Write By A Stone

Do you read poetry? I do sometimes. Do you write poems? I do sometimes. Many of my poems originated in my daily Bible reading. The following poem is one such example based on two verses in the last book of the New Testament: “To him who loves us and has freed us from...

Have you been told to write what you saw and heard and then not to write something you heard? There are many references to writing in the last book of the New Testament. Jesus Christ told John to write what he saw and heard, but later a voice from heaven told him not...

Apologies are big news, especially the one in regard to a segment of the 2024 Olympic opening ceremony. Most of my readers watched or heard about the parody of Leonardo da Vinci’s painting of the Last Supper. The French organizing committee scrabbled to do damage...

Americans have a history of struggling with prejudice. The recent protests over the war between Hamas and Israel illustrate this. Modern perspectives about prejudice are quite different than those held by our founding fathers at the time they adopted and signed our...

Death and grief happen in this life. They visit everyone some time. I am working on a biography of a great uncle. Death showed up when he served with the 51st Pioneer Infantry Regiment in 1918-1919. Members of Company B died with most deaths due to influenza and not...

Many people are familiar with the phrase ‘connecting the dots.’ It refers to a game, but it is also used to describe the linking of events, people, and outcomes in life. Steve Jobs, in his Stanford University commencement speech, Connecting the Dots, said, “You cannot...

As a new Florida state prison volunteer, I had questions. The volunteer training, however, taught me not to ask an incarcerated man questions about the crime (s) he committed. This raised another question for me. Why am I not supposed to ask an incarcerated man those...

When did you last say, “I’m sorry?” I did to my wife earlier this week. The apology did not concern a serious marital matter but was called for. What does it take to say, “I’m sorry?” Let’s find out. On July 7, 2016, I traveled with the Arlington Lamar High School 7...

During my research for my biography of Rev. George E. Stone, A Modest But Crucial Hero,[i] I learned about Mexico, New York’s stop on the Underground Railroad. Mexico is located near the southeastern shore of Lake Ontario. It served as a convenient stop near Oswego to...

Are you a member of the One Word movement? It replaces New Year’s resolutions with a thoughtfully chosen word for the new year. I have used this approach for several years. Last year my one word was Listen. This year, I picked Chosen and I’ll tell you why. My morning...