Monthly Archives: April 2008

my half finally not just fits — blossoms anew as rain to dry seed

The first time I went to Arlington National Cemetery, even as a child, I was struck by the military homogeneity of the grounds. The white marble headstones rolled over more hills than my rudimentary math skills could fathom. Yet, I knew that underneath each engraved marker lay a man, or a woman, who had served our country with sacrificial honor. That memory stills make me cry. My parents are buried in Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery. While less well known, it is equal to Arlington in honor and ordered magnificence. My mother was called home first, so she got the bottom …

Christian metaphors make lousy recruitment posters. All the grim imagery of bleating sheep, slave and master, or hunched beasts of burden tend to make one crave a savvy marketing department. The connotations don’t hang well in a modern closet. We want style, fashion, flash. We want Barbie. Not Gumby. But, I tell you, Gumby is the man! That boy knows how to supplicate. God made a Gumby out of me. My yoke is easy and my burden is light. Matthew 11:30 The notion used to make me cringe. It sounded like the mantra of the latest quack cultists. It begged …

I never planned to get married. What was the point? As Gloria Steinman said, “A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle.” I enjoy surprising myself. My strengths are understood and my weaknesses well-documented, so the field of opportunity has limited acreage. I never consider it wise to try and fool myself. I remember an interview in the newspaper, some years back, with the wife of a high-tech CEO. His name is well known. She was a staunch stand-by-your-man kind of gal that made me want to boycott the company. Not because of her marital loyalty, I …