“It’s Wrong to Erase History” is the title of an angry letter to the editor of the Baltimore Sun complaining about the swift and stealthy removal of four Confederate statues Tuesday night. That’s the gist of much of the argument for leaving intact commemorative statues of Confederate leaders. I agree. It’s wrong to erase history.… Continue reading Take the Statues; Leave the Pedestals
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What Do You Do When Honesty and Comfort Collide?
A Mother’s Day reflection. With thanks to Erin Keane at Salon. Click below to read.
Happy Barn Raising Day
It’s April 15, or what I like to think of as Barn Raising Day. I’ve never been to a barn raising, but I’ve seen them in the movies. The first one I ever saw, in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, although a triumph of choreography, didn’t work out so great for the barn. So my barn-raising ideal… Continue reading Happy Barn Raising Day
7 Things You Don’t Have to Do to Be an Atheist
Courtesy of Bustle.com. And I won’t judge you if you go on to read “7 Weird Signs You’re Not Sleeping Well” or “The 10 Worst Cities for People with Allergies.” As long as you start by clicking on this link . . .
The Radical Fairness of Opting In
The week before Adam’s official swearing in, the other members of the Town Board fondly ribbed him about taking the oath. They knew his wife was an atheist, and someone quipped that when I held the Bible for him to swear on it would burst into flames. Adam doesn’t mind being teased, but the joking did… Continue reading The Radical Fairness of Opting In
Praying for Paris
If you hear it a certain way, “Pray for Paris,” the hashtag of the moment, simply means let’s turn our hearts and minds to a city that has suffered a brutal and terrifying attack. Let’s allow these events and their significance to sink into us, burrow through our self-absorption and our everyday concerns, still for a moment… Continue reading Praying for Paris
Music Theory for Grownups: A Start
Of all the things I’m good at in piano class (attending, counting out loud, making my classmates laugh), playing the piano is not one of them. I do OK after a week of serious practice, but show me a new piece, say “OK, everybody, let’s try it with two hands,” and I freeze up. Translating… Continue reading Music Theory for Grownups: A Start
Promises, Promises
We wrote our wedding vows so long ago that I couldn’t find them on my computer. Surely I meant to transfer them from the first clunky PC desktop we had to my sister’s hand-me-down Mac laptop to her next hand-me-down Mac laptop to my current one. Those vows were on my mind because our anniversary is coming… Continue reading Promises, Promises
Let the Old Traditions Fail
Virginia, my home state, has celebrated Lee-Jackson Day every January since 1904. State and city offices close; Confederate flags unfurl. After 110 years, this seems unlikely to change. In fact, in 1983, when Martin Luther King, Jr., Day, became a federal holiday, Virginia appended the Civil Rights leader to its traditional Heroes of the Confederacy… Continue reading Let the Old Traditions Fail
Cooking à l’américaine
Even before I met Maud I was trying to impress her. If you don’t know Maud (rhymes with ode), you’ll just have to trust me when I say that she inspires that kind of behavior. I noticed her the first time all the parents were summoned to the kindergarten class attended by her son and… Continue reading Cooking à l’américaine