Look and See

This past weekend we took in a couple of days camping in the Great Smoky Mountains. Ordinarily I am not much for camping in the middle of the summer, but temperatures were mild, the trees were in full leaf, elk were grazing and the rivers and creeks were still swollen...

Every Year it is the Same Battle!

As in years past, deer have found my roses, peppers, tomatoes and black-eyed susans. They are not that fond of my herbs, but really enjoy the Gerber daisies, apparently as a garnish to the potted geraniums nearby. Last weekend I saw a doe – fat and slick – languidly...

Fortieth Day of Lent: Reflections on the Cross

Cross of Glory This cross is fittingly used for Easter. It is a simple Latin Cross with a rising sun placed behind it. Like most every cross examined, this one too has many variations. In many traditions, as the sun rises, Gloria, an ancient Latin doxology, is sung...

Thirty-Ninth Day of Lent: Reflections of the Cross

The Arrow Cross This is also called a Cross Barby or Barbee in heraldry. In Christian use, the ends of this cross resemble the barbs of fish hooks, or fish spears. This alludes to the Ichthys symbol of Christ, and is suggestive of the “fishers of people”...

Thirty-Eighth Day of Lent: Reflections on the Cross

Cross of St. James The Cross of St. James is adapted from the Cross Fitchy by adding a cross fleury (the arms end in fleurs-de-lys) or a cross moline (the ends of the arms are forked and rounded). In heraldry, it is also called the Santiago Cross or the cruz espada....