The light at the top of the exit ramp was red when I pulled up to it. There was a man there. Grizzled. Curly beard. I recognized him. I’ve given him protein bars before. I pulled one out of the box between the seats and rolled down my window. “Here you go,” I said. “Oh,…
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The Trouble With “The” (A No Easy Answers Post)
The timing seemed a little ironic. An old post, called “Words Matter: A Disability Primer,” was in the process of sending my blog views through the roof, and where was I? I was sitting in a ballroom listening to a priest share a piece of advice he was given when beginning a challenging urban assignment:…
Read MoreIn The Shadow Of The Viaduct
I gave to a homeless man. Two pennies, a nickel, a couple of quarters The jingling contents of my pocket After twenty dollar tickets And six dollar hot dogs In the shadow of a viaduct Cars roaring above Stadium roaring behind He saw me coming Read my body language Met me As my family moved…
Read MoreWhat Happened After Venus Crossed the Sun
Alex and I had a date last night. At 4:30 we all loaded into the van and went down to the university to meet Christian, who took the younger three (even the baby!) back home so the two of us could have some quality time with several hundred other people crowded onto a rooftop with…
Read MoreFriday Advent Adventures: Kids, Service, and the Season
One of the fundamental underpinnings of everything I’m trying to get at during Advent is that it’s not all about us. But it’s a tricky thing to find the right balance of service, spiritual growth, and fun. Service, as I’ve noted in the past, can actually be really fun, but only if you don’t overdo…
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Kathleen M. Basi 