I won’t try to argue that we are not all guilty of this to varying degrees. I suspect I am more guilty of this than most over the past few weeks. But I also still hold that laughter done well is a celebration of life. It is our refusal to concede to despair.

“Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face.”

Victor Hugo

forty-one ten

After last week’s post On Faux Pas and Grace I received several requests to tell the story of the time my father fell into a grave.

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Man’s Search for Meaning

The rug has been ripped out from beneath us, and we are on the brink of the unknown. We who once imagined ourselves invincible, with our medical advancements and  (at least to some extent) our economic security, are now terrified and in the grip of grief. Continue reading “Man’s Search for Meaning”

Behind the Closet Doors

There wasn’t anything unusual about the list: a jug of milk, a dozen eggs, a loaf of bread, light bulbs, and a six-pack of extra-soft, 2-ply toilet paper. This last item, having been repeated several times, was clearly an urgent necessity. Continue reading “Behind the Closet Doors”

Jesus and the Children

While rummaging through boxes in the basement, I came across an old issue of the Magnificat. On the cover is a painting by the renowned Russian landscape painter , Vasily Baksheyev, entitled “Christ Blessing”. Continue reading “Jesus and the Children”

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