I take a fair amount of inspiration from dreams, which I believe are a way for the mind to reprocess memories into new configurations, the same way that a mixmaster can beat eggs or potatoes into a smooth consistency. I think dreams are a way of reprocessing experiences and distilling additional insights and learning.
What a Mixmaster our dreams are for our memories Read More »
15 years after the 9-11-2001 attack on New York that left some 3,000 Americans dead and 4 years after the 9-11-2012 attack on a US diplomatic mission in Benghazi left four dead including a US ambassador it’s time for a look back. As to what difference this may make, George Santayana advises “those who cannot
15 Years After 9-11, Four After Benghazi Read More »
Kenopsia is a neologism coined by John Koenig for “the eerie, forlorn atmosphere of a place that’s usually bustling with people but is now abandoned and quiet” like the “bare ruined choirs” of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 73. What follows is one of my “Spiritual Sundays” posts. It’s a meditation on loss and impermanence.
Kenopsia: Bare Ruined Choirs Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang Read More »
Christmas afternoon finds me reading “Courtesy.” It’s an essay by Ian MacLaren (pen name for Scottish author and theologian John Watson) that offers a recipe for keeping the spirit of Christmas alive in daily life. Here are some excerpts I found useful, the last finds me still clearly in the “before picture.”
Courtesy Keeps The Spirit Of Christmas Alive Read More »
No man is a failure who has friends. Clarence’s parting observation to George Bailey in “It’s a Wonderful Life” is good advice for all of us on Christmas Eve. Watching “It’s A Wonderful Life” has become a Christmas tradition in our family in recent years: it’s one of the few black and white movies my boys will watch.
No Man is a Failure Who Has Friends Read More »
A recap of the Bootstrappers Potluck Thanksgiving 2015, and an essay by Rich Mullings that we appreciate Thanksgiving like a rainbow, knowing it won’t last
Thanksgiving 2015: Bootstrappers Potluck and Rainbow Shiny Read More »
Mark Twain writes about a “dumb sense of vast loss” upon learning his daughter has died unexpectedly from meningitis in chapter 6 of his autobiography. He offers an analogy to a house burning down causing an overwhelming sense of loss that takes years to process.
Mark Twain on a Dumb Sense of Vast Loss Read More »
The process of maturing from boy to man, from a son to father to grandfather, moves forward imperceptibly on a day to day basis but inexorably year by year.
The following is excerpted from the December section of Abe Martin’s Almanack for 1908 by Kin Hubbard. Hubbard tells a story of a family reunion at Christmas–that must be at least partly autobiographical–from the point of view of a young man who has been estranged from his family returning home with his new wife. Like
Kin Hubbard on a Family Reunion at Christmas Read More »
We did something different for Thanksgiving 2014: we held a Bootstrapper’s Potluck and hosted a dinner for a dozen people or so with our family.
Some reflections on my relationship with my father seven years after his death. At least once a week I still get the urge to call him for advice or to update him on my children.
Joseph A Murphy 1925-2007, 7 Years On Read More »
I have started to reserve Sundays to write on spirituality, charity, and a higher moral purpose to our life as entrepreneurs. I was struck by the quote that Stephenson puts in Juanita’s mouth in Snow Crash and have concluded that he is performing a similar ministry in his science fiction writing. There is a sense
Neal Stephenson on Christianity, Grace, Sincerity, and Seeing Things as They Are Read More »
I didn’t know Leonard Smith but I was forwarded a link by John McKenna two days ago to his obituary (originally published in GreenwichTime on Jan. 26, 2014) and I thought it captured the essential personality of people who bring change to organizations in trouble and often start new ones.
Leonard Smith 1927-2014 Read More »
We have a week left in 2013. This is a short post to collect some odds and ends on the day after Christmas, also known as Feast of St. Stephen or Boxing Day depending upon where you are reading this.
Through The Rude Wind’s Wild Lament And The Bitter Weather Read More »
Some observations on Thanksgiving 2013, punctuated by quotes from Soren Kierkegaard, W. T. Purkiser, W.N. Rieger and Albert Schweitzer.
Remembering 9-11: I found this video very moving because it focused on the people and not the destruction. h/t Victory Girls Remembering 9-11 Take ten minutes to reflect on Sep-11-2001, a watershed event for the US in the 21st century that I have come to believe is a harbinger and not an outlier. Last year
Remembering 9-11: Our Children Will Also Live In Interesting Times Read More »
Thanksgiving 2012 is a chance to reflect on all that I am grateful for: health, family, friends, and the opportunities I have been given.
The 9-11 attack may be the question for my middle age that “where were you when John Kennedy was assassinated?” was in my youth. Osama bin Laden is now dead but the forces he helped to organize are still at work. Take a moment to remember 11 years ago and hope that our children can
Take a Moment To Remember 11 Years Ago Read More »
Reflections at Thanksgiving 2011: in the second half of my life, it’s time to appreciate all that I have and be more forthcoming in my gratitude to others.
Some things change, others remain constant. It’s hard to see the patterns when you are enmeshed in them. You have to pause and reflect.
Some Things Change, Others Remain Constant Read More »
