MY CURRENT FAMILY             As one gets older the circle of family and friends surrounding you tends to shrink. I am now pretty much down to my wonderful wife Mari, a couple of neighbor friends, two estranged sons, and a sweet young granddaughter who writes back from time to time. Except, that is, for my…

WHAT IS MEANT BY “ATONEMENT” AND WHY IT MATTERS?             Sometimes we say things like “You’ll have to atone for those sins”. Actually, hardly anyone uses that word anymore. It means “to make amends or reparation for wrongdoing” (Webster’s New World Dictionary). It represents a kind of pay-back for having done something wrong to someone.…