Sunday, March 15, 2026
Sunday Reflection: In the Blizzard
My normal church service today was canceled due to an epic blizzard here in Minnesota. And for a blizzard to be epic in Minnesota, it has to really be something!
Other than a wind coming up now and then, there really isn't much weather discussed in the Gospels. (It does come up in other parts of the Bible, such as in Acts). The lack of a reported impact of weather on events is odd, because people in that time were profoundly affected by weather-- there was no heating or air conditioning, and most people worked in agriculture. So one would expect a heat wave or rainstorm to come up now and then and alter events.
Of course, it could be that as important as those things are to people, they may not have been important to the story being told in the Gospels.
I've never been to the Holy Land; it is something I should do (though maybe not right now). I would imagine it is hot and dry, so maybe variations in the weather just aren't as significant.
Still, I have always somehow inserted weather into the Gospel stories on my own. When the 70 are sent out to evangelize, I have always imagined them trudging through the rain, for example. Why do I do that? Perhaps, I suppose, it is a way of making it relatable to my own experience... and it doesn't take away from the story, after all.
Saturday, March 14, 2026
Friday in St. Paul
Last night I went to see Patti Smith here at St. Catherine's in St. Paul-- one of a number of performers who have chosen to come here after the ICE invasion this winter. She was fascinating, as usual, and gave us a version of this song, which she wrote with her late husband Fred "Sonic" Smith back when they lived in suburban Detroit. In fact, if you go to about 3:10 of the video she visit the American Coney Island downtown and then shows off some of the Diego Rivera murals at the DIA-- treasures, all.
Friday, March 13, 2026
Haiku Friday: Spring Break
IPLawGuy and I had a great time skiing in Colorado- our 20th year of enjoying Spring Break on the snow. (As an IP Lawyer, he doesn't officially get Spring Break, but he makes it work, which I appreciate). So let's haiku about Spring Break past or present, real or imagined, official or just kinda seized. Here, I will go first:
Ah, the snow and sun!
Some moments to float and fly
Then look at the map.
Now it is your turn! Just use the 5/7/5 syllable pattern, and have some fun.
Thursday, March 12, 2026
PMT: A nation at war
IPLawGuy and I have been off in Colorado for our annual ski trip, which was a great adventure (and no one got hurt!). We had blue skies and just enough snow to make it worthwhile.
But, unless I hunted down a news site, there was no way to know we are a nation at war, relentlessly bombing military and civilian targets and killing hundreds of people while the world economy is destabilized by a new oil crisis. No one (except us) seemed to be talking about it, and if you saw a television it was always playing sports.
Of course, there is a reality beneath all of this avoidance: the war doesn't affect most of us at all, except through higher gas prices. Most people don't have a kid in the military, or family in that region where the war (prinicipally in Iran and Lebanon) is destroying homes and schools, or any direct financial or emotional stake in the conflict.
And that seems to be a recipe for tragedy, that one nation can so casually wreak havoc in a whole region with little cost to itself (at least in this moment). It makes war seem easy, which must be alluring to those who have the ability to start them.
Or do we care this time?
Wednesday, March 11, 2026
People who give us hope: Bill Kurtis
Bill Kurtis, the announcer and scorekeeper for "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me!" is retiring, according to a report in the NY Times. He is 85, and succeeded Carl Kassell 12 years ago. His last show will be on May 23. Everyone loves Kurtis's voice, whether on the radio or in many other roles he has held, including as a CBS news anchor and as the narrator for the epic film "Anchorman."
When the news is terrible, it's good to laugh at it, and that is what Kurtis gave us over several administrations. And we need it now more than ever!
Tuesday, March 10, 2026
Oh, that pesky Constitution
A Republican member of Congress, Rep. Andy Ogle, posted on social media that "Muslims don't belong in American society."
Sigh. I don't even know what to say anymore.
This nation was founded on the premise of freedom of religion, as enshrined in the First Amendment. That really matters-- and it means that Muslims do belong in American society, end of story.
How do people like this get elected? I mean that as a sincere question, because I am stumped, and too many of the answers that one might consider just paint too dark a picture of the state of our nation.
Monday, March 09, 2026
On Magazines
Wow! So many haiku about magazines. Like this one from Des (I did not know there was a "Dog World"):
What’s a Saluki?
An Azawakh? The answer
was found in Dog World!
An Azawakh? The answer
was found in Dog World!
And Sleepy Walleye, I get it!:
Willing to pay for
The New Yorker subscription
Just to get Roz Chast
The New Yorker subscription
Just to get Roz Chast
I loved this anonymous entry:
Harper’s Bazaar
On my grandmother’s table
Such glamorous clothes!
On my grandmother’s table
Such glamorous clothes!
IPLawGuy had this:
Before I could read
Would study Life Magazine
To understand "life."
Would study Life Magazine
To understand "life."
And this:
Next, Time Magazine
summaries of the week's news
Insightful columns.
summaries of the week's news
Insightful columns.
And this (It's true-- IPLG's mom was a trailblazing editor at US News):
Then Mom got a job
U.S. News and World Report
Serious, sober.
U.S. News and World Report
Serious, sober.
And this:
Teen to young adult,
I read National Lampoon!
Yearbook! Newspaper!
I read National Lampoon!
Yearbook! Newspaper!
And this:
R. Emmet Tyrrell
American Spectator
was once relevant.
American Spectator
was once relevant.
Fred Barnes, Bill Kristol
Weekly Standard, serious
and great book reviews.
Weekly Standard, serious
and great book reviews.
While anonymous remembered this:
Black/white photographs
Glamour girls,presidents,sports—
Life in America.
Glamour girls,presidents,sports—
Life in America.
Sunday, March 08, 2026
Sunday Reflection: Not on the mountain, or in Jerusalem...
In John 4, Jesus has the longest conversation in the Gospels: his discussion with the Samaritan woman at the well. There is a lot going on there, but I want to talk about this part of the discussion:
The woman said to him, “Sir, I see that you are a prophet. 20Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.” 21Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.
This exchange sometimes gets forgotten in larger discussions of this passage, but it has always meant a lot to me. When I was young, people told me that we encounter God in church, but that never seemed right to me. Rather, it seemed that what happened in church was that we encountered each other while seeking God, which is profoundly different. My Holy Spirit moments, those glimpses of the divine, are (at least for me) rarely during a church service.
I believe that we are meant to worship communally, and I have always been a church-goer. But I have never given the speakers at church--Priests and Ministers-- a status of anything beyond fellow traveler. Certainly, there is a lot to learn from fellow travelers! But... God is in church and out of church and in the most unlikely places.
What Jesus said marked a breaking point from traditional Judaism, too, where many of the Mosaic laws involved actions at the Temple, and for whom there was the very real belief of God's actual and constant presence there. How transgressive, then, was what Jesus said!
And transgressive Jesus, who opens up the world to us, is the at the heart of my faith.
Saturday, March 07, 2026
Pretty good compilation!
This made me want to see all of these movies. Except "Beaches." That looks terrible.
Friday, March 06, 2026
Haiku Friday: Magazines we loved
For many of us, at some point in our lives there was a magazine we waited for with eager anticipation-- then read from cover to cover once it had arrived. Let's haiku about those this week! Here, I will go first:
Brilliant, smart and bold
Oh how I miss the writing:
The Wittenberg Door.
Now it is your turn! Just use the 5/7/5 syllable pattern and have some fun....
Thursday, March 05, 2026
PMT: What Happens Next?
After days of bombing raids and some scattershot responses by Iran, it appears that the war in the Middle East is going to go on for a while. So... how does it end? Here are some possibilities:
-- It could just peter out. After a while, the US and Israel could declare that they achieved their objectives (an easy thing to do since they haven't done a very good job of describing those objectives) and stop bombing Iran. That would leave some version of the current regime in place, most likely.
-- It could also be that Iran gets carved up. Already, it appears that Kurdish forces armed by the CIA will try to claim land in the Northwest of the country. Other minority groups or regions may claim territory as well. In this scenario, the current regime would remain, but with a smaller footprint.
-- There could be a military effort that actually does cause regime change. This would most likely involve ground troops, and could be a protracted war, even after a new government is installed by the invaders. This brings real dangers of destabilization.
-- Perhaps most scary is that something bad and unexpected happens at a big scale: Say, Russia gets involved on the side of Iran, or Iran uses some of its nuclear material to make and use a "dirty bomb."
Of course, if there is one thing history has proven, it is that we are terrible at predicting what will happen in that part of the world....
Wednesday, March 04, 2026
People who give us hope: Voters
I love voting. It feels like a spiritual experience, to stand in line with my neighbors to pick our leaders. That is the moment that I feel most American.
People in our country make great sacrifices to vote: they stand out in the rain, they tough it out when the lines are long, they sort through pages of choices. And, of course, it matters.
The primaries yesterday were fascinating-- more on that tomorrow-- but for today let's just appreciate the great privilege we have when we go to the polls. In the end, once again, it is how we will save ourselves.
Tuesday, March 03, 2026
The Obvious Question: Where is this headed?
From 1978 to 1992, the Soviet Union waged war in Afghanistan, trying to create a stable and friendly nation on its border. They failed, and what emerged was the Taliban.
In 2003, the US invaded Iraq. We were there until 2011. What emerged was ISIS, which controlled much of the nation by 2015.
I haven't heard about a plan for who will govern Iraq if the current government is removed, and the dangers are real-- we may create a lingering instability that leads to forces even more dangerous to our interests.
I'm not saying that will happen-- but I do worry that we have not heard about a plan for something better.
Monday, March 02, 2026
On those rare delights...
So many good poems this week on the topic of rare pleasures-- those treats we allow ourselves only once in a while! My mom had a great one (and I am not the son referred to):
Son made sourdough bread.
Siren song of delicious
crustiness calls me.
Siren song of delicious
crustiness calls me.
And Sleepy Walleye came to visit:
Bacon, egg and cheese
On a buttery croissant
Cholesterol treat.
On a buttery croissant
Cholesterol treat.
Craig A has a Boston-style vision:
A cup of Dunkin’
Coffee with a warm Blueberry
Muffin - gotta love!
Coffee with a warm Blueberry
Muffin - gotta love!
And Desiree is thinking road trip:
Marshmallow outside,
pink, chocolate joy. Snowballs!
For road trips only.
pink, chocolate joy. Snowballs!
For road trips only.
Christine got the memo:
Wow, only a third
That box is calling my name
Nom, nom... Krispy Kreme.
That box is calling my name
Nom, nom... Krispy Kreme.
And Anonymous chimed in:
From Antarctic Ice
Her sweet song summons,”Devour!”
Chocolate coma.
Her sweet song summons,”Devour!”
Chocolate coma.
And then Christine again (and just as good):
A rare indulgence
coffeecake catches my eye
Ate the entire cake
Raspberry filling
and gooey icing drizzled
Atop, heavenly.
coffeecake catches my eye
Ate the entire cake
Raspberry filling
and gooey icing drizzled
Atop, heavenly.
Sunday, March 01, 2026
Sunday Reflection: Being Born
The terminology of being "born again" is found in John 3:
3Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” 4Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” 5Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. 6What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ 8The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” 9
It's intriguing to me how Jesus describes this experience: That it being inhabited by the Holy Spirit. And also what it allows: to see the kingdom of God.
In other words, we can choose to feel the wind of the Holy Spirit, to acknowledge that we are humble before God, and that lets us truly see the world. To put it another way, we don't see fully what is around us until we stop pretending that we know and understand everything. Age has let me see the wisdom of this; I've learned that if I want to understand something, I have to begin with mystery, not certainty.
Saturday, February 28, 2026
The Ultimate TV Crossover
Friday, February 27, 2026
Haiku Friday: Rare delights
All of us have things we allow ourselves only once in a while-- perhaps because it is expensive, or unhealthy, or dangerous. We give in, now and then, and it's so good. Let's haiku about that this week. Here, I will go first:
The box of donuts
Calls to me from the break room
I slice off one third...
Now it is your turn! Just use the 5/7/5 syllable pattern and have some fun!
Thursday, February 26, 2026
PMT: The One Good Idea
I could ramble on for a while about the State of the Union Address-- there was a lot going on there, and a lot of it was divisive, untrue, and/or just weird stuff for the President to be thinking about. Still, I gave myself the challenge of finding a good idea in all of this, and I did.
The plan to bar investment companies from buying up swaths of single-family homes to convert to rentals is a good one. Home ownership is a remarkable source of generational wealth, and previous administrations have encouraged home ownership (sometimes a little too enthusiastically-- ie, see the 2009 subprime mortgage crisis).
It's not a particularly conservative idea-- it limits free market actors-- but still a good one. So there's that!
Wednesday, February 25, 2026
Did you see the State of the Union address?
Yeah, me too. In response here are some cat videos (including one where the cat drinks from a toilet- yuck!)
Tuesday, February 24, 2026
Art and Resistance
This winter in Minneapolis, there has been a lot to see amid the resistance to ICE, and some of it has been a remarkable outpouring of art. Songs from Springsteen and U2 (above) got press, but on the ground here the wealth of imagination flooded to the surface. There were murals and songs and the brilliance of signs made with markers and cardboard.
I hope that this flourishing of resistance art continues: that there are plays and songs and short stories and more. We need it-- and so does the rest of America.
