An odd category at first glance, this is the place where you can find odd facts, rocks you can turn over, minutia that’s important, wandering musings and rabbit trails to tempt you into different realms of thought. “Miscellany” might describe the category, and it might not….
Lately I’ve been looking out my window at the various places where I have planted, tended and harvested vegetables and flowers in past years. I’ve realized that I may have the same problem as some 1 older squirrels: I don’t remember where I put the nuts. (In my case, the seeds harvested from last year’s plants.) This may seem like a simple problem—just see what emerges when the ground warms, andMORE...
Wizard of Oz fans—you know who you are—will recognize this memorable tune sung by Glinda, the Good Witch. With those words she encourages the Munchkins—more than “little people”—to come out of their hiding places so they can meet Dorothy. Why memorable? The whole story turns on whether these good folks will put aside their fears and show themselves. If they had remained in hiding, the narrativeMORE...
If you’re like me1, you may not usually be known by your 2 honorifics. In my case, retirement has meant the loss of some of them because I don’t have a 3 job title any more. My education doesn’t extend to the PhD level, nor have my peers elected me to 4 honor-laden roles. This is not a problem—there are 5 other ways to confer honor in the words we use. Recently I have remembered that seniors likeMORE...
1Tepid 2Torpor I’m not sure what comes first: 3isolation, boredom or apathy. I am fairly certain, though, that all three have been working together to lull me into something close to torpor: a physiological condition best described as prolonged inactivity. Mostly I’m not a 4torporous guy. With Chris, I walk or exercise every day. Zoom-enabled worship and Bible study are part of my life. I keep upMORE...
As I’ve been writing a manual about our household—in printed and digital formats—I’ve also realized the benefits of this effort. Perhaps you could find similar blessings writing your own descriptions and instructions. While engaged in details-sleuthing and writing, I’ve realized that I can at the same time organize household files, simplify processes, discard unused items and remember what thisMORE...
Here’s an idea that might be helpful…. Like me, you may have experienced what happens when an executor or adult child has to pick up the pieces of a legacy or estate when a loved one has died. Those who remain must sort through perhaps-confusing elements of normal household functioning. In too many cases, that information is scattered, hidden or non-existent. Your loss creates chaos and begs forMORE...
I’m starting to anticipate that these long months of hermitage will be coming to an end. There will be a day—I’m thinking that it’ll be sunny and warm—when I can put my collection of face masks into the back of a drawer, and come out into the world without worrying about the dangers of hidden viruses being spread just by my breathing. That will be a good day, whenever and however it comes—perhapsMORE...
The New Year is upon us, ye lads and lasses—a good time to be jolly! Fast away the old year has passed, so it’s time to hail the new year—regardless of wind or weather! Let’s get right to it…. It was an “old year”, wasn’t it? In too many ways, the events of the year—and the folks that concocted them—made us old, or at least older than we wanted. Whatever’s not good about being old—there it wasMORE...
One of the truisms of my life is that I can learn from the past. When it’s my own history, I rely on my memories to influence my decisions about present and future moments. That may not always be enough guidance, though. As a post-pandemic world emerges—and I want to cast out in new directions, adjusting to present circumstances in a new way—I will need sources other than my own perhaps-limitedMORE...
Life-as-we-have-known-it is slowly coming back, with perhaps one lingering exception: Anger is still roaming our nation, clawing for a place in the national discourse and identity. From everything I know about this powerful emotion, it’s not a helpful part of our lives. Especially dangerous when it becomes addictive, anger ruins relationships as well as the individual and collective brains thatMORE...
BOB SITZE has filled the many years of his lifework in diverse settings around the United States. His calling has included careers as a teacher/principal, church musician, writer/author, denominational executive staff member and meat worker. Bob lives in Wheaton, IL.