Category Archives: Love

Was It a Bad Choice?

Posted on August 8, 2020 by John Swinburn

My wife’s first evening in her new temporary home (a skilled nursing and rehabilitation facility) did not have a pleasant start. Once she was situated in her room, she did not see anyone for several hours, even after pressing her … Continue reading →

Posted in Family, Health, Love | 3 Comments

Trying Times

Posted on August 7, 2020 by John Swinburn

The past several weeks—approaching a month, now—have seemed impossibly long to me. That span of time must have seemed far longer for my wife. Since she tripped on July 14, she has been poked and prodded and exposed to X-rays … Continue reading →

Posted in Family, Health, Love | 6 Comments

Love is the Richest Emotion

Posted on March 13, 2020 by John Swinburn

I love you. You know who you are. I could listen to your voice for hours if you’d let me. And I suppose you would. But what reason could I give for wanting to hear it? What excuse could I … Continue reading →

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The Illusion of Love

Posted on February 13, 2020 by John Swinburn

I find it hard to say “I love you” to most people for whom I feel that emotion (or something like it). The church I joined a couple of years ago, after being not only churchless but actively anti-church and … Continue reading →

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Straining

Posted on January 21, 2020 by John Swinburn

I hear it often: “If a person doesn’t love himself, first, he can’t love others.” Frequently, that sentiment is followed by “And if he can’t love himself, no one else can love him, either.” If that’s true, a person who … Continue reading →

Posted in Love, Self-Loathing | 4 Comments

Musings on Marriage

Posted on April 13, 2019 by John Swinburn

Today is our thirty-ninth anniversary. Despite my remarkably flawed personality, she has opted to tough it out all these years. Based on the experience so far, I guess our marriage is going to last. And I’m very glad and grateful … Continue reading →

Posted in Friendship, Love, Marriage | 2 Comments

Mom’s Birthday

Posted on September 28, 2017 by John Swinburn

My mother was forty-five years old when I, the sixth child, was born. I cannot even imagine the stresses she must have endured, rearing six children from birth through young adulthood. Each of us required at least eighteen years of … Continue reading →

Posted in Family, Love | 1 Comment

Seven Lonely Birthdays

Posted on November 2, 2016 by John Swinburn

Seven now. Seven of her birthdays without her present to celebrate. My oldest sister died in 2010, just about three months after her November 2, 2009 birthday. On the day she died—Friday, February 19, 2010—I wrote a tribute on the blog I … Continue reading →

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Languishing

Posted on May 14, 2015 by John Swinburn

The shriveled old women and wizened old men—sitting alone in wheel chairs and recliners in a large, airy room—look upset. They have reason to be angry. Trapped in uncooperative bodies, they are forced to live in a prison for the weak … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Health, Love, Philosophy | 2 Comments

Love and Compassion

Posted on February 19, 2015 by John Swinburn

I subscribe to Zen Habits,a blog dealing with “living in the moment” and being content with, and productive in, one’s life. Recently, a post reminded me that people tend to define themselves by what they do, what other people think of … Continue reading →

Posted in Compassion, Happiness, Love, Purpose | Leave a comment

Love Beyond Convenience

Posted on January 25, 2015 by John Swinburn

I have written plenty of drivel in my blogging career, but I’ve written some things I’m proud to have written. The following piece still rings true to me today, four years after having posted it on another of my blogs, one … Continue reading →

Posted in Just Thinking, Love | Leave a comment

Creative Cookery

Posted on January 12, 2015 by John Swinburn

One of the many things I love about mi esposa hermosa is that she is creative in ways that surprise me and that encourage my own creativity.  Yesterday, as we discussed what we might do with the awaze paste I made, she … Continue reading →

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The Technology of Caring and Social Change

Posted on January 1, 2015 by John Swinburn

Sometimes, I question the value of Facebook, thinking with some degree of certainty that it is simply a narcissism-fueled vehicle, hurling its cargo toward self-inflicted ego implosion. But then, every once in a while, I see evidence that the technology and foundation … Continue reading →

Posted in Compassion, Friendship, Love, Technology | Leave a comment

Another Lover, Same Story

Posted on December 30, 2014 by John Swinburn

So many definitions of love, such a vast array of wildly disparate  viewpoints of an emotion; yet people seem to have stunningly similar, deeply intimate perspectives on the emotion that feeds on intimacy. I have fallen in love again, for perhaps the thousandth time, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Language, Love | Leave a comment

Learning About the Past

Posted on August 3, 2014 by John Swinburn

One result of the recent visit by friends from the early years of our marriage was a jarring of our memories.  During conversations about our mutual histories, our friends mentioned the name of the man who joined my wife and … Continue reading →

Posted in Friendship, Love | 3 Comments

May 11: Thoughts for the Day

Posted on May 11, 2014 by John Swinburn

I’ve seen the protective shields that mothers—not all mothers, but most—place around their children.  Those shields can be penetrated by rocks and stones, but only enough to harden the child against future attacks.  Those maternal shields deflect the most damaging assaults. I suppose … Continue reading →

Posted in Love | 1 Comment

Mardella

Posted on April 18, 2014 by John Swinburn

Mardella was my sister-in-law’s mother-in-law.  She was sharp-witted, funny, and a joy to be around.  In spite of the fact that her eyes were failing and her hearing wasn’t what it used to be, she had a wicked sense of … Continue reading →

Posted in Death, Love | 3 Comments

Good Fortune

Posted on April 9, 2014 by John Swinburn

Some days, I have to kick myself for failing to adequately appreciate how incredibly fortunate I am. Today is not one of those days. Today, for reasons too convoluted to go into in a short blog post, the breadth and … Continue reading →

Posted in Love, Philosophy, Thanksgiving, Wisdom | 2 Comments

Mimi

Posted on February 19, 2014 by John Swinburn

Today is the fourth anniversary of the death of my sister, Mary Eleanor, who her brothers and sister and nieces and nephews and many of her friends called Melnor or Mimi.  I suppose I always will  miss her; it’s only natural. … Continue reading →

Posted in Death, Love, Memories | 6 Comments

Holiday Meal Extraordinaire

Posted on December 26, 2013 by John Swinburn

We had every good intention of having Christmas dinner on Christmas day. But a big midday meal of tamales and chile con queso, for the second day in a row, coupled with my wife’s tendency to enjoy her long afternoon … Continue reading →

Posted in Family, Food, Love | 10 Comments

Thunder and Conversations

Posted on October 26, 2013 by John Swinburn

I sit home this evening, listening to the rain and watching the flashes of lightning punctuate the night sky with their explosive claps of thunder, followed by rolling growls that seem to shake the foundation of the earth as they go … Continue reading →

Posted in Love, Nature | 4 Comments

Texture

Posted on July 11, 2013 by John Swinburn

Life has texture, just as linen and pebbles have texture.  But we feel it differently from the way we feel other, less existential, textures.  What feels smooth and comforting to one may feel coarse and confining to someone else.  There’s … Continue reading →

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Unexpected Attachments

Posted on July 7, 2013 by John Swinburn

A person can get tied to a place during the course of lifetime.  For some, the attachment can happen gradually, like the slow-growing roots of an oak tree gripping the soil and rocks beneath so tightly nothing can uproot it. … Continue reading →

Posted in Love, Memories, Philosophy, Sense of place, Where to Live | 2 Comments

Don’t Wait for God

Posted on May 3, 2013 by John Swinburn

We all learn and appreciate and applaud important messages we read and hear.  But do they change our lives?  Do we change our behaviors because a message really hits home with us?  For some, yes.  For others, no.  Something I … Continue reading →

Posted in Love, Philosophy, Religion | 2 Comments

The Lost Year, Found

Posted on December 28, 2012 by John Swinburn

This year, 2012, hasn’t turned out quite the way I envisioned.  Though I don’t regret spending my time as I have these past twelve months, the year wasn’t what I pictured when it started.  I didn’t completely rekindle my entrepreneurial … Continue reading →

Posted in Health, Love, Memories, Philosophy | Leave a comment