I have unearthed a box full of things my mother saved. A large brown scrapbook, my father’s discharge papers, the flag that covered his casket, a few pictures. Since I have begun this process of finding, these items suddenly present so many clues and some answers.The scrapbook I remember finding in the back of the bedroom…Read more »

To pick up the thread of my post-Easter explorations and discoveries, let me say something about Okinawa, the last battle of World War II. Ken Burns’ documentary “War”  for PBS is an excellent resource. There are numerous sites and blogs that describe the many facets of the battle, which involved more than 1500 ships, as…Read more »

This day began with a long and complicated conversation with a new friend. After sharing stories and a little gossip, we walked out of the coffee shop into pouring rain. She had brought an umbrella. Mine was in the car. These things happen. After running an errand I returned to my car to find that…Read more »

The internet is a miracle that I really do not understand and which I will probably never take for granted. 19th century folks may have regarded the telephone with the same awe. A few days after Easter I came to understand what powerful tools are now a click away. These are the facts that I found.…Read more »

Doris Grumbach begins her memoir , The Presence of Absence: On Prayers and Epiphany, with a quotation from the Greek dramatist Aeschylus: And in our sleep   pain,  which cannot forget     falls drop by drop   until in our own despair    against our will, comes wisdom by the awful grace of God. The second finding for this…Read more »

The first Monday in April should not look this way. Throughout Southern New England snow has been falling steadily since early morning. It snowed a bit yesterday as well. Driving along School Street, it was hard to tell the early blossoming trees from their snow clad neighbors. Easter was very early this year, so my…Read more »