I don't know how you can look at the images emerging from Haiti and not feel a panoply of emotions.
Shock. Sadness. Almost numbness, when I think about the horrendous loss of life from the earthquake and what the recovery effort will require.
When devastation is that complete, recovery comes in small steps. Shelter. Food. Water. Sanitation. Identifying and burying the dead.
The steps have to be small, or the task becomes overwhelming.
I don't have any patience for the chirping of folks such as Pat Robertson, who says Haiti's being punished for something that happened a couple hundred years ago. Haiti needs healing, not hot air.
The irony is that in the Bible, it was a long-held belief among Jews that when bad things happened to people it was God punishing them for sins - quite possibly the sins of their fathers. But Jesus preached that sometimes bad things just happen, and it's not meant as punishment for the victims.
St. Francis of Assisi is credited with saying "Preach the gospel always. If absolutely necessary, use words."
Haiti doesn't need scoldings. It needs help.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Monday, January 11, 2010
A bookstore closes
Any time a bookstore closes, I feel a sense of sadness. One more outpost for the intellect, one more corner of creativity, slides into the abyss.
Granted, this was a Waldenbooks tucked into a corner of a large shopping mall - not exactly The Little Bookstore Around the Corner swallowed by the massive bookstore chains. Perhaps that's why my sense of disappointment quickly gave way to the bargain hunter in me when I saw the signs announcing that everything in the store was 50% to 70% off.
So after getting a couple of laps in around the interior of the mall as per my physical therapy instructions, I started ruminatin' over what remained on the well-picked-over bookshelves. About 20 minutes later, I walked out with seven selections. Mind you, I fought off the temptation to nab a half-dozen more.
My choices:
Rain Gods, by James Lee Burke
Burke was my creative writing prof at Wichita State University in the spring of 1980, and he's become a world-class novelist. I'll pick up anything he writes, because he writes with such grace and power. Some of his passages are positively lyrical, and reading him seems to encourage me to turn loose of the reins in my own writing, and let the muse gallop.
*****
Last Night in Twisted River, by John Irving
I've heard strong reviews for Irving's latest novel. It joins two other Irving books on my shelf: The Cider House Rules and The World According to Garp. Both of those books have garnered wide acclaim, though both rambled endlessly at times and left me feeling disatisfied at the end. Still, I'll give a man considered by many a literary giant of the 20th Century another go - especially at 50% off.
*****
The Given Day, by Dennis Lehane
I'm not familiar with the author, but the premise of the book - two families grappling with a changing America just after the end of World War I - intrigued me.
*****
Gilead, by Marilynne Robinson
It won the Pulitzer Prize. I want to see why.
*****
Light from Heaven, by Jan Karon
The finale of the beloved At Home in Mitford series. I've gotten most, if not all, of those books for Mom, so it was a no-brainer to add this one to her collection. I've been told by some who have read my fiction novel that it compares favorably to Karon's works. Given how well the Mitford series has done, that's high praise.
*****
The Abstinence Teacher, by Tom Perotta
I've read some of Perotta's essays, and I was intrigued by the plot of this book. Again, at 50% off, I thought, "Why not?"
*****
The Scarpetta Factor, by Patricia Cornwell
I have a couple of Cornwell books in my collection at home, and liked the premise for this book, if for no other reason than I've found myself interviewed by national media types in connection with major breaking stories as well (as the main character apparently is in this book, according to the dust jacket).
And there you have it. Of course, now I need to figure out how to make room for them on my bookshelves, which are overflowing as it is. But that's a task for another day.
Granted, this was a Waldenbooks tucked into a corner of a large shopping mall - not exactly The Little Bookstore Around the Corner swallowed by the massive bookstore chains. Perhaps that's why my sense of disappointment quickly gave way to the bargain hunter in me when I saw the signs announcing that everything in the store was 50% to 70% off.
So after getting a couple of laps in around the interior of the mall as per my physical therapy instructions, I started ruminatin' over what remained on the well-picked-over bookshelves. About 20 minutes later, I walked out with seven selections. Mind you, I fought off the temptation to nab a half-dozen more.
My choices:
Rain Gods, by James Lee Burke
Burke was my creative writing prof at Wichita State University in the spring of 1980, and he's become a world-class novelist. I'll pick up anything he writes, because he writes with such grace and power. Some of his passages are positively lyrical, and reading him seems to encourage me to turn loose of the reins in my own writing, and let the muse gallop.
*****
Last Night in Twisted River, by John Irving
I've heard strong reviews for Irving's latest novel. It joins two other Irving books on my shelf: The Cider House Rules and The World According to Garp. Both of those books have garnered wide acclaim, though both rambled endlessly at times and left me feeling disatisfied at the end. Still, I'll give a man considered by many a literary giant of the 20th Century another go - especially at 50% off.
*****
The Given Day, by Dennis Lehane
I'm not familiar with the author, but the premise of the book - two families grappling with a changing America just after the end of World War I - intrigued me.
*****
Gilead, by Marilynne Robinson
It won the Pulitzer Prize. I want to see why.
*****
Light from Heaven, by Jan Karon
The finale of the beloved At Home in Mitford series. I've gotten most, if not all, of those books for Mom, so it was a no-brainer to add this one to her collection. I've been told by some who have read my fiction novel that it compares favorably to Karon's works. Given how well the Mitford series has done, that's high praise.
*****
The Abstinence Teacher, by Tom Perotta
I've read some of Perotta's essays, and I was intrigued by the plot of this book. Again, at 50% off, I thought, "Why not?"
*****
The Scarpetta Factor, by Patricia Cornwell
I have a couple of Cornwell books in my collection at home, and liked the premise for this book, if for no other reason than I've found myself interviewed by national media types in connection with major breaking stories as well (as the main character apparently is in this book, according to the dust jacket).
And there you have it. Of course, now I need to figure out how to make room for them on my bookshelves, which are overflowing as it is. But that's a task for another day.
Friday, January 1, 2010
Oh Christmas tree.....
......well, I have taken down my Christmas tree for 2009.....earlier than normal (I wait 'til the Feast of the Epiphany on Jan. 6) but I needed to make room for the replacing of my patio screen door, which was shredded by the Great July Hail Storm of 2009.
I have an artificial tree, and it looks pretty nice for a fake fir. Someday, perhaps, when I have a house with a sizable room in it, I'll be tempted to put up a real tree again. This'll do for now, tho.
An empty canvas
It's a new year.......not a new decade, as so many people suggest.....but at the moment 2010 is an empty canvas awaiting the painter's brush.....a field of newfallen snow poised for the first footprints.
What will the portrait of this year look like when the brush is placed back in the easel for the last time 364 days from now? Will it be one we want to hang on the wall, or put in the corner of the garage with other years we'd rather not think about?
That, of course, is a trick of the mind. Our years are not separate entities, but a collage of sights, sounds, experiences and events.
Nevertheless, a sense of curiosity is unavoidable ---- and good, for that matter.
I realize I haven't been blogging as much in recent months. Part of that is I'm so busy with work these days. I'm also trying to get some writing done on the family history.
But primarily it's because when I've had an inspiration for a blogpost I haven't been in a position to write it; or it's something I decide not to do for a variety of reasons.
I'll try to devise methods which allow me to store those ideas and tap into them when time allows.
In the meantime, here's wishing you a wonderful New Year!
What will the portrait of this year look like when the brush is placed back in the easel for the last time 364 days from now? Will it be one we want to hang on the wall, or put in the corner of the garage with other years we'd rather not think about?
That, of course, is a trick of the mind. Our years are not separate entities, but a collage of sights, sounds, experiences and events.
Nevertheless, a sense of curiosity is unavoidable ---- and good, for that matter.
I realize I haven't been blogging as much in recent months. Part of that is I'm so busy with work these days. I'm also trying to get some writing done on the family history.
But primarily it's because when I've had an inspiration for a blogpost I haven't been in a position to write it; or it's something I decide not to do for a variety of reasons.
I'll try to devise methods which allow me to store those ideas and tap into them when time allows.
In the meantime, here's wishing you a wonderful New Year!
Sunday, December 13, 2009
silent nights......of the Christmas season
One of the great "tragedies," if you will, of the Christmas season is that we get so caught up in the shopping and the decorating and the various holiday parties we feel obliged to attend that the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas become overloaded with stress and lengthy to-do lists - when the whole point of the season is to slow down...celebrate with family and friends a festive occasion...and be grateful for the gifts that truly matter: loved ones and treasured relationships.
In the Catholic Church, the Sunday after Thanksgiving marks the beginning of Advent, which means ---- waiting. Waiting in joyful hope for the coming of the Christ Child.
But how often during these hectic days of December do we quietly wait?
One of the best memories of my childhood was those December days when I'd come home from school/basketball practice or come in from a long day of doing chores to a darkened living room with the Christmas tree lit up. Often, I'd go in there and just sit for a while...in the darkness....in the stillness......and gaze upon the tree.
I still like to do that, here in Wichita or out at the family farm if I'm out there prior to Christmas. It's a reminder to slow down --- and remember what it is we're truly celebrating.
In the Catholic Church, the Sunday after Thanksgiving marks the beginning of Advent, which means ---- waiting. Waiting in joyful hope for the coming of the Christ Child.
But how often during these hectic days of December do we quietly wait?
One of the best memories of my childhood was those December days when I'd come home from school/basketball practice or come in from a long day of doing chores to a darkened living room with the Christmas tree lit up. Often, I'd go in there and just sit for a while...in the darkness....in the stillness......and gaze upon the tree.
I still like to do that, here in Wichita or out at the family farm if I'm out there prior to Christmas. It's a reminder to slow down --- and remember what it is we're truly celebrating.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
How's that again?
While shopping for items I'll use this holiday season, I came across a box of "elegant" plastic tableware.
Elegant?
Plastic forks?
Yeah........no.
They're plastic forks, people.
Did I buy some? Yup. They were on sale, and they'll come in handy when I'm having a quick lunch at the office.
But elegant? Heh.
Elegant?
Plastic forks?
Yeah........no.
They're plastic forks, people.
Did I buy some? Yup. They were on sale, and they'll come in handy when I'm having a quick lunch at the office.
But elegant? Heh.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
History that touches close to home
Sunday marked the 50th anniversary of the Clutter murders. The brutal slaying of a farm family on a quiet Saturday night in November 1959 stunned all of Kansas and spawned "In Cold Blood," Truman Capote's gripping mix of fact and fiction that is hailed as a literary masterpiece.
The tragedy was especially painful for my Aunt Rosemary, Mom's older sister, who lived in Garden City and babysat the Clutter children when they were young. The deaths of the Clutter clan cut her deeply, and bringing it up caused her anger and pain even decades later.
She loathed Capote for fictionalizing the incident and, in her mind, glorifying the killers by paying so much attention to them. In fact, she hated any media attention paid to the case, feeling like it victimized the family - and those who loved them - all over again.
I wasn't born when the Clutters were killed. My next-oldest sibling, Trish, was only 2 months old at the time.
But when I learned of the case and read the book, I was struck by the same fact that undoubtedly unsettled folks everywhere: that no place is immune to the reach of evil.
The tragedy was especially painful for my Aunt Rosemary, Mom's older sister, who lived in Garden City and babysat the Clutter children when they were young. The deaths of the Clutter clan cut her deeply, and bringing it up caused her anger and pain even decades later.
She loathed Capote for fictionalizing the incident and, in her mind, glorifying the killers by paying so much attention to them. In fact, she hated any media attention paid to the case, feeling like it victimized the family - and those who loved them - all over again.
I wasn't born when the Clutters were killed. My next-oldest sibling, Trish, was only 2 months old at the time.
But when I learned of the case and read the book, I was struck by the same fact that undoubtedly unsettled folks everywhere: that no place is immune to the reach of evil.
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