Thank you, Barbie
I saw the movie Barbie when my dad lay dying in hospice. I went because I had promised my daughter, nieces, and sisters-in-law I would join them. Sitting in The Bay Theater in Suttons Bay at a matinee show, I…
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What Would Jesus Say?
The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), the largest Protestant denomination in the United States, describes itself as a place of “Love. Churches display love of their neighbor, their enemy, their community and God’s people.” Except if you are a female. In…
TV News Method Acting Shouldn’t Fool Us Anymore
The neat thing about movie rolls staring method actors is we know their motivations and reasons for their dramatic transformations to play a character. They are acting to extremes to portray or dramatize a role. A troubling trend today is…
A Ticker to Tally the Violence, but Consider the Details
April is bringing more mayhem. More vile, ugly gun violence and more deaths of American children. A sentence that is tough to write. We are enabling this freakishly gruesome yet uniquely American phenomenon. Nowhere else in the world does this…
We Sanction Gun Violence; When Will We Say “Enough?”
Have you watched the body camera footage from the Metro Nashville Police Department showing raw video of this week’s school shooting in America? Bodycam footage from the Covenant School shooting is posted online where viewers can watch, firsthand, the events…
Sorry, Dad – salty language is here to stay
Recently, I was involved in, or rather witnessed, a conversation between my dad and one of our children that defines intergenerational differences. It started like this: We shared dinner and talked about experiences returning to work after COVID. This is…
It is the Year of the Groundhog in China
China just rang in the Lunar New Year. As a nation, they are stuck in a dark loop of the coronavirus, with this looking more like the year of the groundhog rather than the year of the rabbit. China is…
Sitting in Other People’s Pews
I recently went on a long-awaited holiday. My husband of 30 years, Jay, and I had postponed our anniversary trip to Europe because of COVID. While in London, we attended an evening concert at an Episcopal Church. We arrived early,…
An Appeal for Peace at the Local Library
My mother, Nancy Giles, died suddenly in the summer of 2021. To those who knew her, Nan had many varied interests; however, the Leelanau Township Library was one place where she showed a particular devotion. Aside from being an enthusiastic…
Gun Violence: Failing the Test of a Civil Society
I recently celebrated my 30th wedding anniversary. That day, in the late summer of 1992, seems both long ago and just like yesterday. However, when I began to think about the general quality of life in 1992 it seems like…