The Reason to Celebrate St. Patrick

March 15, 2015 1:27 am

With ‘Patrick’ for a middle name it only makes sense that I have some celebrations planned for later this week. St. Patrick is indeed a man worthy of celebrating, whether with a pint of green beer, a shamrock or three pinned to one’s hat, or a jig and a song. ‘Tis a great day to be sure, a day for parades and parties and prayers – and not a few broken Lenten fasts! But where did we get this celebration and what’s really true about St.Patrick? To begin with, we should remember that St Patrick was not Irish… he was... Read this post

Is Your Legacy Etched in the Minds of Others?

March 8, 2015 1:30 am

While I’ve had family in Franklin for a quarter of a century and I’ve been visiting here long enough to remember when the only thing at I­-65 and Murfreesboro Road was Shoney’s and the long­gone Uncle Bud’s fried chicken place, I’m still a newcomer. ‘Home’ is a word I’ve employed to describe Franklin only since May of last year. Thank you for forgiving my intrusion. When you’re new, you get delightfully lost on purpose, heading down roads for no other reason than they look inviting, stepping into shops not so much to make a purchase as to create a mental... Read this post

The Subject of Words

March 1, 2015 8:35 am

While tempted to write this week about the colors of dresses and the escape of llamas, or perhaps the arrival of a new ice age in Williamson County, or Kanye and Beck, or Birdman (about which I surely will write), I can’t escape bringing to your attention a somewhat more mundane theme – the subject of words. The conventional wisdom of the age is that we live in a time when the power of visual image has eclipsed the potency of the pen. I’m not convinced. In fact I can’t escape the feeling that I am swimming through a sea... Read this post

Lent on the Beach

February 22, 2015 11:45 am

The snow and ice we’ve both enjoyed and endured this past week not only led to panic in the bread aisle along with school closures, but to the cancellation of a what is in many Christian churches a deeply meaningful worship gathering: the Ash Wednesday services that mark the beginning of Lent. In New York City (where they know how to handle the snow), St. Patrick’s Cathedral was open – and welcomed over 50,000 worshipers through its doors on Wednesday. FIFTY THOUSAND. In one day. And a Wednesday at that! Which rather begs the question, “What’s with the ashes?” What... Read this post

Love is Worth the Risk

February 15, 2015 9:00 am

With an emphasis on chocolate and romance the weekend before us will probably be marked by some full and happy hearts, side by side with the shattered. Love hurts as well as it heals, and its absence can make painful what others find delightful. Yet we continue to find love worth the risk, and we’ve sung its praises for centuries. Granted, we often sound terribly confusing when it comes to the subject of love. We say that we ‘love’ a good steak, that we ‘love’ the Titans (really?), and ‘love’ a favorite movie, while employing the same word to describe... Read this post