The Cross and Pen

Grief. A single word that conjures up sadness, empathy, and a myriad of emotions. Synonymous with sorrow, grief is universally understood regardless of language, country of origin, or culture. Like unexpectedly veering off the road at high speed, grief is a major detour from life’s somewhat normal journey. A sudden departure from the routine usually due to a traumatic event or loss, one can quickly become engulfed in the quagmire of heartache. And the journey back to even the slightest semblance of normalcy, let alone sanity,  is long and arduous. Over the past year, I’ve read many quotes about grief. Here are a select few that resonated with me:        “The reality is you will grieve forever.”         “But grief is a walk alone.”       “Grief is like a shadow. It follows me. Even on sunny days there is a spot of the darkness around me.”       “Grief is love’s shadow. The absence of presence. An unbearable weigh...

Throughout childhood we become conditioned to celebrate the passage of another year and wish people a happy birthday. A quick perusal of the Internet credits the Egyptians with the origin of the practice apparently in reference to a Pharaoh’s birthday. As a child, birthdays were a special occasion, something which to look forward to with excitement and anticipation. It was a time of favorite foods, cake, ice cream, games, and, of course, gifts. Not having a source of income, birthdays were one of the few occasions to obtain the things one wanted. Beginning with the first birthday and lasting into the early teen years, birthdays were accompanied by a party, either at home, a park, bowling alley, or restaurant. Happy birthday was sung, a wish was made, and candles were blown out - a sequence that signaled the finale of the birthday celebration.  The teen years saw less of the childish fanfare, decorations, and party hats, but still followed the traditional script. Gifts were still gi...

One of my favorite albums, if not my all-time favorite, is Pink Floyd’s The Wall. Released in 1979, I was fourteen when the rock opera made its debut. I didn’t really appreciate its full meaning at the time. It would take half a decade before I had a full appreciation of the album and its underlying storyline. When I was in college in the mid-80s, I had the opportunity to see the movie based on the album. During that decade, movie theaters often showed select features such as The Wall  as part of what they called midnight madness. Beginning after 11 p.m. when regular films ended, fans would gather late at night - typically on a Friday or Saturday - to view non-mainstream pictures. While I was familiar with the music and had listened to many of the songs in the ensuing years, it wasn’t until I saw the movie that I developed a full appreciation for Roger Waters’ work. The movie brought the lyrics to life and resonated with me in a way few albums ever had.  The movie and album re...

The phrase “time heals all wounds” is certainly cliche. But does time - that is, distance from an event - actually provide healing? Some would be quick to argue that it does, citing how months and years provide the ability to pick up the pieces and move on with one’s life. While this may be true in the sense that life does in fact go on, it doesn’t necessitate that its continual march bestows any healing. In fact, research indicates that the passage of time doesn’t provide any healing, that what it actually does is allow opportunity. Heather Lyons, Ph.D. noted,    "Some people will use time as an opportunity to collect experiences that orient them toward their values and dilute or challenge difficult experiences," (Mandriota, 2024). I suppose this is true particularly when it comes to loss.  As I mentioned in a previous post, on January 9, 2024, I had to say goodbye to my dog, Rose. It was a heartbreaking decision whose pain has not dissipated. While it’s been little more...

When I was a child, the leftover phrase from the 50s and 60s from mothers to “always wear clean underwear” was frequently quoted out of banter than practicality. The notion behind it was that if something untoward happened, one would not be caught with dirty underwear. It seems to me that if something bad did happen, the cleanliness of one’s underwear would be the last concern. However, the tongue-in-cheek, mother-knows-best phrase was an overly simplistic way to remind folks to be always be prepared by taking a basic action albeit an unintentional precaution. I follow Discover the Book Movement (DTBM) on YouTube and have listened to many of Dr. John Barnett’s sermons. They are all very informative and insightful. However, a particular sermon, The 25 End of the World Signs , spoke to me in a way the others hadn’t. Dr. Barnett discussed the state of the world prior to the rapture and Tribulation. There will be famines, earthquakes, lawlessness, and civil unrest. The Book of Revelation p...

Born in the mid-60s and having grown up in the 70s, I grew up in the decade that followed the assassination of J.F.K., his brother, Bobby, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The Civil Rights Movement had reached its peak and spawned social change. The 70s saw the end of the Vietnam War and ushered in desegregation. My brother, ten years my senior, graduated in 1973. During his high school days, he witnessed several riots that were spurred on by the tumultuous social issues of the day. As I’m fond of quipping, we didn’t have mental health issues back then. We just sucked it up. Society hadn’t transitioned to the kindler, gentler version it would become several decades later when all kids received a trophy. There were winners and losers because that’s how life worked. During the introduction of the TV series, All in the Family, Archie Bunker sang, “…and men were men…” That somewhat epitomized men’s role. They were expected to be men - tough - an amalgam of bravado and chivalry. If a woman w...

I never understood the amount of celebration associated with the New Year. To me, the stroke of midnight  merely signified the beginning of a new day, albeit in a new year. Growing up, New Year’s Eve and day were lumped together with Christmas and were part of the much anticipated winter break. I suppose for some, the transition from one year into another is a way to leave the bad things behind them, locked in time as it were, and embrace a new beginning. Often this new beginning centers around goals, commonly referred to as resolutions. Now there’s an interesting word. A resolution is “a firm decision to do something or not do something” (dictionary.com). Firm indeed. Many abandon their resolutions within weeks of the New Year, falling back into old habits. Years ago when I belonged to a gym, extra equipment would be placed in the gym at the end of December only to be removed and put back in storage in February.  There’s a saying that the road to Hell is paved with good inten...