This post is dedicated to Maria McDonald, an inspiring example of Canadian patriotism. A belated happy Canada Day to all my Canadian readers! And if you're American, have a happy Independence Day! Or if you're neither Canadian nor American, I hope you have a wonderful day all the same. 🙂 I am privileged to be … Continue reading God Save Canada (Original Poem)
On Reading The Hound of Ulster
Author and folklorist Rosemary Sutcliff once wrote, “You can learn a lot about a people from their stories, because their stories show the way they think and feel and look at things.”1 This is the power of mythology — it allows us to see through the eyes of cultures long past. Sometimes it reveals forgotten … Continue reading On Reading The Hound of Ulster
Victor-Giant
Hello, all! Sorry about my recent absence. Life has been busy, but it seems like the perfect time for a fresh start. Everywhere, the world is being made new. The flowers are opening, the robins are back, and the trees are uncurling their tiny leaves. So here I am! I’d like to wish you all … Continue reading Victor-Giant
The Word Became Flesh (A Collection of Thoughts)
Hello, friend! I hope your Christmas was blessed and joyful. In spite of the hard times we are living in, my family has made some lovely memories. My favorite part was singing carols by candlelight. As I sang songs and read books, I copied my favorite passages into a notebook -- the same notebook I … Continue reading The Word Became Flesh (A Collection of Thoughts)
Martinmas (Original Retelling)
Yesterday was November 11th, the day that we honor those who have served and the sacrifices they have made. It was also the feast of St. Martin of Tours. This is a favorite holiday in my family. It heralds the end of Autumn and the coming of Advent, reminding me to love my neighbor as myself. … Continue reading Martinmas (Original Retelling)
The Flaming Peacock (Original Story)
Once upon a time, there was a young man. He lived with his father and his mother in a small townhouse. One morning, as he started off to class, the car broke down. Try as he might, it would not start. Just as the lad was ready to give up, an old woman came up the road and asked ...
Tolkien and Hopkins: The Beauty of this World
Though J. R. R. Tolkien and Gerard Manley Hopkins wrote in different eras and genres, they were brothers in thought and art. Tolkien was an English professor and myth-maker, while Hopkins was a Jesuit priest and Victorian poet, but they had much in common, such as their use of the sound of words and Anglo-Saxon … Continue reading Tolkien and Hopkins: The Beauty of this World
Theoden’s Charge (Original Poem)
As a challenge, I recently decided to choose a passage from a work of classic literature and re-write it in verse. Not too surprisingly, I chose J. R. R. Tolkien's The Return of the King -- the last paragraph from "The Ride of the Rohirrim." Such was Tolkien's skill that this bright scene has stamped … Continue reading Theoden’s Charge (Original Poem)
Innocence (Original Poem)
Give me the eyes of childhood /Unstained with blinding grime, /Through which the world shines bright and clean, /The sky so blue, the grass so green! /Oh, for the ...
The Story-maker’s Medium
Story-making is an art, and the storyteller is an artist. Like the painter or the sculptor, the true storyteller strives to craft a thing of beauty from a particular medium. Rather than using marble or paint, the storyteller works with words. There are often many words to choose from, but he knows that each word … Continue reading The Story-maker’s Medium
