The Beauty of the Unexpected
This year an unexpected autumn snow blanketed our farm. In the days that followed, single-digit temperatures secured its place in the landscape, and another,...
The Local Barber
I recently visited a barber in my Virginian hometown whom I had not patronized in more than a year (I’d taken to getting my...
What Is Your Vote?
I’m not asking what candidate you support. What I am asking you to consider is what does your vote constitute?
This question was spurred by...
Heaven Hath Limits
The Prior of the Upstate New York Abbey where I work often describes his cloistered life by using the phrase “living within a sonnet.”...
Language and Power
"We wade through a torrent of words and images every day, and yet we mostly lack a clear understanding of what language is and can be for the human..."
Tenacious T: One Man’s Odyssey to Help Rural People
Thompson illustrates how rural people’s hopes do not align with the interests of those who wield power, be that power political, social, or economic. He teaches us that truth, fact, and reason are often not a part of the American experience for rural people.
The Enchantments of Mammon–and the Hope of Alternative Enchantments
McCarraher argues that capitalism works very much like a religion in the contemporary world.
The Pleasures of a Liturgical Calendar of Reading
The day after Thanksgiving yields a joy of three parts. The first joy is that of an introvert newly restored to peace and quiet...
A Christmas Tree You Don’t Know Beans About
The locust tree is a rare symbol of Christmas and Easter as one.
The Dirt on Resilience
I have come down with a severe case of confirmation bias.
I count myself as one of those who believe that contact with the earth...