‘And Nearly Burned the Gravy’

‘And Nearly Burned the Gravy’

I remember the day Nancy came home, late one afternoon, walked straight to the kitchen where I was cooking dinner and said, “Well, I thought I’d heard it all. But I got a new one today!” “What’s that?” I said in a solicitous voice—as solicitous as one can be when...
On Birthdays and Cherry Blossoms

On Birthdays and Cherry Blossoms

The photo you see is of me, a good while back, holding my newborn nephew, Nate, in his parents’ apartment in New York City. I was there to lead a vigil at the Isaiah Wall, across from the United Nations, in support of nuclear disarmament debates happening across the...
MLK Day is Not a Time for Comfort

MLK Day is Not a Time for Comfort

I vividly remember the exact moment. I was in seminary, having fled my native South to New York City. I was embarrassed at being a Baptist, at being a white Southerner, and not entirely sure if I was a believer. But the “God question” wouldn’t go away. A mighty...