Halloween Trick Becomes a Startling Treat

I hung up the phone one October day in 1976 feeling both dubious and intrigued.  Flattered to be asked, I had agreed to tell fortunes at my brother’s Halloween party since I loved Halloween almost as much as I loved him.  But sometimes Tom’s idea of fun and my own...

A Deathbed Reclamation

Tomorrow is November 2, the culmination of an auspicious period for honoring the dead. It is also my dad’s 101st  birthday. So I’m going to tell you a story about my dad, a kind of ghost story because it took place at his death. On May 8, 2008 I got a call at 2 am...

Respite from the Mind

I’ve just returned home from several enchanted days on Lake Superior. My greedy mind — muted for awhile by movement, story, song, beauty, affection, and silence — now wants to read mail, catch up on national news, make necessary appointments, resume tasks set...

Putting It On

It’s Halloween! Are you dressing up? Even as a kid, the juiciest thing about Halloween for me was the costume. I’ve always loved costumes. Over the years I’ve donned them for skits and performances at church and school, for Halloween, and just for play. Every few...