Dearest Rachel – I don’t remember who told me this, specifically, but in the immediate aftermath of your departure, I was advised not to make any major rash decisions in my life. No major purchases, no attempts at pursuing ‘Megumi’ (who hadn’t been given that name at that point, let alone had her criteria fleshedContinue reading “His Opinion Matters”
Tag Archives: opinions
from Rachel: An Extraordinary Spirit
Read Daniel 5:10-17. Who told Belshazzar about Daniel? “the queen” List all the ways she described Daniel: “① ‘has the spirit of the holy gods in him’;“② has ‘insight and intelligence and wisdom like that of the gods’;“③ was appointed ‘chief of the magicians, enchanters, astrologers and diviners’;“④ the king called him Belteshazzar;“⑤ has ‘aContinue reading “from Rachel: An Extraordinary Spirit”
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”
To Hear Your Opinion
Dearest Rachel – Look, I do try my best to not talk about politics (or current events in general) when I write you – and when I do, I try (and probably fail) to appear somewhat neutral in what I speak of. I’ve learned, for instance, to avoid dropping the names of the players involvedContinue reading “To Hear Your Opinion”
Mere Degrees From Artificial
Dearest Rachel – Well, I know you weren’t as into the high-tech toys that computers quite frankly have always been (and increasingly will continue to be) as I was (and always will be, I suspect), although your computer was your own favorite toy for our last ten or so years together. Still, you did haveContinue reading “Mere Degrees From Artificial”
Preparing For Takeoff
Dearest Rachel – It’s not like I haven’t been to an airport – or told you about it – since you had to go. In fact, I’ve done a lot of traveling since your departure, and consequently seen a lot of airports: Denver International, Amsterdam/Schiphol, EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg, Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International, Istanbul, Ben Gurion (Tel Aviv),Continue reading “Preparing For Takeoff”
Sturdy Grains of Sand
Dearest Rachel – For all I know, this may have escaped your notice back in the day; I certainly couldn’t keep track of your library until I was forced to go through it and determine what could be given away and what I couldn’t part with just yet. But among the many books I broughtContinue reading “Sturdy Grains of Sand”
Staying Put… or Not
Dearest Rachel – Eight a.m., and we’re eating breakfast overlooking the enormous (compared to most of our other stops, including Tokyo; the roof is even with the level of the upper-deck cafe) station at the Kobe harbor. We’re going to be here until five in the evening tomorrow. Well, ‘we’ as in the passengers onContinue reading “Staying Put… or Not”
At Home with Him
Dearest Rachel – It’s enough when I see you now and again in dreams; to see Kevin, laughing at what seemed to be modern-era Simpsons episodes (which, to give my opinion, have jumped so far that they can barely see the shark from orbit) even as I sat there, incredulous at his amusement, was justContinue reading “At Home with Him”
Gym Opinions
Dearest Rachel – Unlike you, with your collection so vast that I now have three separate quilts commemorating you and your opinions, friendships and travels, I never put a whole lot of thought into my T-shirts. I had very few things I was suitably passionate about to wear them on my chest, and I despisedContinue reading “Gym Opinions”
In Lieu of Conscience
Dearest Rachel – The other day, I was reading an article about the reliability of one’s conscience, and how – despite being pointed to as a rationale for faith (by no less than the apostle Paul himself!) and the proof of a fairly universal standard of good and evil – it is no substitute forContinue reading “In Lieu of Conscience”
The Other Side of the Conversation
Dearest Rachel – For all my talk yesterday about being able to lean over to you and say whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, there is, of course, another aspect to the newfound silence in my life. That is to say, the lack of response to anything I might say to you in the hereContinue reading “The Other Side of the Conversation”
Politics and the Public Sphere
Dearest Rachel – You know, I really thought I had weaned myself off of my political news feed over the past week and a half. What Internet I could get over in Israel was, to be frank, less than reliable, so its main purpose was to be used to assemble and send my updates toContinue reading “Politics and the Public Sphere”
Cringe
Dearest Rachel – I woke up rather a bit too early this morning; while I wanted to get an earlier start on the day because of various errands I need to take care of, five a.m. is a bit too much. But upon attaining consciousness, my mind started rifling through various topics to write youContinue reading “Cringe”
Enduring the Echo
Dearest Rachel – Now that the construction is actually in progress, I’m getting a fair amount of flak from Daniel regarding the things he doesn’t like about it all. And there’s nothing wrong with him expressing an opinion; in fact, I’d prefer he say what he does and doesn’t like as opposed to giving aContinue reading “Enduring the Echo”
The Wit and Wisdom of Strangers’ Shirts
Dearest Rachel – Since you expressed yourself so much through the clothes you wore (particularly, your T-shirts), I probably should tell you about a few that I’ve been seeing as I’ve gone about the ship from time to time. Most of them are fairly straightforward, with favored bands, sports teams and alma maters, but everyContinue reading “The Wit and Wisdom of Strangers’ Shirts”
Letters to Rachel 