An extraordinary Mother’s Day

I am thinking about my mother this morning. This is her first Mother’s Day with a child in heaven. There won’t be a traditional family gathering today. Her mother is in a rest home that is prudently not allowing visitors. The 2020 versions of these special days are not flattering.

Death springs this April

Contrary to what politicians promise, we will not be “made whole” by stimulus checks, waived copayments, unemployment assistance, cheap loans, and the rest.

Charles E. Belknap: “The Pioneers’ Winter Food”

Charles E. Belknap’s book, The Yesterdays of Grand Rapids, is full of rich, historical vignettes. He provides glimpses of what life was like in Grand Rapids during the mid-nineteenth century.

Thanking God for such deliverance

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, and it isn’t even close. Undoubtedly, our corporate expressions of gratitude are the healthiest part of the day. Gratitude pulls the soul out of the unending depths of introspection and self-pity. Who can add a single hour to his span of life?

Reformation Day Reads

I know that you’re going to be sitting around tonight wondering what to do in those anxious moments between ambushes by costumed raiding parties, so I have compiled a few Reformation Day Reads for your edification.

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A tribute to my brother

As I write this, it is still Hunter’s birthday, October 7. We have a few hours left. I have resisted returning to the family eulogy from Hunter’s memorial service, but it seems appropriate to post it today. You’ll find my notes below. I have added the few extemporaneous comments that were not in my original […]

I see you.

A more insightful writer is only a few clicks away. A prettier face is only a swipe away. A happier family is only a scroll away. We are all in a battle against despair and loneliness. The least we can do is tell one another, “hey, I see you.”

Alexis de Tocqueville on electing a president

The dangers of the system of election, applied to the chief of the executive government of a great people, have been sufficiently exemplified by experience and by history. I wish to speak of them in reference to America alone. These dangers may be more or less formidable in proportion to the place which the executive […]

Bottle rockets win the day

Hot takes are like bottle rockets. They flash, move quickly, startle, and burn out in a second. Most fall harmlessly to the ground. Others strike objects or start fires.

Fort Sumter Photo Gallery

It seems fitting to post these pictures in April.