It's Been A Wild Ride . . .

Just two weeks ago, I felt ready and able to start blogging again, and I did so with gusto. The last couple of weeks, though, have been what we Spanish-speakers would call a "Gran Fiesta of Utter Chaos," a time of great testing and stress accompanied by great comfort and peace in the Lord. Still, I've felt like a circus plate-spinner, and the poles have been unusually wobbly.

I'll write more today, but I wanted to comment on two events I heard about in the news. The first is the tremendously generous offer of an elderly physician in Indiana to offer his patients free medical care for the rest of the year. He's practiced in that town for 45 years, he says, and he's got enough money. Too many of his neighbors and patients don't, and his faith prompted him to give in a way that not only directly benefits the poor around him, but might also encourage others living in privilege to give extravagantly to those in need. May he be forever blessed.

I also want to commend New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson -- my first choice in the Democratic primaries -- for ending capital punishment for all future crimes committed in his state. I am unalterably opposed, and, I think, Biblically opposed, to the death penalty. I'm pretty sure Richardson would disagree with some of my arguments, but the courageous and moral stand he took this week is a good one. I hope other governors follow him, and I pray God's blessing on him as he seeks to do the right thing as a matter not just of public policy, but, as he said, of conscience. In a bleak news cycle, that story was a shot of bright light.