By Norris Burkes July 3, 2022 I’ve written this column for twenty years, so writer’s block can be a problem, especially around the holidays. Fortunately, it’s rarely my problem on Independence Day. That’s because this weekend suggests scores of viewpoints. This is the time we applaud our rights and, man oh man, we’ve got a
By Norris Burkes June 26, 2022 I think it was Jesus who encouraged his followers to become “fishers of men.” And honestly, that task seems much easier than the literal job of fishing for fish. Fishing requires a level of patience I don’t have. You’d know this about me if you’ve ever watched me pace
By Norris Burkes Jan 19 2022 “I love you, man” was an expression popularized in a 2009 movie of the same name. But for me, the phrase rings most truly when I think of my father-in-law, Wilbur. Over the past 42 years, he’s remained both my mentor and my foster father. So if you’ll forgive
By Norris Burkes, June 12, 2022 There’s a lot of blame being passed around this month over the Uvalde, Texas shooting. Some people accuse the Oasis Outback, the store where the shooter legally bought two semiautomatic rifles and more than 1,600 bullets. (No age requirement for the latter, just sobriety.) Lawsuits are being initiated against
By Norris Burkes June 5, 2022 The Big, Not-so-Bad, Misunderstood Wolf I return home on Sunday from Honduras after helping the Chispa Project establish their 70th elementary school library. Together with 15 of my readers, we shelved 1,400 illustrated children’s books. Among the titles, I found the Spanish copy of “The Three Little Pigs.” I’ve
By Norris Burkes May 29 2022 If you find this newspaper column pinned to your door, it’s because I asked your neighbor to place it there. In fact, if I have my way, your friends will copy it and post it on several porches, or at least on their social media accounts. No, I’m not
By Norris Burkes May 22, 2022 As a hospice chaplain, I know that a sure fire way to bring any conversation down a notch is to mention my profession. “Oh that must be a really sad job,” is the reply of many. “It can be sad,” I admit. “But most often it’s the opposite.” Folks
By Norris Burkes, May 15, 2022 Even if you’re not much of a Bible reader, you might want to check out the “Wicked Bible, "aka” Adulterous Bible,” or “Sinners’ Bible.” Printed in1631, the WB is so-named because it omits “not” from the seventh commandment. Sounding more like Hippie “free love” of the 1960s, readers are
By Norris Burkes, May 8, 2022 Some call her Ruby. Friends call her Dolores. I call her “Mom.” But don’t dare call her “Tootie.” Only her siblings called her that. The name she is most proud of is “Valedictorian” of her 1952 high school class of four. Carrying that honor, she crossed town to enroll
By Norris Burkes, April 29, 2022 “May I call a priest for you?” might not be something you’d want to hear, but I find that it’s a welcome offer to our Catholic patients in hospice care. Recently, I was visiting a patient in a nursing facility and noticed she was praying with her rosary beads.
Readers: I’m thrilled to announce that the Chispa Project is partnering with the Honduran non-profit organization Niña (“girl” in Spanish) to install a library that focuses on literacy for girls! Find out how you can help on our website. https://chispaproject.org/girlpower/ Now… on with this week’s column…. By Norris Burkes April 24 2022 “We apologize,
Easter 2022 By Norris Burkes No matter what you’ve read, I can promise you this - the insurrection was put down quickly and decisively. The anarchists occupying the garden never really had a chance. They barely seemed to know it was coming when the occupying powers, caving to the demand of religious leaders, issued an
