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Beyond Labels

“God sent the angel Gabriel to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.”  Notice how the Gospel of Luke introduces us to this young woman: before he tells us...

Don’t Leave Joy Unopened

Imagine that, under the Christmas tree, there’s a gift for you; it’s in a box about the size of a human heart, wrapped in shining bright green and topped with a velvety red bow.  It has your name on it, but there’s isn’t another name. The gift is clearly for you,...

Peace

Last Saturday afternoon, while walking downtown among crowds of tourists and Christmas shoppers, I saw and heard: An older couple fussing with each other about what to do next. They were coming out of Mast General Store. He had a huge bag in each hand.  She...

Buffoon on a Tricycle

Some children’s greatest fears live underneath their beds, and their parents have gotten up many a weary night and gone to their child’s bedroom, flashlight in hand, lifted the covers, shone the light on the dusty floor, and proved, once again, that there is no...

Ain’t Srong Enough to Kill This Music

In a New Yorker article about Duke Ellington and race in America, I learned about a gathering of leading black jazz musicians at Yale University in 1972.  There were three days of concerts, jam sessions, and workshops.  Duke Ellington was there, as were...

To be Loved

In my dream, the old man was dressed in once-elegant but now slightly-shabby clothes.  He was in a wheelchair.  Only with great difficulty could he manage to hold his head up straight. His dark eyes took-in the handful of acquaintances gathered around a...