The following is my letter to the New York Post in response to my friend Walter’s sentencing. It’s too difficult to get a letter in the Times. But, mark my words, the Times will ultimately end up covering this story. To the editor: Well they’ve done it. The members of […]
During the last year of her life, my mother lived in South Deerfield, and we went to church together every Sunday at the South Deerfield Congregational Church. I will always be grateful to the members of the church and to Rev. Barbara Seamon for the fellowship and compassion they showed […]
One consistent theme in the magnificent mystery novels of Tony Hillerman is the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The FBI has jurisdiction over all murders on federal reservations, but the Navaho Tribal Police do all the legwork. And the FBI never tells anyone anything, especially not the Navaho Tribal Police. This […]
“As soon as the coin in coffer rings, the soul from purgatory springs.” I had always heard this saying used to sum up what Martin Luther was objecting to when he nailed his famous manifesto to the church door in Wittenburg, but I didn’t realize it was a slogan that […]
I was googling my daughter to watch a movie clip on her website, and I was amazed at all the stories and photos from her storied career. In some of them, I wouldn’t even recognize her. Those are mostly the ones where she’s wearing the ‘fierce-model’ look. In this one […]
What a fantastic time I had in Germany — adventures in learning behind the Iron Curtain. I learned a lot about Germany’s national hero, Martin Luther, and about the spirit of the German people — their music and scholarship and literature. I dined like a king and enjoyed the warmest […]
At the market church in Wiesbaden, we heard a brief but beautiful organ concert by the great Hans Uwe Hielscher. As he played “Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring”, I was teleported back to St. Paul’s Church in Dedham, Massachusetts, where I sang in the choir when I was eight years […]
After a full day of traveling, crossing six time zones, I arrived at last in Wittenberg, about 100 miles south of Berlin, where Martin Luther famously posted his 95 theses on the door of the Castle Church in 1517, denouncing the church’s sale of indulgences. In those days you could […]
I’ve mentioned how much I enjoy Sue Grafton’s Alphabet Series starring Kinsey Millhone, which I’ve been rereading lately. I like the way you get bits of her history as you read through the series. She never overshares. You only get little snippets with telling insights. In E is for Evidence, […]
We’re having the best weather anybody ever had, crisp and clear with lots of sunshine to bring out the beauty of the fall foliage. New England looks radiant like a three dimensional Maxfield Parrish painting. I’m enjoying my scooter rides through the countryside, but the enjoyment is tinged with sorrow. […]