Daily Life
Even after the transparent admission last week that Christmas is “my favorite time of the year,” I must also acknowledge a strong fondness for New Year’s Day. Not the festive and frolicking New Year’s “rockin’” Eve — although toasting to friends and family both near and far is certainly
Holiday
As we pause to glance back and reflect on the year in review, I’m struck by the events, circumstances and people which made us collectively pause during 2012... From the London Olympic games to an incredibly expensive American election to the December elementary school shooting... From the so-called
Daily Life
Writing from the midwest this day, a funny development occurred. It snowed. It wasn’t just a little snow. It was big... perhaps not “big” to those living in the mountainous East or West, but here in the heart of America, it was big. “Big” equates to enough to make
Holiday
Borrowing from none another than Kenny Rogers... How wise the wise men must have been To find the Child in Bethlehem He lives again and draws us near Christmas time is here. A tail of love that never dies The laughter in the children's eyes The child in
Holiday
We’re making our lists and checking them twice. Maybe even 3 or 4 times. There’s so much to do! Yes, isn’t that the irony of the season? As the holiday has evolved — knowing evolution often distorts meaning and potentially reality — perhaps our most significant progression of the
Current Event
It's the end of the world as we know it. It's the end of the world as we know it. Truthfully, long before R.E.M.’s popular, 1987 musical refrain, many have consistently experienced the end of the world as they know it... long before
Current Event
Still 4 days later, it’s hard to focus on something else... We could focus on the number of shopping days left, but they pale in comparison. We could focus on solving the so-called “fiscal cliff,” but that, too — even with its almost unimaginable depth of debt — pales in
Current Event
As all times when we are so shockingly rattled, the race to reaction is furious and fast. When scenarios and circumstance significantly disturb us, we immediately jump to the solution. “If we only had tougher gun laws... eliminated the violent video games... cared more for the mentally ill... if we
Current Event
As I was pulling out and dusting off my fairly impressive collection of Christmas music — ok, wait; that is total “impression management.” It’s actually, almost a bold face lie. Sorry. I mean, yes, my collection is impressive, but the truth is (confession time, friends) that I listen to Christmas
Current Event
As the shopping days dwindle and the ole’ familiar carols continue to play, I’m struck by a continuous topic in some circles this time of year: is there a war on Christmas? As posted previously amidst these pages, the Intramuralist isn’t into identifying something as war that actually
Current Issue
As I was once again tempted to count the shopping days left until the retail world’s biggest annual holiday, I was prompted to pause, challenged anew to focus on the actual meaning of this season. I’m not sure I always get it. Yes, I get that Christmas is
Current Issue
(In our constant observation of wisdom — or lack of it...) And then there was this... “After the election of Jimmy Carter, the honorable Coleman Alexander Young, he went to Washington D.C. and came back with some bacon. That’s what you do. That’s what you do! This is,