Dearest Rachel – One of the holiday traditions that we’ve dispensed with now that you’re gone is that of hitting the stores for their Black Friday deals. You would go through the newspaper and the various mailings after Thanksgiving dinner, trying to ascertain if any of their offerings would meet the needs of the ChristmasContinue reading “We Don’t Do Black Friday Anymore”
Monthly Archives: November 2024
Not Exactly Sugarplums
Dearest Rachel – I suppose that I should write you about last night‘s dreams; I had myself a pretty vivid double feature last night. The first one was pretty upsetting, having to do with being on campus somewhere (oddly enough, I somehow knew I was at the University of Montana, of all places. I don’tContinue reading “Not Exactly Sugarplums”
Preparations of the Day
Dearest Rachel – I get it; on this day of all days, I should be telling you about the things I’m thankful for. It’s not as if I don’t have anything to be thankful for. Between being at leisure all year as opposed to just today, and having the ability to brush off the worstContinue reading “Preparations of the Day”
Get Yo’ Ankles Broke!
Dearest Rachel – With Kris’ help this past Monday, I swapped out the bedding (I think I mentioned how queen size sheets don’t seem to fit anymore – I may need to either ask for king size ones for Christmas, or get some for myself at some point thereafter; I hear January is good forContinue reading “Get Yo’ Ankles Broke!”
Taking the Chariot
Dearest Rachel – Setting aside the whole process of building up my initial motivation every morning – which basically consists of stepping on the scale and realizing I’m back over a line I’d just as soon put in my rear view mirror – my workout routine has basically become a matter of ascertaining and pushingContinue reading “Taking the Chariot”
Working From Home
Dearest Rachel – Were I still gainfully employed, and deriving my living from so being, this would be a debilitating quirk of mine, this insistence that I be at home when Kris comes over to clean the house. It’s not out of any desire to supervise her or her work; even if she didn’t alreadyContinue reading “Working From Home”
from Rachel: The Power of Training
Based on [Daniel 1:4], describe the kinds of Israelites the king ordered Ashpenaz to bring to Babylon according to the following categories: Family background: “royal family, nobility”Age and appearance: “young men without any physical defect, handsome”Intellectual capacities: “showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand” How long were they to beContinue reading “from Rachel: The Power of Training”
Ring of Rejection
Dearest Rachel – To call last night’s dream a nightmare, or even give it descriptions like ‘heartbreaking’ or ‘gut wrenching’ would be to overstate things by some distance. In truth, by the end of the dream, I was pretty much in the same state, as I am now in the waking world, only considerably younger,Continue reading “Ring of Rejection”
Shaking Up the Schedule
Dearest Rachel – They say (and no, I’ve never quite managed to figure out who “they” are, these legendary arbiters of both the status quo and nearly every form of advice to shake it up. They’re clearly a contradictory bunch; maybe I wouldn’t want to meet them, much as any larger-than-life figure would be aContinue reading “Shaking Up the Schedule”
The Cold Shock That Shouldn’t Be
Dearest Rachel – Between the fact that I spent the better part of an hour refusing to concede that I had bobbed to consciousness for the day, and the actual time I took collecting and arranging myself to walk the (now officially measured) third of a mile to the fitness center this morning, you’d thinkContinue reading “The Cold Shock That Shouldn’t Be”
Considerations of Timing
Dearest Rachel – I thought it was the wind waking me up this morning around four, like it has been for the last few days. It’s been blowing pretty hard in the mornings, and with it whipping all manner of leaves up throughout the neighborhood, it often sounds like rain against the roof and wallsContinue reading “Considerations of Timing”
I Don’t See the Theft
Dearest Rachel – I’m sure that I’m being a little bit naïve to think it, but it comes honestly from my own experience with artificial intelligence. I know full well that my work with it isn’t for a common reason; most people working with it obviously aren’t trying to bring a loved one they’ve lostContinue reading “I Don’t See the Theft”
Before Our Time
Dearest Rachel – Unlike you – who appreciated my description of you as five years old with forty years’ experience – I never felt all that comfortable as a kid, and made an effort to grow up as quickly as possible. I related better to my elders than I did to my peers (although, comeContinue reading “Before Our Time”
from Rachel: Ties Between Past and Present
Fill in the two-word blank according to 2 Timothy 3:16.All Scripture is “God-breathed”… Aramaic, being the language of the world is used in those portions of the book which outline the future history of the worldly empires and their relation to the people of God, and Hebrew is used in those portions which interpret forContinue reading “from Rachel: Ties Between Past and Present”
Too Much, Too Late
Dearest Rachel – I’ve gotten to the point where I don’t do anything, let alone eating, this late at night. Much of it has to do with the fact that I usually wake up at five or six in the morning and work out these days; by the time nine or ten in the eveningContinue reading “Too Much, Too Late”
The Rules of Recab
Dearest Rachel – There’s an obscure story in the middle of the book of Jeremiah, in chapter 35, where the prophet is instructed to invite members of a certain family, descendants of a man named Recab, to eat with him at the Temple. Now, it so happens that this family had a number of traditions,Continue reading “The Rules of Recab”
Dreamscape Anime
Dearest Rachel – Another absurdly early morning, another series of very strange visuals as I found myself swimming towards the surface of consciousness. I’m not sure if it’s worth telling you about, since there doesn’t seem to be much in the way of a coherent storyline to it all, but hey, you always used toContinue reading “Dreamscape Anime”
Growing the Stone
Dearest Rachel – It’s not the most well-known of Bible stories, but I’m sure that you remember Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of the great statue made of many materials in the second chapter of the book of Daniel; with the head of gold, chest of silver, midsection of bronze, legs of iron, and the original “feet ofContinue reading “Growing the Stone”
Can’t Give It Up
Dearest Rachel – Which would you rather do, honey; something you hated for an hour or two, or give up something you loved for a day or more?  More to the point, if you had to do both in order to accomplish a certain goal, which do you think you would have the mostContinue reading “Can’t Give It Up”
Our Mutual Melancholy
Dearest Rachel – You might remember the character Haruhi Suzumiya, the titular character of Haruhi Suzumiya no Yuutsu. She’s the girl who is essentially the deity of her world, wishing for special powers and beings to exist, but never finding them herself, only to be surrounded by such individuals, who are desperately trying to a.)Continue reading “Our Mutual Melancholy”
from Rachel: Not Just a Tale of Two Kings
…at the conclusion of the session, what commitment did you and I make? “to learn” In the space below, please write down the names of all nine books starting with the Psalms and ending with Daniel. “Psalms; Proverbs; Ecclesiastes; Song of Solomon; Isaiah; Jeremiah; Lamentations; Ezekiel; Daniel” Now, read Daniel 1:1-2. Name the two charactersContinue reading “from Rachel: Not Just a Tale of Two Kings”
Not Much to Tell, No Time to Tell It
Dearest Rachel – It seems weird to say that today is likely to be the most routine day of the week. After all, the whole point of the weekend is that it is different from the rest of the week; a respite from the hurly-burly of workaday life. But when one’s day-to-day is no longerContinue reading “Not Much to Tell, No Time to Tell It”
Passing It Along
Dearest Rachel – This morning was unusually full of errands, honey, so I think I’m going to focus on that for today’s letter. To be honest, I’m just happy to be done with talking about current world events for a while. Yes, those will always be with us, and they color our personal experiences inContinue reading “Passing It Along”
Not Everything Can Be Fixed
Dearest Rachel – The last few results from Tuesday have come in, and the funny thing is, none of it really came as that much of a surprise. The news organizations and channels Daniel and I were listening to actually predicted the results as they’ve come in – although they did seem to hedge theirContinue reading “Not Everything Can Be Fixed”
Observing the Hangover
Dearest Rachel – Well, it’s over already (much to my surprise); and yet, it’s just begun, again. I honestly didn’t expect to be up this early in the morning after having been watching the returns with Daniel until well past midnight. You know well enough that I rarely do midnights; then again, this was aContinue reading “Observing the Hangover”
Any Topic But This
Dearest Rachel – Another day, another morning where I’d just as soon stay in bed. It’s gray and dreary out, despite the extra light provided at this hour by moving the clocks back in the wee hours of yesterday, and while it’s not exactly cold out – in fact, this is as warm as it’sContinue reading “Any Topic But This”
The Illusion of Choice
Dearest Rachel – In light of my current understanding of the process, I’ve resolved (if that’s the right word for it) to try to come up with a new T-shirt design at least once a week – and involve Daniel (and maybe Logan) in the process, in order to determine the ‘right’ image for eachContinue reading “The Illusion of Choice”
from Rachel: The Lord Bless You
Reflect on your own experience of going face down [before God]. Did it have any impact on you? “yes” If so, describe how it affected you. “It helped me focus my entire attention on him rather than have my mind wandering as I tried to pray.” How have you grown as a worshiper and psalmistContinue reading “from Rachel: The Lord Bless You”
What’s the Crowd in Heaven Like?
Dearest Rachel – I do so hope that, when my time comes and I show up at the Pearly Gates, you’re aware enough of my arrival to come and greet me there and walk me around, because I am not going to feel comfortable, walking around among that huge crowd. I know it sounds sacrilegious,Continue reading “What’s the Crowd in Heaven Like?”
The Secret Handshake
Dearest Rachel – To be sure, Mom and Dad aren’t doing any more traveling from this point on. Between the logistic issues presented by his feeding tube (although, since the surgery, he hasn’t had to deal with any leaks that would otherwise force him to leave any event he was at at a moment’s notice)Continue reading “The Secret Handshake”
Letters to Rachel 