Russellings of the Spirit

Jesus Christ

  • Part of the Pack

    This is Patrick. Patrick is our 4 ½ -year-old Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier. And no, even though we lived in Kansas City for many years, he is NOT named after Patrick Mahomes. Patrick loves people. In fact, as far as people… Continue reading

  • “The Beast Tamer”

    “OK. That’s it,” I said to myself. “Today is the day!” My exasperation with the state of the hedge along our back fence finally hit the breaking point last Friday. I headed to the garage in search of the hundred-foot-long… Continue reading

  • Is Regionality Really Real?

    The other day, Patrick the dog and I were out walking in our neighborhood here in Fort Collins, Colorado. Not an unusual thing for us. As we walked along a street not far from our home, we saw a neighbor… Continue reading

  • “We’re All In This Together!”

    Yes, we are. But in lots of ways, no, we absolutely are not. This morning on NPR I heard the story of Daniel Garcia of Houston, Texas. (https://www.npr.org/2020/07/18/892593769/texas-man-on-what-its-like-being-evicted-during-the-covid-19-pandemic). And it broke me. Garcia is 46 years old. He was laid… Continue reading

  • The Sound of Roadblocks

    Most of the time, we (maybe I should say “I”) misread roadblocks. It’s like the time my grandmother bought us a piano. I think I was eight or nine years old. Grandma thought that was the perfect age for me… Continue reading

  • “You’re FIRED!! “

    Have you ever been fired from a job? I don’t mean “Sorry, Russell, but we’ve got to let you go because of a downturn in economic conditions.” I mean FIRED. As in, “Dude, we thought you would be good at… Continue reading

  • Puzzle People

    As you can see from the photo immediately to the right, Joan and I have almost completed this 500-piece jigsaw puzzle. All that remains are fitting the last pieces of the pale blue sky together. This puzzle was very much… Continue reading

  • Ideal vs. Real

    I flew my American flag every day last week. No… I did not fly my flag because of some sudden, Fourth-of-July-inspired outburst of patriotism. I flew my flag because that’s just what I do. Flying the American flag is a… Continue reading

  • To Be Free

    During most years, the topic of freedom is something we trot out once a year… like our Christmas ornaments and tax returns. When the calendar hits early July, we religiously unfurl the red-white-and-blue bunting, light M-80s and Black Cats and… Continue reading

  • Child of Privilege

    I remember the interview very well, even though it happened more than 30 years ago. It was an excellent job and I really wanted it. I had some of the necessary qualifications, but certainly not all. And yet, at the… Continue reading