Dearest Rachel – While out and about with Mom (getting papers signed, as I told you about yesterday), we passed by an old barbershop in the strip mall where her brokers have set up shop. Which struck the two of us as odd, since the name belonged to a shop that was a little closerContinue reading “Indulge Within Reason”
Monthly Archives: July 2026
Papers In Order
Dearest Rachel – For all that much of life is conducted online these days (and to think, we were part of the vanguard; remember when we used to send out family Christmas letters, and thought it worthy of comment that most of our purchases were made that year on Amazon? Good times), some things needContinue reading “Papers In Order”
Not Really Trying
Dearest Rachel – You’ve already heard me complain (if that’s the right word for it; it seems a little harsh) that since I’ve come home from this last trip, I’ve had difficulty in getting back to what I refer to as my license weight. I honestly don’t know when it dates from, as I’ve essentiallyContinue reading “Not Really Trying”
Proctoring
Dearest Rachel – So, last night I was imagining that I was proctoring an exam; presumably for the kids down in Honduras (where I will be next week), but at the same time, it was a test I had been hoping to take, like with the CPA exam. At some point while I was doingContinue reading “Proctoring”
Artificial Affirmation
Dearest Rachel – It all started with the idea of giving Copilot enough information on me to craft recommendations based on my preferences. I ask it for advice while I’m traveling, and while it’s pretty good with recommendations (albeit absolute rubbish in terms of giving physical directions; thank heaven there are map applications I canContinue reading “Artificial Affirmation”
from Rachel: Being a Ministry-Minded Overseer (part two)
In the blanks below write the two most significant statements in today’s reading assignment. Be prepared to discuss why the statements you chose were significant to you.“We must then become skillful at dying – to self. That daily dying must be done in the right way, and for the right reasons, however, if it isContinue reading “from Rachel: Being a Ministry-Minded Overseer (part two)”
Bearly What We Expected
Dearest Rachel – So I finally took a crack at this recipe last night; it was meant to mimic what we’d eaten at Gibier Natural back in Sapporo. I’d been hesitating about doing this for some time, despite having collected all the ingredients about a week and a half previously. You see, for all thatContinue reading “Bearly What We Expected”
Threadbare
Dearest Rachel – This is the sort of thing that, once upon a time, I would be writing to apologize to you about (and in fact, maybe that’s part of what I’m doing right now, when you come down to it); or, further back, I wouldn’t be doing at all, since you would claim thatContinue reading “Threadbare”
No Place to Socialize
Dearest Rachel – I was heading out of the gym the other day after putting in an unusually long session (a full hour and a half, plus a couple of five-minute cooldown walks in between) and encountered an older woman talking with her peer at the reception desk. Her shirt read “I may be twiceContinue reading “No Place to Socialize”
And I Missed It
Dearest Rachel – I’ve started a few more drafts since the last time I mentioned having a few I could work with, but by and large, they aren’t the sort of topics that are particularly time-sensitive. I could easily modify “yesterday” to “the other day” and no one would be the wiser if I didn’tContinue reading “And I Missed It”
With a Headful of Mush
Dearest Rachel – There’s an interesting effect in my trying to write you first thing in the morning, starting with the first hour or two after rolling out of bed. Some mornings, of course, I’m literally waking up with something to tell you about, even if it’s weird or surreal – because you used toContinue reading “With a Headful of Mush”
Blank T-Shirt
Dearest Rachel – So I’m standing in front of my closet this morning, trying to decide what to wear. You know the drill; I’ve made four separate quilts out of your T-shirts alone, and we had piles in the sunroom for your fancier dresses. Having choices wasn’t so much of a problem with us; itContinue reading “Blank T-Shirt”
A Walk Be(for)e Breakfast
Dearest Rachel – One of the reasons that I go into such great detail with you about some of my workouts is the fact that I never used to do this when you were alive. I don’t think it ever crossed either of our minds back in the day. There was a point in timeContinue reading “A Walk Be(for)e Breakfast”
from Rachel: Being a Ministry-Minded Overseer (part one)
In the blanks below write the two most significant statements in today’s reading assignment. Be prepared to discuss why the statements you chose were significant to you.“…the first major step in spiritual growth for any believer is leaning the meaning of self-denial – he cannot have his own way. – Oh dear, I’m afraid I’veContinue reading “from Rachel: Being a Ministry-Minded Overseer (part one)”
Knocking Off Early
Dearest Rachel – He may not have quite been the favorite musician for either of us, but we did happen to see my namesake, Randy Stonehill (hey, not many people share my name, let alone ‘famous’ people like artists, musicians and whatnot), live in concert three times throughout our lives together. Maybe it’s because heContinue reading “Knocking Off Early”
The Haze
Dearest Rachel – I stepped outside yesterday morning to something that looked like fog, for all intents and purposes. Given how many hot, dry days we’d been dealing with this week, it wouldn’t be all that surprising that, as it was cooler yesterday than it had been up until then; cooler air crashing into hotContinue reading “The Haze”
A Whole Lot of Nothing
Dearest Rachel – Standing out in the parking lot, waiting for the parents to arrive on a Wednesday evening, listening to the chorus of cicadas in the hot summer air, I feel like I should be telling you about my day – or at least starting in on the story, as things are about toContinue reading “A Whole Lot of Nothing”
The Insurance Company’s Loss
Dearest Rachel – I know what you’re thinking; “insurance is such a boring topic, honey – why are you thinking you can make a day’s essay out of it?” And the fact that I’m addressing this question should go to show that I’m well aware of that very fact, to the point of putting thoseContinue reading “The Insurance Company’s Loss”
Starting Out Slow
Dearest Rachel – Six-thirty. It’s not exactly early here, but enough that I might be able to amble over to the gym and put in an hour before going through my usual routine of getting myself ready before heading for the ‘office.’ I’ve even got most of the energy I’d need to do just that,Continue reading “Starting Out Slow”
Hither, Thither & Yon, Esq.
Dearest Rachel – In fairness, I can’t remember if Walt Kelly wrote about the team of Hither, Thither and Yon as a legal firm, or a trio of baseball players whose double-play performance rivaled that of Tinker, Evers and Chance (although from a historical standpoint, the three famous Cubs weren’t really all that great atContinue reading “Hither, Thither & Yon, Esq.”
from Rachel: Being a Word-Filled Teacher
In the blanks below, write the two most significant statements in today’s reading assignment. Be prepared to discuss why the statements you chose were significant to you. “All of us are teaching all the time… God‘s concern is not just that we teach, for we will always be doing that, but that we be Word-filledContinue reading “from Rachel: Being a Word-Filled Teacher”
I Understand Bear
Dearest Rachel – I think you would have enjoyed the cinematic crop that’s been coming out this past year or so, honey. Not the big-studio, big-budget stuff so much, as the independent material that is starting to come out, doing an end-run around such systems and, while not exactly slaying the multitude of Goliaths thatContinue reading “I Understand Bear”
I’m the One Dreaming
Dearest Rachel – Sometimes, it’s weird having to come up with titles for these letters. I mean, I guess I could have just gone with using dates when I first started doing this, but that would give you no indication of what to expect, and that doesn’t seem fair to you or anyone reading overContinue reading “I’m the One Dreaming”
Back to Norbal
Dearest Rachel – It’s possible that things across town are starting to settle into a sort of normalcy for Mom these days. I had offered to bring dinner over yesterday, like we’ve done for the past couple of weeks, and while she accepted that offer, as usual, she kept adding things that she was goingContinue reading “Back to Norbal”
When You Were There For Him
Dearest Rachel – Another day, another meal; it seems that, in some ways, is the most interesting part of a given day (please note, honey, that I wrote this yesterday afternoon, before the lightning struck). This applies even to days with something happening that hasn’t for the past month and a half; that of KrisContinue reading “When You Were There For Him”
Sizzle and Crash
Dearest Rachel – Well, that came out of absolutely nowhere. At about half-past midnight, there was this slight sizzling sound, followed by a thunderous cracking noise and a bright flash of light in our backyard. I don’t know whether we got hit by a singular bolt of lightning (out of a sky with no rain)Continue reading “Sizzle and Crash”
The Legal Niceties
Dearest Rachel – I fell asleep early last night; it wasn’t even dark yet, so I had to put on my eye mask to do so, but everything I’d intended to do for the day was done. Besides, I’d need to get up early in the morning if I was going to hit the gymContinue reading “The Legal Niceties”
Happy Hour
Dearest Rachel – The farther I get from your presence in terms of time, the less I remember the way things were when you had to leave as opposed to how they are now. I want to say that the hole in the wall Daniel and I went to yesterday was already a Japanese restaurantContinue reading “Happy Hour”
The Sparrow Falls
Dearest Rachel – Our block, if you can call it that, is an unusual one in the suburbs, as you might remember. One can walk north, and before one arrives at the next street (which, admittedly, has one passing three hundreds in terms of street numbers; hence why I call it ‘unusual’), one passes byContinue reading “The Sparrow Falls”
Free Weekend
Dearest Rachel – It’s somewhere between appropriate and ironic that this weekend should get such a designation in the title, given Independence Day and all that. You might point out that, somewhat wryly and pace Stan Freberg, that we didn’t get out of town for the weekend like the Founding Fathers were likely to doContinue reading “Free Weekend”
from Rachel: Being a God-Loving Example (part three)
In the blanks below, write the two most significant statements in today’s reading assignment. Be prepared to discuss why the statements you chose were significant to you. “…lovers are extravagant! They cannot get enough of each other’s time. Thoughts of the loved one return to their minds often throughout the day and even invade theirContinue reading “from Rachel: Being a God-Loving Example (part three)”
We Can’t Even Celebrate This
Dearest Rachel – I’m starting this letter a couple of days early, on the heels of having told you that the letters I’ve been sending you lately lack the edge of those early days (not that I’d necessarily want to go back to dealing with the level of pain I was undergoing at the time).Continue reading “We Can’t Even Celebrate This”
Rumblings of Concern
Dearest Rachel – The plan was for all of us to assemble at Recreation Park for last night’s festivities; it would seem our town was putting on a drone display in lieu of fireworks this year. And honestly, it’s to be expected; we don’t have a venue big enough (and empty enough) for fireworks, nowContinue reading “Rumblings of Concern”
To Do You Justice
Dearest Rachel – Over the last few weeks, I’ve been going over the letters from the early days of this site (and while I’d started this letter with an explanation of how I’m doing that, that might actually merit a separate letter for another time, so I’m going to set that on the back burnerContinue reading “To Do You Justice”
Dropping My Guts
Dearest Rachel – You might look at that title with some measure of puzzlement; “Don’t you mean ‘spilling your guts, honey?” And to be fair, that’s a much more common expression in the English language vernacular, so I can see why you might think of it first. But here’s the deal, honey; after over fiveContinue reading “Dropping My Guts”
Letters to Rachel 