24Dec, 2008

A few pieces of art that have meant something to me this season are Brian Kershisnik’s “Nativity”, some lines from Hamlet I spent a bit of time considering, and Sara Groves Christmas album. If you click on Kershisnik’s painting, you’ll get a better look at the movement of the piece. The crowd of angels or saints are huddled in mass around Christ, those in front of Him pressing toward the child, but not to stop, but to move through and beyond toward something else. It’s an evocative statement. I think this is Kershisnik’s nod toward God in three persons, the crowd moving on to worship God, as though Christ came to point us toward the Father. In the painting, many of those who have moved past Christ are singing. And I like the expression on the face of Joseph, his hand over the eye closest to the crowd, yet uncovered toward his son. He seems human, and in dilemma for having been given a child, who was God, but who was also his child. I wonder in what way Joseph loved Jesus. The Child was not His own, biologically. And Joseph knew the child was from God. I think the [...]

23Dec, 2008

Lucy and Me

It’s been snowing here in Portland. Supposedly the biggest snow storm in 40 years. Because of that, most of us have been holed up in our homes. We can take walks here and there, but driving doesn’t work so well. I couldn’t even get my truck away from the curb. So I’ve been holed up in the house, cleaning and looking after my new puppy, Lucy. The exciting news is that Lucy is about half housetrained. Right now she is convinced that if she poops outside, and goes to the side door, she will get a treat. But if she is in the back bedroom, the carpet feels too much like lawn and she goes there. She’s only ten days into training, so I am sure she will figure it out soon enough. The penned up energy of being in the house is being channeled toward finishing the new book. It’s due mid January. I’m enjoying the process, but in the pressure to get the book completed, I’ve been thinking about what it means to be human, to need to work, to want to accomplish and succeed, and what plays in those motives. I was sharing with a couple friends [...]

09Dec, 2008

(Artwork by Stephen Ferris) A sure sign Christmas is upon us is the annual event of Tuba Christmas. Two-hundred or so tuba players will gather in Pioneer Square this Saturday to serenade onlookers with a dozen or so holiday favorites. If you’ve ever wanted to sing Christmas carols to the low-hum of alien spaceships, this is your chance. Tuba Christmas is a national event, so even if you’re not from Portland, check your local listings to see if there is a concert in your hometown. All the concerts are free, of course, and it’s worth the outing. Especially if you live in a larger city like Chicago or New York. I think Boston has a great one, too. I’ve actually performed in a Tuba Christmas in Houston. I played Tuba in the high-school band, and so I am not only a fan of Tuba Christmas, but a veteran. I think I used to have a hat or something. My friend Laura Jean used to get her Tuba out every year here in Portland, and she used to bug me to find a Tuba and come and play with the gang. But I never did. And now she lives in New [...]

Came across this today, and was willing to risk belaboring the tribute. Hope you are having a good monday. For discussions sake, I am curious about the worst lines of poetry you’ve read. Or perhaps, written.

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