The waters may be shallow or deep, but they hold lessons — There’s a place in most of our hearts where wounds take up residence, and we must decide what kind of hosts we ought to be. The bitter and resentful host will grow weary of these unwanted, painful guests. …

Reading, artificial intelligence, and the tyranny of screens — I climbed the cobblestone streets, crested the stairs, and arrived at the tree-lined pathway along the ancient ramparts of Lucca, Italy. The walkways were busy with tourists, locals, people exercising their dogs, and others picnicking on the grass. …

What’s buried in the past can sometimes change the future — Sarah was in the kitchen cleaning dishes when she heard a faint knocking sound. She turned off the faucet and listened. There it was again. Two gentle knocks on the front door. Sarah’s thirteen-year-old daughter Ava said, “I’ll get it,” as she ran from her bedroom. “Wait for me, honey,”…

Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards — Susan stared at the dessert display case, and then quietly cursed her mother. Even here, on vacation in Italy, her past refused to loosen its grip. The painful grade school memories, the cruelty of children, and the tears that frequently followed her years of weight gain and loss. She had…

How a distant friendship followed me through Italy — A dear friend I’ve known since the second grade seems to be fading away, and I’ll soon be on a quest to find out why. He’s a kind, thoughtful, decent man, whose friendship and shared love of artwork connected us for over fifty years. …

The under appreciated value of order in a complex world — We sleep at night and function during the day because others stand their post. In other words, our lives run more or less smoothly because there are adults in society who show up and do their job, even on bad days, when they experience personal struggles or don’t feel great. …

3 days on a boat in Scotland — We don’t appreciate how much the modern world intrudes on our inner peace. Modernity has given us much to be thankful for, from RNA vaccines and rapid transportation to instant communication and access to endless information. But there’s always a cost. Vaccines sometimes have side effects. Plane travel is expensive…

Three life lessons from street photography in Scotland — My wife and I were recently on holiday in Scotland, exploring via bus, rail, and sail the endless towns, lochs, and people of this beautiful country. Armed with my trusty Fujifilm XPro 3 rangefinder camera, I shot endless photographs of the landscape, castles, sheep, and lochs. Lovely as the environment…

Wounds from the past get in the way of good decisions — No one paid much attention when the old man with the tattered leather briefcase and umbrella walked into the bar. He was dressed in a tweed jacket, slacks, black tie, and matching black fedora. Compared to the casually dressed patrons in the dimly lit bar, he was overdressed. …