The church I presently attend is small, and completely different from the last. It is neither the numbers (about the same) nor the theology, vastly divergent, though, that is the distinguishing factor, but the presence of children in the congregation.
Battered Memories
From out of nowhere they pop up, The highways and the byways; I-70 and 79 heading north to Erie, And Sligo Avenue to Silver Spring. My car’s with friends back home, And I’m wheel-less in India. When will this virus
Flowers in a Pandemic
Early this Sunday morning (India time) a friend from the US (unintentionally, I’m sure – she must have been sleepy) texted me, “Will you ever be able to come back?” It was a sobering thought that hastened my exit
Welsh Corgis, Grundig, and England
While out of the country in the month of August, I had just finished posting my ‘Picture of the Day’ (not a whole album!) on Facebook, when, with time to kill before dinner, I chanced to look at Facebook’s Marketplace,
MVA Goes Literary
The MVA (Motor Vehicle Administration) is one of the most depressing offices to visit, second only to the SSA (Social Security Administration). What is galling is not the lack of technology but the dearth of common sense and concern for
The Smiles of Strangers
In recent months, on several occasions, complete strangers (of both sexes and of varying ages) have, out of the blue, smiled kindly at me, for no apparent reason. And some even initiated conversations, that turned out to be pleasant, if
There Are No Coincidences
My apartment is a goodish walk from the parking lot. So, I wasn’t too happy when I discovered after reaching home that I had forgotten my phone in the car. But I decided to make use of the opportunity to
Keys In the Snow
These past few days, the polar vortex brought the coldest temperatures in a generation to parts of the US and Canada. I’m now having second thoughts about spending a winter in Siberia. After a snowfall, I usually take along a
বিদায় ৰঞ্জিত ককাইদেউ … [Goodbye, Ranjit, elder brother …]
Once upon a time, it was the telegram that brought urgent news, good or bad, to family and friends in distant places. Now, a variety of instant messaging services have replaced the telegram that was once transmitted by a Morse
The Passing of Friends in the Digital Age
Around twenty-five years ago, after the death of a Swedish friend, I received a surprise package containing two notebooks from the executors of his estate. On deciphering the pages, painstakingly written in longhand, the books turned out to be the