The night before a trial is a particularly poignant moment. I find I cannot organize what I am thinking for this post without some reference to antiquity, and recall those who also find it hard to sleep before such a battle. The soliloquy Upon the King from Henry V comes to mind. As William Shakespeare … More A Soliloquy Upon the Eve of Trial
There is nothing more delightful than Christmas in England. It is a peaceful time of joy and hope, and as I have come to believe, it is the experience of the British as a people that makes it so. This thesis has been long incubating in the back of my mind. Christmas dinner two years … More Christmas in England
Fr. Karol Józef Wojtyła drove an ancient Ford Escort with a 1.1 liter engine and a 4 on the floor manual shifter. He kept a small tin for mints on the dashboard with an image of Our Lady on the lid. In this most holy expression of unassuming transport, he completed the journey from Poland … More The Pope’s Old Ford: Lessons in Simplicity
By now in my practice I have come to recognize those things I may cherish my children may find to be so much junk they have to off load when I have passed on from this earth. Regularly I hear the tale of houses packed with bits and pieces of personal property, often still in … More The Probate Song
I stumbled upon this photograph I had taken as a boy scout on Jamboree. The Trade Towers still were under construction in 1973 and now they are gone. Gone too it seems is the sense of a cohesive America we felt at that time. … More September 11 Remembrance
This post is about my Dad. I discovered in my studio an interview I did with him about his early life, and I have to say, hearing his voice again after all these months he has been gone was comforting. Let me tell you about his early life by letting him talk about it to … More Scholar, Solider, Lawyer, Spy
In the extremes of human existence, few compare with the experience of flight, and in particular, flight of an armed aircraft over long distances over enemy held territory during times of war. WWII has provided us hundreds of these stories; men lost in the Sahara desert due to navigational error, men lost in the Pacific … More Remembrance Day: Flight of the Stirling
My guitar mentor Ford Giesbrecht has created an adaptation of another work of Edgar Allen Poe, composed the music, the video, and encouraged me to record this chilling yarn. All editing is of course his. To reacquaint the listener to the horror of this tale, recall that revenge is a dish best served cold. Hence … More The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allen Poe
We more or less live in a time where we have come to expect a quantum of leisure time and a variety of experiences. I recall early in the primary grades reading comments about how Americans had more time and more money than ever before to pursue relaxation and generally fun activities. What was not … More Men at Work
My parents wed in 1956 and they went the distance; 62 years, until Mom died this spring. This is the story of the wedding. It is 1955. My parents announce their engagement and party is held in the house my grandparents built during the war. They set the date for July 14th, 1956, which is … More My Parents Big Fat Catholic Wedding
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