I have begun to suspect that some of what I read is not even true. I tell myself that I am checking the news, but it is not always new or important. I read news that is not quite news…
I’m fearing the fear of fear itself
The last year has not been good for much, but it has been great for fear. Fear is having a banner year. We have stayed afraid that we will catch COVID-19. We are still processing the news that there are…
Give yourself some grace during the pandemic
We already were sick and tired when we had to watch a riot that made us wonder what country we are living in. Then we remembered how many horrible moments we have experienced in the last year and were not…
Merry Christmas anyway
We are saving money — no plane tickets, no fancy restaurants, no Nutcracker this year. We are not seeing everyone we wish we were seeing, not doing everything we wish we were doing, and not having the Christmas we wish…
Humor: What an honest Christmas Eve order of service might look like this year
Columnist Brett Younger didn’t send us a traditional column this month. Instead, he sent us a humorous, yet not-so-humorous example of what an honest Christmas Eve worship order of service might look like. He reported that even the church administrator…
I cannot compete with Steve Kornacki
Election week was hard for me. My wife could not take her eyes off Steve Kornacki, MSNBC’s political correspondent and chartthrob. Carol was glued to the TV. (MSNBC provided a “Kornacki Cam” in the corner of the screen during commercial…
We need to talk about dying
We were riding in a limousine to the graveside. Most of the people in the car were family so — except for the masks — the conversation was comfortable and familiar. Then the funeral director said: “See those smokestacks. That’s…
The Gospel of Luke: Notes from the editor
Dear Luke, Your book is coming along nicely. The stories are great. My favorite is the worthless kid whose lenient father welcomes him home for no reason. That one makes you think. We love the introduction. Everyone adores babies. The shepherds…
How to say goodbye during a pandemic (in English or Spanish)
I had been a New Yorker for two days. At 5:15 on Monday afternoon, I told my wife, Carol, “I’m going to buy bagels.” This was the first time in my life I said, “I’m going to buy bagels.” I…