Month: August 2024

I’m only gonna say this once

I try to avoid writing about politics and government here, because I believe the world could use a lot less of each. I try to focus on the plain fact that our lives are better when we stop looking for the right ruler and work on running our own lives. The dirty little secret is that when we cry “Freedom,” we usually are talking about freedom from government or something that government is trying to impose on us.

Since 1992 it has been my firm belief that the U.S. government has been run by the worst president of my lifetime — each occupant of the White House progressively worse than the previous one — but the last four years have been so bad, I have had to re-assess my opinion because I realized things got marginally better under Donald Trump. 

I think Trump is an unpleasant man who too often turns needlessly to insulting his political adversaries, and I’m not sure he fully understands how some of his initiatives can backfire and hurt us, like tariffs. But the Joe Biden-Kamala Harris administration has been a catastrophe. 

 And Trump has recently earned the respect of three of the rarest humans in the world — people whom I deeply respect even though they travel in political circles. And so I have to take note.

Continue reading “I’m only gonna say this once” →

Enjoy every sandwich

We lost Kirsten this year, but the world is a better place because she lived, although 51 years does not feel long enough.

I honestly don’t know a whole lot about Kirsten Tynan, and I never met her in person. Things I do know include that she was a champion of “Wildflower Man,” a short story I wrote in 1996 and the only short story I have ever written that is good enough to have a champion. It is my “The Lake,” the story that made Ray Bradbury cry because he knew he had finally written something worthy after years of trying.

I know Kirsten loved the Monkees and idolized singer-songwriter Warren Zevon, another soul who died too young of cancer.

And I know she was a fierce champion of jury nullification, the understanding that juries have the right to find a defendant not guilty if the underlying law is unjust, as it often can be. She went so far as to serve the Fully Informed Jury Association for 15 years and run it for a decade.

On Sunday, I met a man who is 16 years older than I am but has kept himself so fit that he looks at least 5 years younger than I do. During the course of the conversation, I learned his wife has been waging a good fight for 25 years on and off with lymphoma, the same horrid disease that claimed my beloved Red in less than six months. He coaxed some details about Red’s journey out of me, but I found myself thinking, “Enough about me, how can I encourage this man and his wife in their battle?”

I know I cherish each memory shared with Red like a precious diamond, and so as we parted I said to him, “In the words of Warren Zevon, savor every sandwich,” a quote from Zevon’s last interview with David Letterman, when the TV host asked if he now knows something about life and death that the rest of us don’t know.

Actually, I misquoted Zevon — it’s “enjoy every sandwich” — but the sentiment is a great one. We have a finite amount of time on this plane of existence, and a finite amount of time with loved ones, so we should savor every moment.

That was something I learned from Kirsten, and I’m glad I was able to pass it on.

How to start a good week

The music was done, the kids were dismissed to children’s church, and the pastor got up to speak. He began by picking up his Bible and reading:

Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 

Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 

Do not be slothful in zeal. Be fervent in spirit. Serve the Lord. 

Rejoice in hope. Be patient in tribulation. Be constant in prayer. 

Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you. Bless. Do not curse them. 

Rejoice with those who rejoice. Weep with those who weep. 

Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly.

Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.

If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.

“If you ever are needing help knowing what to pray, Romans 12 is a good place to go,” he said.

“Whoa,” I thought. “You could stop there, and I’d have all I need for the week.” Of course, he went on to preach a very tasty sermon as a bonus.

But I’m definitely adding Romans 12:9-18 to a mission statement that also includes Matthew 22:36-40, Philippians 4:8, and Galatians 5:22-23. Go ahead, look them up — please!