This coming Saturday, June 29, my daughter is getting married. It is a traditional wedding. A man and a woman. Under an arch. In the groom’s family’s backyard. The words at the service, as far as I can tell, will be the traditional words. I am very happy for the couple. I am very happy …
Monthly Archives: June 2019
Atrial Flutter
In the early 2000s there was no medical remedy in Portland for atrial fibrillation unless you had the right type of arrhythmia. I went to the highest qualified electrophysiologist I could find. He went in to my heart with a catheter to see what he could do but found a condition that made him quit …
Atrial Fibrillation
In 1996 or 1997 I woke up one morning at a really early hour. It was about 4:30am. I could tell straight away that something was definitely not right. My heart was not beating correctly. In fact, it didn’t seem to be beating at all. It was obviously still pumping blood and there wasn’t any …
Religion And Mental Health
There’s a great post brimming full of vulnerability at The Bipolar Writer Collaborative Mental Health Blog. I’ve chosen to use the same title in order to express my own thoughts regarding the topic. Megan has captured what I believe is the experience of many that struggle with mental illness and their religion. I was a …
Title IX Failure
As those who read my posts may already know, I am an avid reader of the Chronicle of Higher Education. The Chronicle is a type of digital newspaper covering the world of college and graduate schools nationwide. This morning I read an article that scandalized me. The title of the article is “A Student Is …
Lincoln City Beach, Oregon
If you live in Portland, Oregon, and you want to go to the beach, there are several options. All beaches in Oregon are public beaches protected by law. A favorite is Lincoln City Beach. It’s close and the highway takes you right by the Spirit Mountain Casino. This casino is arguably one of two most …
Cemetery Picnic
My sister-in-law has been dead for 1 year and 11 months. Today would have been her birthday. Debbie’s daughters have not coped well with their mother’s passing yet. So we go up to the cemetery and have a picnic at the gravesite. This is not all that unusual, especially in other cultures, but it does …
Detention Of Migrant Children
Two things. 1) I am outraged by the detention of migrant children, and 2) I am proud that I am represented by Senator Jeff Merkley. Some of these same individuals will maintain that the children being held in centers along the southern border are the children of illegal migrants. I am sure that some of …
Spiritual Communion With God
In a previous post I talk about two distinct Dark Nights: the Dark Night of the Senses and the Dark Night of the Soul. Two Dark Nights, not just one. This is the teaching of the original voice regarding Dark Nights, John of the Cross. He was born in 1542 in Spain. At one point …
Gun Violence
Just two days ago at Virginia Beach in Virginia another 12 people were killed by a gunman. So many. This is making really religious people out of the House, the Senate and the Whitehouse. Every time a new tragedy like this occurs our politicians send their thoughts and prayers. But, they choose to do nothing. …