Well, I survived.  School retreat was everything it’s supposed to be: memorable, profound, ridiculous, scenic, and sleepless.  This year’s event took place in the enchanting city of Nuernberg, as historical as it is beautiful.  Its appeal is not dependent on the time of day, as attested by these two photos taken from my room’s window: […]

“Stick to what you know” is the usual writer’s adage.  In other words, if you live on dry ground, don’t write poetry about the wonders of gills, and if you’re, say, a boy, don’t write editorials about the discomforts of stiletto heels…except, of course, if you’re one of the boys who live near the Moulin […]

What a testament to God’s faithfulness and provision the three Candlelight Dinners were!  And your prayers were felt throughout the preparations and performances.  As I sat in the technical booth watching strangers walk by with plates filled with food, I wondered at the number of Germans who had decided to attend our event rather than […]

My toes are dangling over the edge and I’m trying very hard to avert my eyes from the abyss of insanity yawning before me like an inevitable next step! As time (and by “time”, I mean “every minute in the day”) is limited, I’ll summarize that chaos as succinctly as I can, namely in pictures.  […]

[Disclaimer:  I get soooooo frustrated by the way Xanga takes pictures with brilliant colors and dumbs them down into faded, cataracted, and depthless shots.  I promise you these pictures are much more vivid in real life!] I went on an excursion last weekend, accompanied by my ever-lovely, fun and fascinating buddy Mari Ellen.  The destination […]

Nope–you didn’t read it wrong.  Most people have birthday wishes, not fishes…you know, a sweet list of things they’d like to see happen in the year ahead.  Get rich.  Inherit a house.  Win a Porsche.  Make Oprah’s Book Club. But not me.  Noooo, that would be way too close to “normal”, and the young people […]

There have always been students in my life who have been—how shall I put this?  Challenging.  That’s a polite word for it.  These students have been blessedly few, mind you, but the occasional thorn-in-the-flesh has been God’s instrument to remind me of how very human I really am. Few students have performed this duty better […]

Ah, the sadness…  Today, at precisely 2:12 pm, the nine students of “Creative Writing: Prose” exited JB 21 for the last time as a class.  The first semester ends today, and starting Monday, Prose will be replaced by Poetry–which should make me happy except for the fact that some of the Prose writers will be […]

Change is not a terminal condition.      And Christmas will come again…right? Sigh…

Lessons I’ve learned since January 9, 2005 Heaven is often the best answer to prayers for healing. Reconciliation sometimes is wordless. Love is unfathomable. Frailty can lead to God. Death is one of the spices that heighten the savor of life. My dad used to love a poem that was as trite as it was […]