Category Archives: Stories

In 1966, I was training at the Great Lakes Naval Base outside Chicago. I had enlisted in the Navy with the conviction that destiny was pulling me toward Vietnam, where I imagined myself serving as a Marine Corps medic. That … Continue reading →

Could it be that Life’s only purpose is to put all the pieces together? As a writer, I’ve often marveled at how characters take shape. At first, they are little more than names on a page. Yet as the story … Continue reading →

“There is a Wine that flows from the vineyards of the Lord,  Its sweetness aged in jars of clay, its price none can afford. And wise men say that he who tastes its sweetness on his tongue Will understand the … Continue reading →

I haven’t thought about self-fulfilling prophecies for some time now, even though I have had my suspicions that many of the major experiences in my life could have come about because I thought about them beforehand. A good example of … Continue reading →

From childhood magic to religious belief and finally to lived compassion, this reflection asks a simple question: what remains when illusion falls away—and love stays? When I was a child, I loved watching magic shows on television. The idea that … Continue reading →

While sorting through old boxes of memorabilia, I was struck by how easily forgotten moments can still shape who we become. Reading old letters and names from my childhood reopened memories that helped explain some of my long-held attitudes. One … Continue reading →

We were spending the weekend in Philadelphia at an apartment we rented with profits from drug sales. We had become the main suppliers for the Bethesda Naval Hospital and earned a good reputation because we never sold a bad product. … Continue reading →

I would not classify myself as a coward. At times in my life, I have acted bravely in the face of danger. Most men—and increasingly more women—wonder, as I did in my youth, how they would respond under the fire … Continue reading →