Annie Dillard in her Pulitzer Prize winning book “Pilgrim At Tinker Creek” reflects on this tendency of human beings to look backwards – she describes it as downstream - at all the things that have flowed away from us. Relationships – our youth – good health – so often we find ourselves gazing down the creek (so to speak) where so much of life has floated downstream. But, says Annie Dillard, “There must be something wrong with a creekside person who, all things being equal, chooses to face downstream. It’s like fouling your own nest. …Tinker Creek doesn’t back [READ MORE]

One night long ago, I was with a dad whose baby was on the brink of death. The doctors came and said there was nothing more they could do. They encouraged the dad to say “goodbye” and to “let go.” But he would not. “Bill,” I said, “its okay to let Tommy go to God. We are people of faith. We are people of the resurrection. The doctors know what they’re saying, and you need to accept it. There is no hope.” I’d seen this sort of thing many times before. I had it all figured out. But Bill refused to [READ MORE]