I prepared the March articles before Russia invaded Ukraine. Let me add, #StandWithUkraine. York, an ancient Roman city, was a major influence in political and religious events in Northern England during the time period when the Separatists gathered for underground worship in the nearby Scrooby Manor. Religious rebels were often imprisoned there for challenging the authorities. York Castle, only fifty miles north of Scrooby, along the Great North Road, will re-open in April 2022 after being […]
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Sidney Poitier & Black History Month
Sidney Poitier always comes to mind when I think about Black History month. Thinking about him reminds me an incident I experienced a year or so after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita decimated the Gulf Coast Region. I and two other disaster response workers, both Black men, were walking along the famous Bourbon Street area of NOLA. We were in town to assess needs and address the unrelenting challenges wrought by the hurricanes. One companion was […]
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Modern Hero – Desmond Tutu
We’ve lost several cultural heroes in recent weeks: Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Betty White, and now Sidney Poitier. The heroes we select guide our lives as surely as the Star of Bethlehem guided the Magi to the newborn Christ-child. Where we end up on a trip depends on which signs we follow. Pick the wrong sign and end up someplace you didn’t intend to go. Desmond Tutu was a hero worth following. His contributions toward peace […]
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Do We Need a New Mayflower Compact
When I wrote this blog last fall, we thought the worse of the pandemic was behind us and we’d just elected a new President of the United States. A year later we’re still in pandemic mode, with those vaccinated at a much lower risk of dying from COVID-19. It saddens me that we can’t care enough about the health of those who cannot get vaccinated to get the shot if we can. Getting the shot […]
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Thanksgiving 400
Thanksgiving will soon be upon us again. This one is the 400th anniversary of the first feast between the Pokanoket people and the newly arrived English settlers. The version of this encounter we’ve taught school children for generations is a bit truncated and lopsided, but there really was a three-day feast in Plymouth, MA back in the fall of 1621. To commemorate the 400th anniversary of the event, the Sowams Heritage Organization is hosting a […]
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