Saturday 27 June 2020 I know, I know, last week was to be my last blog for a while. Well, shucks, call it phaseal transition syndrome. An antidote to withdrawal pains. Slowly letting go. Almost there. Not quite ready to pause for the "Silent Eye" moment (the technique that improves human visual attention, applied to … Continue reading Posting a little list
Cogitation 25 Friday 19 June 2020 / No. 255 since 30 November 2014 / last post 'till who knows when. Once upon a time I was the avowed decimator of thistles. My brothers and I were assigned to dig out thistles from the fence rows on our farm (and mustard and yellow rocket plants in … Continue reading Consider the thistle
Cogitation 24 Friday 12 June 2020 Featured image: The Greencroft Goshen campus offers fine options for meditative strolls, taking physical distancing in stride. "Walking's old hat, blogging's not," I wrote in my first blog, 30 November 2014, adding, "Marty and I have been walking for exercise and pleasure for more than two decades. I'll be … Continue reading Refreshment ahead
Cogitation 23 Friday 5 June 2020 Violence doesn't have problems. Viruses don't have problems. Mother Nature doesn't have problems. It's my/our problem. It's about how human beings address problems. In matters of human relations, illness, natural disasters, we can either do the right thing--for me that's according to the dictates of Scripture, along with reasoned … Continue reading It’s my/our problem
Cogitation 22 Friday 29 May 2020 Zoom: A sharp upward movement, like an airplane taking off. Or a kite zipping high into the sky. Or a loud low hum or buzz. Or zeroing in on a subject with a camera, binoculars or microscope zoom lens. Or a catchy song for kindergarten children called, Zoom Zoom … Continue reading Zoom, zoom, zoom
Cogitation 21 Friday 22 May 2020 This week I look to others for words of hope amidst the helpful and unhelpful responses to Covid-19. I glean words that calm and reassure me of God's voice within and beyond the global coronavirus storm. Such as this prayer from an unnamed writer: "Lord, for tomorrow and its … Continue reading Reverence for creation
Cogitation 20 Friday 15 May 2020 Reasons to wear a mask in public during the coronavirus pandemic, include: to show solidarity with frontline workers, to protect others if you are infected but have not yet developed symptoms, to protect yourself to some degree, to honor those heroes who have died in the line of duty, … Continue reading Mask-to-mask
Cogitation 19 Friday 8 May 2020 Dandelions are considered a stubborn weed, a scourge to people who want weedless lawns. Out come the weed killers, the get-them-by-the-roots tools, the lawnmower, the heated words. Still, others welcome dandelions as food, a nutritional treat either cooked or raw. I was happy to recall eating such a salad … Continue reading Consider the dandelion
Cogitation 18 Friday 1 May 2020 Dancing around the Maypole today, regrettably, must give way to prudence. Having dancers intertwine ribbons around the pole just would not do in the scramble to fight the coronavirus pandemic. Maybe the Mayday tradition of making cone-shaped May baskets out of colored paper, putting flowers in them and leaving … Continue reading Exuberance in a time that calls for prudence
Cogitation 17 Friday 24 April 2020 Thomas a Kempis had a fitting word for me this week: "Never to be completely idle, but either reading, or writing, or praying, or meditating, or working at something useful for all in common." This Christian monk was born in Kempen, Germany in 1380 and died in Zwolle, The … Continue reading Moments of joy
