TODAY THERE IS A NEW LITTLE GIRL IN THE WORLD. And in our extended family. Our great niece, little Grace Marie is born. And though it is sometimes a world of worry and sorrow, it is also a world of wonder and beauty. As it has always been. And it is her world to wrestle with and to love, as
LONG AGO, in another century, I once wrote a book about an Old Turtle. And then another (Old Turtle and the Broken Truth) and another (Old Turtle: Questions of the Heart).
HAPPY DAY! My little Chinese Elm bonsai, acquired last September and which, after shipping, went into winter dormancy almost immediately, has decided it’s Spring! And is beginning to sport sprightly green leaves all over. This is OK, as this Southern California tree is being kept indoors for the winter, and will later this year start getting adapted to Minnesota seasons.
MY MOTHER, JOYCE WOOD, TAUGHT PIANO LESSONS FOR SEVENTY-TWO YEARS STRAIGHT. In a row. With no years off. You get the idea. A great teacher. She passed away three years ago, and I’ve shared some of her wit and wisdom here before. Following is a document that will sound familiar to every teacher of any subject, although the details are
DURING WINTER HERE IN THE PINE POINT WOODS, the day begins with a short walk out to the carriage-house garage to check on the bonsais.
IT HAS BEEN A FROSTY, frosty week here at the Church O’ The Pines. Meteorologists tell us this stagnant air is ‘dirty’. But here in the forest, far from the city, it doesn’t feel dirty.
TODAY MARKS THE END of Christmas vacation for my Kathy Ann—two weeks off from piano teaching and the daily schedule. After 35 plus years of public school teaching, Kathy ‘retired’ several years ago, only to open her own home piano studio, where she teaches about 20 students. She teaches them well—very well—with a combination of skill, heart, patience, care, and
HERE IS A LITTLE STORY for folks who: love the Boundary Waters or Minnesota’s outdoors; love the iconic artwork of F. Lee Jaques; love the writing of his wife Florence Page Jaques (Canoe Country, Snowshoe Country) remember the wonderful photography of J. Arnold Bolz; or, just like a good story, from a warmer time of year. Years ago, I was
ABOUT TWO THOUSAND AND TWENTY YEARS AGO A TEACHER WAS BORN INTO THIS WORLD. We celebrate his birth yet today, and particularly on this night. At its essence, his teaching called upon us to abandon selfishness. To love our neighbor as ourselves. And to greatly expand our idea of who our ‘neighbor’ might be–beyond the comforting restrictions of family and
HI GANG: IT IS TIME, WE THINK, FOR A CHRISTMAS READING. So here I am, with a vintage copy of “The Night Before Christmas.”