Americanism Redux March 21, your today, on the journey to the American Founding, 250 years ago, in 1774 (the Virginia bluebells) Take a walk in these first spring days and you'll see the early flowers, the Virginia bluebells. Delicate yet hardy, they are the flowers of aspiration. An aspiration differs from hope. It looks ahead with sharper eyes, seeing both considered plan and … [Read more...]
Americanism Redux: March 21, Your Today, On The Journey To The American Founding, 250 Years Ago, In 1774
March 21, 2024 by
Americanism Redux: February 22, Your Today, On The Journey To The American Founding, 250 Years Ago, In 1774
February 22, 2024 by
Americanism Redux February 22, your today, on the journey to the American Founding, 250 years ago, in 1774 "My life is (or is not) my own." Which is it for you? Is the answer one of choice or of compulsion, your freedom or something else's force? A blend of betweens? Think about your day and week up to now. As you begin to separate time into pieces, do you see any hint of things you're … [Read more...]
Americanism Redux: February 1, Your Today, On The Journey To The American Founding, 250 Years Ago, In 1774
February 1, 2024 by
Americanism Redux February 1, your today, on the journey to the American Founding, 250 years ago, in 1774 Sight for seeing up-close. Sight for seeing far-away. Sight for seeing what's not there at all. Sometime your ability to see depends on your orientation, on where you are. * * * * * * * (the home where Mercy missed her friends) Today, 250 years ago Mercy Otis Warren is … [Read more...]
Americanism Redux: January 11, Your Today, On The Journey To The American Founding, 250 Years Ago, In 1774
January 11, 2024 by
Americanism Redux January 11, your today, on the journey to the American Founding, 250 years ago, in 1774 Over there is your diary. Over there is a sheet of parchment paper. Over there is a notebook. But you're not writing in any of them today, 250 years ago, unless you're in the south, where it's warmer. For most British colonists, it's deep winter. Ice. Snow. Frigid air. And there … [Read more...]
Americanism Redux: September 28, Your Today, On The Journey To The American Founding, 250 Years Ago, In 1773
September 28, 2023 by
Americanism Redux September 28, your today, on the journey to the American Founding, 250 years ago, in 1773 The ties that bring us together. They bind. They break. They are a physical presence. They are a metaphysical moment. * * * * * * * The door to her jail cell opens. Hagar, the black woman of unknown age, walks out of her cell, a sheriff from the eastern shore of Maryland leads … [Read more...]
Americanism Redux-September 14, Your Today, On The Journey To The American Founding, 250 Year Ago, In 1773
September 14, 2023 by
Americanism Redux September 14, your today, on the journey to the American Founding, 250 years ago, in 1773 The world I know and love is falling apart. Falling apart. What can I do? What can I do to help? Is there something, a talent I possess or an opportunity given to me, that can make a difference? Now is the time. Right now, not next year, not next whenever when the stars have … [Read more...]
Americanism Redux: August 17, Your Today, On The Journey To The American Founding, 250 Years Ago, In 1773
August 17, 2023 by
Americanism Redux August 17, your today, on the journey to the American Founding, 250 years ago, in 1773 So ruled, says the judge in Augusta County, British colony of Virginia...and David Essex, who has been caught after running away as a servant from the man who claims to own his labor, can either pay a sum of money or work two more weeks beyond his obligated term of work. It's Essex's … [Read more...]
Americanism Redux: July 27, Your Today, On The Journey To The American Founding, 250 Years Ago, In 1773
July 27, 2023 by
Americanism Redux July 27, your today, on the journey to the American Founding, 250 years ago, in 1773 The antlers of bucks are just now coming in. They've shed the old to make way for the new. The moon of the month, now in its last phase, is named for the males among the deer. (A fading quarter-light) What a Buck Moon it's been for Janet Livingston. Twenty-nine years old, … [Read more...]
Americanism Redux: February 2 – Today 250 Years Ago – in 1773
February 2, 2023 by
Americanism Redux It's Today, February 2, 250 years ago—In 1773 Good lord, the air is cold. You inhale and your lungs feel like they're frozen together. Exhale and a whitish air rises and disappears. Again and again. Inner pangs of cold, outer clouds of frost. Up you go. (winter transportation) You're on the plank board that serves as a seat. Bundled with densely woven clothes, … [Read more...]
Americanism Redux-250 Years Ago Today-December 14, 1772
December 14, 2022 by
Americanism Redux December 14, 250 years ago today The baby, a day old, sleeps. Tiny eyelids, soft skin, the wispiest of wispy hair. Fingers are curled. Invisible breaths in and out, the chest rising and falling less than a sixteenth of an inch. Perhaps now is the perfect time for mother to catch a quick nap. She's not really sure. It's her first baby. Phebe, the mother, is 19 years old. … [Read more...]
Americanism Redux–250 Years Ago Today–November 30 1772
November 30, 2022 by
Americanism Redux November 30, 250 years ago today Some strings are invisible. They exist out of sight until you're reminded that they're there. Serving as ties to home, family, place, beliefs, dreams, and dozens of other things, these strings bind your life together. You may lose track of them in the bustle of daily life, but they won't lose their connection to you. Making them takes time. … [Read more...]
An Echo You Must Hear
March 5, 2016 by
I'm getting lots of reactions to my post from yesterday--on the present and the dying thing. A dear friend of mine commented on Facebook, stirring me to address a key point. Before I do so, I'm listening to a song as I write this. It's a song of great moment. I'll put it on my website in the coming week. Look for it under You And This Song. Now, on to today's post. The wonderful image above … [Read more...]
A History Of The Present And The Dying Thing
March 4, 2016 by
I've never hidden the fact that some historians dislike my approach. They say I'm too quick to link the past to the present, the present to the past. I won't rehash my view on that now. I do, however, want to continue to apply my view. The chips can and will fall where they may. We are seeing a thing die in front of us. We see it on television, the internet, in our living rooms and on our … [Read more...]
