qljm

[qljm]

Ties are Out of Fashion

I thought perhaps they were docents, but they gave us a nervous look and seemed surprised we were there.

A couple of weeks ago Judi and I cruised the lower half of the Mississippi River. One stop was in the town of Natchez, Mississippi. Civil war stories and antebellum architecture were highlights there. St. Mary’s Basilica was also on the itinerary. We were first off the bus and hurried toward the entrance to the church. As we walked up the steps a few people were loitering by the doorway. I…

[qljm]

Holier than Thou?

“The most holy is the one who loves most.” That is the kind of sentence you might find on a T-shirt or a bumper sticker. It could be a candidate for a pithy saying offered by a spiritual guru who seems to have life all figured out. However, it caught my eye as words stenciled on a wall while visiting a church. Thankfully, the message was not of the “Mene, mene, tekel, parsin” variety from the…

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Life In the Weeds

“Futility” is the word is resonating most loudly at the moment. This is not a general malaise regarding life in general, . . .

After three months of near jungle-like ground cover, the green carpet in the woods begins to wither away, exposing the earth beneath. Rather than humid, suffocating mornings, a chilled nip in the air occasionally greets me on at the start of a new day. And, my garden looks more like a weed bed than anything that could ever produce fresh vegetables. Like orange barrels are sign of Spring in…

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A Fishy Tale

How do you want to be known? By your physical appearance? Your quick wit? Perhaps your mad math skills? Your efforts to make the world a better place? How about as a resident of the herring capital of the world? There is a place that claims this title. It was included on the itinerary of our Iceland adventure. Iceland is the only place I recall visiting where, even after hearing place names…

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Foggy Nights Aren't All Bad

The jet’s wheels touched down on schedule, bringing us back to solid ground. A little part of me always breathes a sigh of relief as rubber meets the runway. Through the window lay a territory even further off the beaten path than the rugged Iceland we had just left. For reasons I didn’t understand, I had wanted to visit Greenland for years. Maybe it was simply to verify the silly saying “Iceland…

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Beholding Beauty

Beauty, it is said, is in the eye of the beholder. The good news of such a sentiment is . . .

Beauty, it is said, is in the eye of the beholder. The good news of such a sentiment is that hope exists that someone, somewhere, will look upon any one of us and be drawn toward admiration and appreciation. The bad news, if there is any, is that a lot of stuff passes for art that wouldn’t make my short list for anything other than a run to the landfill. But that is the point. Beauty has a…

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1000 Word Moments

A picture is worth a thousand words. Or so the saying goes.

A picture is worth a thousand words. Or so the saying goes. Speculation about the origin of the sentence (or the idea behind it) range from early 20th century advertisers all the way back to Confucius. Wherever its birthplace, most of us understand its point: a single image can convey the meaning or intent of a complex idea. It is about simplification of communication; lightbulb moments, if you…

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Thinking About Home

Returning home to visit North Carolina feeds my soul . . .

Returning home to visit North Carolina feeds my soul in important ways. Time spent with family is refreshing. Eating at restaurants unavailable in Hoosier land makes my taste buds dance. On this trip, it was the popcorn shrimp at Dry Dock that made my mouth water. The hushpuppies alone are worth the trip. And of course, driving through my old haunts to see how things have changed is always part…

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Greeted by an Angel

“Welcome. I have been waiting for you!” As greetings go, that is much better than something like “Stop, in the name of law,” but they were startling words just the same. Especially when the person introduced himself as Angel. For a moment, it seemed like the beginning of one of those groaner jokes where a person asked the pastor if there would be golf in heaven. The pastor responds, “Well I have…

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Tea Anyone?

The Brits may be on to something. I must admit it surprises me. Ever since we canceled our satellite TV subscription, the local library’s DVD collection has been a staple of our evening entertainment. There, we stumbled across several British-made series that we’ve enjoyed very much. Several were detective series, but not all. I confess I still struggle to find the humor in British comedies, but…

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Fruits of the Harvest

Mowing between rows isn’t a generally prescribed form of weed control in a garden. But drastic times call for creative measures. It had been a few years since I managed a decent crop of popcorn and supplies were running low. It wasn’t for a lack of effort on my part. The arrival of a weed called “foxtail” was the culprit. With a name like that, you might expect a cute or even adorable grass but…

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When Lightning Strikes

Recent events have reminded me of a 2001 movie called “The Man Who Sued God.” As the plot unfolded, lightning destroyed the boat of an ex-lawyer turned fisherman. The insurance company refused to pay his claim, insisting it was an act of God for which the company was not responsible. Frustrated by that answer, the man decided to sue religious groups because they were God’s representatives on…

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Background Noise

Remember the days when television stations actually ended their broadcast day? They signed on in the morning and ended at a designated time. The national anthem may even have played somewhere in the mix. Until the next day, there was nothing to watch but colors, patterns, or numbers. At our house, it was a feat worth noting if we kids managed to escape bedtime until the color bars appeared,…

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Whale Watching

Judi and I spent the last 18 months traveling on tours previously canceled due to COVID. It reached the point of being nearly ridiculous.

Judi and I spent the last 18 months traveling on tours previously canceled due to COVID. It reached the point of being nearly ridiculous. With two years of bookings being pushed back, we were away from home some part of every month for a year and a half. Occasionally, it felt like we were trapped in a travel marathon, finishing the laundry from one trip just in time to pack again. Finally, in…

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A Really Hip Dude

“I’ll get up with you when I get back.”  Those words were overheard in the airport as a traveler wrapped up a phone call prior to boarding his flight.

“I’ll get up with you when I get back.”  Those words were overheard in the airport as a traveler wrapped up a phone call prior to boarding his flight. I was not intentionally eavesdropping on the conversation, but cell phones have an incredible power to make people think they enjoy a veil of privacy. It is as though they live in their own private phone booth that accompanies them wherever they…

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Who is the Prodigal in the Room?

“Pray for the prodigal.” That message flashed on the big screen hanging behind the pulpit area in a church we visited this summer.  My brain, which seems to have a mind of its own, immediately quipped, “I wonder if they’d put me in that category?” I laughed to myself, but confessed that I did not know the answer to that question. I shared the thought with my wife. She chose not to answer. Make…

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Gate to Gate

Gone are the days of accompanying loved ones to the gate or rooftop lounges where one could sit and watch the plane take off and land.

I enjoy air travel, but these days it can be a challenge. Gone are the days of accompanying loved ones to the gate or rooftop lounges where one could sit and watch the plane take off and land. For passengers, it is a much more focused and time-consuming adventure. Whoever assigns gates to incoming flights does an exceptional job of placing my arriving flight at the opposite end of the airport…