Author Archives: John Swinburn

Is it possible to have peace without war? Is it possible to have war without peace? We seem to think of a dichotomy where none exists in reality; it exists only in our minds. The idea that we engage in … Continue reading →

“Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds, or bends with the remover to remove.” I have read or spoken or thought of those words almost every day for 34 years and some. Shakespeare’s Sonnet 116. The Unitarian … Continue reading →

Happy birthday to my brother, brother! It is unproductive to worry.  Optimism is an art worth perfecting.

The evidence is mounting: hard-nosed, right-wing ideas are taking hold.  It is unsettling that people in Texas and in Mississippi and in Virginia—across the country—are buying the messages being sold by unthinkably short-sighted and cold-hearted tea-party politicos.  If the political events … Continue reading →

There’s some good in almost everyone. You just have to dig a little deeper in some people than in others.  On occasion, though, after you’ve done all the digging you can do, you discover you’ve come across the exception.  When … Continue reading →

Today is my sister’s birthday. Happy birthday, sister! I hope you have a great, celebratory day! Come see us!

Intimacy is never wrong.  It can be awkward, it can be unsettling, it can feel dangerous, it can seem out of place, but it’s never wrong.  For society’s convenience, intimacy has been neatly tucked into a single drawer that should be … Continue reading →

All of us sometimes get frustrated with the slow pace of change. We want to see the results of a diet or exercise regimen within a week.  We expect our new commitment to smiling at everyone we meet to pay immediate dividends.  And … Continue reading →

As I stare at the hologram in front of me, I wonder how his jowls got so unruly, how his neck grew so wide, how his eyes became so shallow.  It’s not a hologram; it’s almost a mirror, created by … Continue reading →

The difference between comfort and distress can be something as simple as a breeze. Understanding that simple fact sometimes makes me grateful for  things I didn’t realize were important.

If I had one thing I could change about my life so far, it would be this: I would like to  have been a better, more caring, more compassionate and empathetic person.  It takes years for a person to be … Continue reading →

A few pearls of wisdom I have gathered thus far: The organization that employees you does not love you.  It has no heart. You are replaceable. Be prepared to move on. You are not the place you work, the money you make, nor … Continue reading →

The only permission you need is your own.  But be prepared to suffer the consequences when that permission is given at the expense of another.

Just a little left of center of this image is a dead tree.  The first few days I was here, seeing it bothered me; I wanted to remove it.  But lately, I have begun to see it as beautiful. Yesterday, a … Continue reading →