I stand again before the Nativity, pondering: On the left, the shepherds:     Why us?     Why this blast of angel joy        in this forsaken field?    Why not a gathering of rabbis?        the Roman counsel? … Continue reading

This keeps popping up on my Facebook feed,    so far as a T-shirt, a Christmas ornament, and a lawn sign:         Rejoice in the birth            of a dark-skinned,        Middle-Eastern,            undocumented immigrant. I laughed… Continue reading

I have set up our Nativity scene. It's a miracle these plaster figures,    purchased in the 1950's,        have survived their decades' long journey            to arrive once again in Bethlehem                atop… Continue reading

One day, I shall slip    from this life to some other,        from this awareness to the next. That transition    won't be hard–        I am ready now. The unbearable part    will be saying farewell.     … Continue reading

This is creation now—    not in the past,        but the present. Reread Genesis 1 with this lens–    "In this moment        God creates heaven and earth." This morning,     when you open your eyes,        all… Continue reading

Queens and Kings come marching, marching,    some on horseback, some on foot. I leave my mending, approach my open door,    watch open-mouthed. Queens and Kings come marching, marching,    some on horseback, some on foot. A long line,… Continue reading

What good has clinging done you?     This lover,        that friendship,    this home,        that box of stuff,    this offense,        that regret,    this doctrine,        that crusade? What good has… Continue reading

Grant me clarity:    let me see through your lens,beyond life and death,    beyond faith and doctrine,beyond separation and smugness,    beyond righteousness and indignation,beyond fairness and fragility. Let me see what you see,    behind this curtain of… Continue reading

I have concluded    that everything I believe is wrong,        if not entirely, then certainly in part. I am wrong in what I believe about    politics,        religion,            the environment,                the people of Canada, … Continue reading

I play Christmas carols late in January:    Oh, Holy Night,        Carol of the Bells,            The Huron Carol,                more,old arrangements    stretching back to childhood–     nostalgia– on a piano we are about to donate … Continue reading