Latest Posts
The Gift of Kissing
“The physical kiss should be offered or accepted only for fixed and honest reasons.” Aelred of Rievaulx It seems to me that the topic of kissing calls for some clear thinking and straight talking. Kissing is clearly a gift to all of us. It is something of nature,...
Hearing the Way to Life
“Hearing is the way to life...” Thomas Aquinas The five external senses are an astounding gift, with a uniquely rich role in life. And the action of each of them can stand for something even more profound than their primary usage. We speak of seeing, or of tasting,...
Easter, That the Hidden Festivity Break Through
“If any specific day is to be singled out from the rest and celebrated as a festival, this can only be done as the manifestation of a perpetual though hidden festivity.” Josef Pieper, In Tune with the World: A Theory of Festivity Easter joy. In these powerful words is...
Craftsmanship Vs. Money-Making
“...you thought that the shepherd as a shepherd tends the sheep not with a view to their own good, but like a mere diner or banqueter with a view to the pleasures of the table; or, again, as a trader for sale in the market, and not as a shepherd.” Plato, Republic Both...
To Be or Not To Be, a Craftsman
“And aren’t the respective crafts by nature set over them to seek and provide what is to their advantage?” Socrates, Plato’s Republic Rereading the first book of the Republic, I was struck by a bolt of lightning. Plato saw the root question of human life. To be or not...
A Time in Life for Pruning, Now
Before she comes, prune the vines. It is better this way. Hesiod, Works and Days The other day my wife and I were pruning our peach trees. According to Hesiod we were late—for the star Arcturus (the ‘she’ in the quotation) appears at the end of February. As Hesiod...
When a Woman Says Yes
“...for a common life is above all things natural to the female and to the male.” Aristotle, Oeconomica One telling aspect of a marriage proposal is that the man usually has a bit to say. Even if he doesn’t actually put it all into words, he needs to be ready to give...
When a Man Proposes
“...for a common life is above all things natural to the female and to the male.” Aristotle, Oeconomica Even as marriage between a man and a woman is undermined, ridiculed, or simply set aside, we naturally feel the power and poignancy of a man proposing to a woman....
Having a Homely House in Ugly Times
“...the Last Homely House...a perfect house, whether you like food or sleep or story-telling or singing, or just sitting and thinking best, or a pleasant mixture of them all. Merely to be there was a cure for weariness, fear, and sadness.” J.R.R. Tolkien, The...
Saying No in Lent
“I shall reproach him because he attaches little importance to the most important things and greater importance to inferior things.” Socrates in Plato’s Apology Saying ‘no’ to some things has great importance in life because we want to say ‘yes’ to something else....
If We Wear Masks
“If beams from happy human eyes have moved me not...” Robert Louis Stevenson, A Message of Joy For many of us, when and whether to wear a mask is a painful and divisive issue. Maybe in some places it is not; or maybe if we all had a better understanding of certain...
The Economics of Splitting Wood by Hand
*This is a reposting of the first piece I ever posted online, almost exactly eight years ago, at Front Porch Republic. It has remained one of the most popular I’ve posted. Also, here is short video sharing my joy in splitting wood. Hilaire Belloc once wrote that he...