I shouldn’t file this report three games into our visit to Jupiter, FL, but I have to face the dire straits that is the Cardinals 2026.

Prior to this  trip I complained to anyone who would listen that

• the Cardinals had no hitting after the Winter shuffle of players. They traded they away their two-thirds of their offense with Wilson Contreras and Brendan Donovan.
• They kept Alec Burleson, because he had three years before becoming a free agent. So good for Alec. He hit a three-run homer on Thursday in a split squad game with the Houston Astros.

The game with the Astros was very promising as the Cards hit four home runs in a 9-4 win. Besides Burleson . . .

• “The other home runs were hit by Yohel Pozo, Jimmy Crooks (a two-run shot) and
• minor-leaguer Jon Jon Gazdar … Gazdar also doubled and scored the go-ahead run as the Cardinals broke a 4-4 tie with a four-run seventh inning” (Five On YOur Side, February 27). It is fun to root for a player named “Jon Jon.” I was sorry he failed in his one plate appearance today.

From there Spring Training took a firm downhill trend.

“The Mets take the Cardinals by an 14-3 score. Cardinals use 11 pitchers to cover 9 innings, giving up 3 HR along the way, coupled with 9 walks.” https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/st-louis-cardinals-game-information/67619/st-louis-cardinals-game-recap-2-27-26-mets-at-cardinals.

One pitcher, who is supposed to be part of the bullpen in 2026 is Tink Hence, recovering from arm surgery. “Hence got in 27 pitches. Some hard-hit balls resulted in a not great line of 3 R, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 HR.” [https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/st-louis-cardinals-game-information/67619/st-louis-cardinals-game-recap-2-27-26-mets-at-cardinals].

• In the I-told-you- so department Nolan Gorman and Jordan Walker hit bupkus in the two games they appeared. Gorman did NOT strike out,  so I should be grateful. Walker looked helpless against the breaking ball and seemed to be in a trance in today’s loss to the Pirates. In this game the Cardinals amassed one run on one hit.
• Kyle Leahy, who was going to make up the pitching rotation, allowed four runs in three innings. Where are you now, Dustin May?
• We were unfortunately surrounded by Pirates fans, who reveled in the 7-1 Pirates victory.

In the Signs of Hope department,

• Nathan Church made a terrific catch in right field on Friday and hit the ball hard. He is definitely on the roster for 2026.
• The recently-signed Ramon Urias vacuumed up every grounder with Nolan-Arenado-efficiency at third base. He did not hit today, but neither did Gorman.
• Brycen Mautz pitched two innings of scoreless ball. He has not been on the radar for the roster, but he looks a lot better than Tink Hence.
• Jo-Jo Romero looked in mid-season form, except for one bad pitch.

Someone predicted Nelson Velasquez would make the team going north. Have not seen him, but he is supposed to have  power. I am desperately looking for power in this line-up, and I sincerely doubt it is coming from Walker or Gorman. Burleson could hit 25 homers this year, but we also need a guy to hit 30-40 home runs to have something other teams could respect.

Right now, the Cardinals are headed for the cellar of the National League Central. That is not a team worth the cost of a ticket. I am not happy with a “rebuilding” year when the home team resides in the cemetery.

I can’t count the number of times people in my life have said, “I wish I had your faith!” I wish I had it, too! Too often my faith was a performance for my own or for someone else’s satisfaction. My friends knew it was a role. They just didn’t have the rudeness or honesty to say it.  It’s like saying, “I wish I had your good taste” while thinking, Where did he get that ugly tie? Faith can become a polite fiction.

I am pretty sure I brandished Christianity for about forty years, because I took faith as the one certainty in my life. Hearing myself say that now sounds nonsensical.  Why do you need faith if you are certain? Yet some Christians take pride that they know their certain future, their questions are answered, and they have no doubts— or they are backsliders.

The Heidelberg Catechism states

True faith is a a sure knowledge whereby I accept as true all that God has revealed to us in his Word.

1 At the same time it is a firm confidence

2 that not only to others, but also to me,

3 God has granted forgiveness of sins, everlasting righteousness, and salvation,

4 out of mere grace, only for the sake of Christ’s merits

These may be articles of faith, but there is nothing about faith that is “sure knowledge” or “firm confidence.”  By definition we have faith in something that is not certain. It is only by our craving for absolute truth that we pervert faith into something that is without any doubt or uncertainty. Rather than a tendency, doubt rises to the level of sin.

I was taught that Peter lacked faith when he stepped out of the boat, walked on the water, and then was afraid of the waves. That was the definition of faith: trusting Jesus no matter what.  Nobody asked what kind of faith was expressed by the disciples who never got out of the boat. That would have been me in that boat! But we assumed that we could learn from Peter and not make the same mistake. We would trust Jesus under any circumstances.

Here’s my version:  Faith is an unnatural act, a shimmering gift–you have it —and then you don’t. You keep reaching for it out of hope– a hope that all you believe is true. Sometimes it is true when you look back and realize it. Sometimes you just forge ahead, understanding that life is a meandering path where you don’t get to see around the corner. Sometimes you are disappointed and cynicism takes hold.  Sometimes you  commit to a belief and your hope is restored.

When Jesus said faith is like “a grain of a mustard seed,”  he wasn’t saying, “A little bit goes a long way.” He said, “It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds perched in its branches” (Luke 13:19). Sometimes that tree is blighted and sometimes it gets a growing spurt. Faith is organic.

The only definition of faith in the scriptures is “faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” .  (Hebrews 12:1, New International Version.) How you understand faith depends on which words you emphasize:

• on the one hand “confidence” and “assurance,” sounds like faith is certainty
• on the other hand, “hope for” and “do not see,” sounds like faith is vulnerable to doubt

You can not choose which part of  a definition you agree with. You have to take the whole thing.  So faith is

• “confidence” as well as “hope;”
•  “assurance” as well as  “what we do not see”

Two things are true at the same time. If you want a water-tight definition of faith, this is not it. Yet it makes sense, because faith can  leak. You may have to bail; you may have to patch. We are in this boat together, along with the rest of the disciples. It’s not so bad when you realize doubt is part of the process, and we all doubt at some point.

The Apostle Paul says,”Who hopes for what they already have?” (Romans 8:24). Now it seems obvious. Who needs faith, when they are already certain?  Faith in a loving God is a comfort, but it is also a risk.

Doubt can be good for faith. Uncertainty can be good for the soul. Both are good for honesty—and humility.

I am not a betting man, but since you can bet on anything that happens in the course of a day, I am going to imagine a bet that the President doubles down on tariffs tonight.  And it is not only because he is a protectionist in his soul, but because he loves to control things.

The power of levying a tariff (unconstitutionally) is so intoxicating that the President will not give it up that easily. You can  push prices higher, you can sink in the polls, you can offend your allies and devoted members of Congress, but you will not give up tariffs, because they feel so good. Nothing since the joy of saying, “You’re fired!” gives that kind of hit, but a public execution of his appointees reflects badly on him. So that particular kick has lost its pleasure.

But not the thrill of socking it to China or Canada or France or any nation that might cross his will. The President doesn’t hide his motives to punish a country, because of some offense, maybe the thwarting of his intentions to annex Greenland, maybe questioning his good faith in negotiating a peace in the Russian-Ukrainian War. Maybe they countered his tariffs in kind. Tariffs on top of tariffs.

The President will not readily return this power to its rightful owners (Congress), because it feels so right to wield it himself. He already responded to the Supreme Court’s decision against his authority to levy tariffs with more tariffs. He also took offense that his appointees  (i.e. Amy Coney Barrett and Neil Gorsuch) had ruled against  him, creating a 6-3 majority in favor of returning his presumed power to Congress. He took the ruling quite personally.

If the Supreme Court takes the front row at the State of  the Union Address tonight they will be right in the line of fire. They will be lucky to avoid a round of buckshot or two. The President does not graciously take slights, justified or not.

I’ll take the odds of 6-3 that the President will insist on his power to levy tariffs tonight. He will struggle against the Constitution and, if he sinks, he’ll take his partisans down with him. Or will a few Republican rebels abandon ship and finally draw the line at “Un-Constitutional?”

Look for the next volley to defend the tariff  against all enemies, foreign or domestic.  As Steven Decatur once said, “Our Tariffs!  In [their]  intercourse with foreign nations may [they] always be in the right; but right or wrong, our Tariffs!” Or something like that.

Suggested  Reading:  I Samuel 8:10-22; II Samuel 12:1-17

Optional:  The Tears of Things, Chapter 4

When the church gets too cozy with political power, it loses is prophetic voice.

Interview with James Talarico, State Representative, candidate for U.S. Senate, February 17, 2026.

Along with Moses, Nathan is the archetypal prophet in the Hebrew scriptures. He is most famous for challenging David for his adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband, Uriah the Hittite. Uriah was known for his extreme loyalty to Israel, despite his nationality.  David arranged for him to die in battle, so that David could marry Bathsheba. It seemed like the perfect cover-up. However, . . .

“The thing that David had done displeased the Lord, and the Lord sent Nathan to David” (II Samuel 12:1). Nathan cleverly tells David a parable of a rich man who compels his poor subject to sacrifice his beloved lamb for a feast honoring a traveler in the king’s court. When David exclaims, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die,” Nathan declares, “You are the man!” David immediately confesses, “I have sinned.” Then Nathan details David’s punishment: his son conceived with Bathsheba will die; he will suffer violence within his own family. Both judgments come to pass in the next chapters of II Samuel.

Many scholars regard this story, among others, as a critique of the role of kings and a check on their authority by the words of the prophet. Earlier, when the people of Israel ask Samuel to anoint a king, he gives a speech about the dangers of giving authority to an earthly authority (I Samuel 8:10-22). Still, the people demand a king, “so we also may be like other nations” (8:20). The follies of King Saul and the sins of David prove the foresight of Samuel when he warned the people about the consequences of forming a monarchy with a political head.

The suspicion of political power permeates the Hebrew scriptures. In the western tradition political power corrupts the spiritual, aesthetic, pedagogical and other idealistic institutions. Only in the Hebrew tradition do we see a spiritual power overruling the political one. The prophet speaks the truth; the king ignores him at his peril. Political domination, then spiritual checkmate.

In the Hebrew tradition the lone prophet seems preferred over the collective of prophets, from the time of Samuel to Elijah and Elisha. If there was a cabinet of prophets, they usually gave the king what he wanted to hear. The lone prophet told the king what he didn’t want to hear. The solo voice was usually the legitimate one, but often dismissed, and sometimes persecuted. Elijah had to deal with the prophets of Baal, Amos had to deal with the priests of “the king’s sanctuary,” Jeremiah was thrown into a cistern by officials of King Zedekiah and left to die.

Jonah, a native son of Israel, predicted the good news of military conquests of King Jeroboam (II) around 786 BCE. He appears only as a vindicator of Jereboam.

Later, around 760 BCE Amos came from Judah to prophesy in Israel. Amos brought the unlikely background of a shepherd and vinedresser from Judah in the south, attending the court of Israel with a very successful king. Moreover, Amos gave this unwelcome message:

See, I am setting a plumb line in the midst of my people Israel;

I will never again pass them by;

the high places of Isaac shall be made desolate,

the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste,

And I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.  (7:8,9)

This warning from Amos announced the judgment of both church and state in the corruption of society.  The “high places” would he recognized by the readers of Amos as illegitimate locations for worship.  The plumb line identifies the standard against which the corruption of the “king’s sanctuaries” is measured.  This prophet brings what Richard Rohr calls a “holy disorder,” or what Senator John Lewis called “good trouble,” against the establishment. Both King Jeroboam II and his complicit priest Amaziah fall under the same judgment.

Amos envisioned what the historical Jonah, son of Amittai, did not: the judgment of Israel for their injustices toward the widows, orphans and aliens. Jonah of the eighth century advocated for the state, while Amos spoke against power.

I saw the Lord standing beside the altar and he said,

Strike the capitals until the thresholds shake,

And shatter upon the heads of all the people;

And those who

are left I will kill with the sword;

not one of them shall flee away

not one of them shall escape (9:1)

Imagine a shepherd and vinedresser speaking to a celebrated king in this manner! We hear nothing of the fate of Amos. At best he said his piece and returned to Judah, where he could no longer harass the king and his priests. Jereboam II’s endorsement of the “high places,” a worship site for cultic gods, echoes with each of his successors over the next 24 years. During that period several Hebrew kings offered bribes to the Assyrian kings of the encroaching army, so they would relent in their inevitable march to Samaria.

The judgment sounded by Amos was fulfilled when the capital city, Samaria, was taken by the Assyrians in 722 BCE. Amos had challenged the king, the enabler of injustice.  He followed in the tradition of Nathan, Elijah and Elisha speaking truth to power. Richard Rohr says the role of a “licensed critic” is uncommon in most cultures. “By nature, civilization is intent on success and building and has little time for self-critique. We disparage the other team and work ceaselessly to prove loyalty to our own” (xiv).

To what extent does Western culture follow this pattern? Do we recognize any prophets today? What prophet challenges the powerful on behalf of the weak? In most Western nations, the spiritual leaders are complicit with powers that be.

How about Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde? She spoke directly to President Trump in a worship service at the National Cathedral, January 21, 2025.  “The president later condemned her as ‘nasty’.” https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jan/24/bishop-mariann-edgar-budde-sermon-that-enraged-donald-trump.

Let me make one final plea, Mr. President. Millions have put their trust in you. As you told the nation yesterday, you have felt the providential hand of a loving God. In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now. There are gay, lesbian and transgender children . . .

And the people who pick our crops and clean our office buildings; who labor in our poultry farms and meat-packing plants; who wash the dishes after we eat in restaurants and work the night shift in hospitals – they may not be citizens or have the proper documentation, but the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals . . ..

Have mercy, Mr. President, on those in our communities whose children fear that their parents will be taken away . . .

Is this the pleading voice of a prophet or disrespect for authority? Who speaks to our leaders, like Nathan the prophet to King David or Amos to King Jeroboam II, to give them a perspective on leadership? Who speaks truth to power?

The President’s Legal Strategy might be described as throwing charges against the wall to see what sticks. It matters less whether it sticks than the splat it makes. After all, judges can lie as much as the next person, so don’t take them seriously— unless they rule in your favor.

In November a group of six U.S. Senators, former military or intelligence officers, posted a video reminding those presently in the service that they were obligated to refuse illegal orders. Senator Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, a former C.I.A. analyst who served multiple tours in Iraq, mentioned in testimony that she was afraid the President would deploy people in the service against American citizens. “Our laws are clear,” said Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, a Navy veteran and former astronaut. “You can refuse illegal orders.”

“SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!” Mr. Trump wrote on his social media site. He shared another person’s post that said, “HANG THEM GEORGE WASHINGTON WOULD !!”

The six were charged with “seditious conspiracy,”  a federal crime involving two or more people agreeing to use force to overthrow, hinder, or oppose the U.S. government, its laws, or seize its property.(18 U.S.C. § 2384).

Senator Kelly was targeted by Defense Secretary Pete Hegstheth, who called for a review of his retirement grade, which could lead to a demotion in rank and reduction in retirement pay. Turning the tables, Senator Kelly asked a federal judge to grant an injunction against Secretary Hegseth’s plan to demote him.

Judge Richard J. Leon of the District Court for the District of Columbia barred Mr. Hegseth and the Pentagon from taking any steps to reduce the senator’s retirement rank and pay, or using the findings against Mr. Kelly in a criminal proceeding. [ https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/12/us/judge-blocks-kelly-punishment]

On some occasions judges cannot resist ruling on the merits of such charges thrown up against the wall. Such was the case of Judge Richard J. Leon of the District Court for the District of Columbia.

He wrote in a 29-page opinion that the Defense Department’s move to discipline Senator Mark Kelly, a retired Navy captain and former astronaut, ran roughshod over his freedom of speech.

Rather than trying to shrink the First Amendment liberties of retired service members, Secretary Hegseth and his fellow Defendants might reflect and be grateful for the wisdom and expertise that retired service members have brought to public discussions and debate on military matters in our Nation over the past 250 years,” he wrote. “If so, they will more fully appreciate why the Founding Fathers made free speech the first Amendment in the Bill of Rights!” [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/12/,etc.]

Whew! That sounds like a lecture on the U.S.Constitution delivered to the sitting Secretary of Defense, who is supposed to know better.   Judges are not obliged to comment on the merits of charges, let alone lecture the Secretary of Defense on his knowledge of the Constitution. Judge Leon couldn’t resist.

Bravo, Judge Leon!  Someone needs to observe how weaponizing Naval law abuses the spirit of that law, even tramples on the Bill of Rights.  Someone should express the frustration of dealing with bogus charges  that insults the judiciary and are thrown up just the “splat.”

It is not enough to enjoin Secretary Hegseth from assuming disciplinary action against  a retired officer for exercising freedom of speech. A few words of discipline are appropriate.  Lawsuits are more than a splat on the wall. They are sincere attempts to enforce justice. Even a sitting President knows that.

So the next time a judge has to rule on another frivolous lawsuit manufactured for retribution, an appropriate lecture on the Constitution should be appended, along with the words, “Reflect and be grateful.”

Even though no one asked, I am glad to offer my offense(ive)  strategies for the Patriots for the Super Bowl. They have no chance against Seattle if they use a conventional plan, since they are going to lose the battle at the line of scrimmage. What they need to do is the opposite of what would be expected on any down.  In some cases, the opposite of the opposite that will be expected.

The philosophy of this is be patient. Accept short gains Don’t allow big losses.

1. Don’t run on first down. A short pass would be confounding, even if it gets just four yards. A quick look-in or a turn-out would give the linebackers frustration.
2. Second down might be a running play, but not to the middle where Seattle is invincible. Bring in an extra tight end and attack the outside. Once they get wise to that, try something else.
3. Misdirection: fake the run and toss a screen pass to the opposite side. Misdirection is the key. Or roll the quarterback to the opposite side.
4. Fake the run and throw long. Like Kyle Williams on a fly pattern. If you throw deep enough it will just be a foot-race for the ball.
5. Send one receiver deep, one button-hook to the sidelines, and hit Stefan Diggs over the middle.
6. Give Stevenson a blocking assignment and then pass to him in space.
7. Designed quarterback draw. After a deep pass, fake the same pattern and send the quarterback up the middle.
8. Fake double reverse.  Get  Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson in the backfield and fake one of them in a double reverse, sending the first ball carrier around end.
9. Fake one rusher off left tackle and Mayes keeps the ball and rolls to the right and keep rolling.
10. After trying at least two of these options, run off tackle.

I like anything that is not predictable. Lots of misdirection, passing on first down. quarterback options, flea flicker, anything to keep Seattle defense off balance. Never run off-tackle on first down. Find lots of short passing routes. Bring the running backs out of the backfield. Throw long on first or third downs. React to whatever the defense gives you.

Some of this is obvious, but I have had enough of running into the line on first down, as if this time you will gain four yards. I have had enough of getting greedy on third down, as if that will surprise the safeties. Do the opposite and then do the opposite of the opposite.

I’m pretty sure the offensive coaches have thought of these ideas, but this time, do them!

Some think that a baseball team is only a business. I believe a baseball team has a fragile soul that has to be cultivated. Yes, the team has to make money, but you can make money and still protect the soul.

The Cardinals have sold their soul to the “grow-’em -until-you-have-to pay-em” philosophy. In this business model you develop young players until they are eligible for free agency. Then you down-size. No player stays with the team for more than six years, because they are less affordable then.  Most will be moved earlier to refill the coffers with fresh assets. That’s how the Cardinals lost Wilson Contreras, Nolan Arenado, and Brendan Donovan. They all wanted to play for this team, but they had become a financial liability. The Cardinals sold their soul to the talent market.

Arenado is grateful to play for a team that is playoff bound, but he would have  preferred to play for the Cardinals. Contreras wanted to stay, but the Cards had a surplus of catchers and first basemen on their shelves.  He led the team in home runs and played a serviceable first base. Donovan had put down roots in the community. He played wherever they asked him to play, and he did it well. These guys were the soul of the team. They left a void in the soul that will not soon be refilled.

The Cardinals brought untested talent to replace them, but they could not preserve the soul. The new players are only here until they become free agents, because then they will cost too much. That will leave holes again to be filled with untested talent. The team loses its identity, and the fans lose their heroes, but, hey, it’s a business..

With the trade of Brendan Donovan the St.Louis Cardinals have now emptied their roster of every consistent hitter, except Alex Burleson, to contribute to the lackluster offense. The jury is out on all the pitching prospects, but suffice it to say, there are none with proven experience to be a number 1 pitcher.

But we know a few things about the offense: it has no pop, it has no one to hit for average, and it retains some of the worst strikeout hitters on the team.

These three masters-of-the-strikeout project to be starters in 2026

Name                Strikeouts Per At-Bat

Nolan Gorman         .387

Jordan Walker         .347

Thomas Sagghese    .302

And, by the way, the last hitter they traded  .   . . .

Brendan Donovan    .146

Strikeouts are the least productive and the most pathetic hole in the offense. Based on the last three years’ performances, there is little reason to think these three players will turn it around this year. There is nothing more disheartening than to see any of these three come to the plate with men on base.  It is draining to keep hoping they will mature as hitters.

The Cardinals have no punch in their remaining starters. Contreras was their best home run threat, with 20 in 2025, before he was jettisoned. They desperately need at least one hitter who can produce thirty home runs per year. You can ‘t be a playoff team without a serious home run threat. You can no longer win consistently by manufacturing runs.

The outfield is particularly anemic. With Alec Burleson at first base that leaves Lars Nootbar, Victor Scott, and Jordan Walker in the outfield. Nootbar had 13 home runs, Walker 6 and Scott 5 in 2025.  Scott, at least, shows some development as a hitter and has  a pulse-pounding command of center field. Nootbar has always been a work in progress. He does not strike out much, but he cannot stay healthy long enough to be a reliable contributor.  Walker has never proven he can hit Major League hitting. If these three ever develop their home run potential, they will soon become free agents and highly marketable.

Springtime is always the season of hope for a baseball team. Maybe the Cardinals will unveil some remarkable hitters, some surprising pitchers. That would be fun. But fans won’t have a history with those players, and they never will. Those players will be grist for the market where other teams thrive. That is sad for fans that want a team with a soul. That will not put butts in seats. How long before the Cardinals realize this?

Sometimes I worry that my gratitude is really presumption of deserving a life better than those less fortunate. I give thanks, not heedless of terrorized fellow citizens, the cold and hungry, the suffering of the sick, the victims of poverty and bereavement. In spite of all this I am grateful:

• To be seventy-seven and healthier than I expected to be
• To be married to a kind, thoughtful spouse, just as old, even healthier
• That together we cleared (the important half of) our driveway of eight inches of snow yesterday
• That my back is not complaining today
• To savor Victoria’s rich and spicy bean soup, her Cincinnati chili, her spicy enchiladas
• To enjoy the first cup of strong, dark coffee
• To inhale Victoria’s sugar-free apple pie or any dessert that lacks cane sugar
• To share the predictability of our upbringings in evangelical churches
• To share our favorite authors, especially Richard Rohr, John Meacham,  A.J. Levine
• To watch together anything produced by Ken Burns.
• To share our space with bluebirds, cardinals, red-breasted woodpeckers, does, bucks and fawns.
• To share the unbearable suspense of “Severance,” “Down Cemetery Road,” Slow Horses,” “Maigret,” “Pluribus”
• To enjoy the carnal
• That I am warm and housed in zero-degree weather
• That I can now write as much as I like, and I still like it.
• To have started a Writer’s group that kept going through the pandemic and is still active today
• To know writers who love each other even more than they love to write
• To sing in worship-choral, congregational, devotional- e.g. “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing,” mostly with tears of gratitude
• To read and reflect on the books and meditations of Father Richard Rohr
• To learn from those struggling with faith in Brian McLaren’s Faith After Doubt and Do I Stay Christian?
• To read and reflect on the Emergent Church from Phyllis Tickle and sociologists Gerardo Marti and Gladys Caniel
• To read and reflect on the novels of Matthew Quick and Angie Thomas
• To assimilate the beautiful and the profound in the Psalms, Isaiah, Jonah, the  Gospel of Luke
• To witness the performances of rehabilitated inmates in Prison Performing Arts
• To meet PPA actors and learn their stories
• To be studying and learning from the prophets of yesterday and today
• To believe that another prophet (s) will step up in the fullness of time
• To have traveled more widely in the last seven years than I did in my entire sixty years before
  • especially places where you can walk to everything: Hanalei, Santa Fe, Savannah, San Antonio, Assisi, Williamsburg, much of New Orleans.
• To anticipate every spring a transformed baseball team, esp. the Cardinals, esp. at Spring Training
• To see a center fielder run down a ball in deep center
• To see a pitcher working fast and throwing strikes
• To be present at any baseball game
• To have a stomach that tolerates my excesses with spicy foods
• To devour any cheesy pizza, esp. Mellow Mushroom, Dewey’s and Vito’s (spicy)
• To imbibe the joy of Porter and Stout, especially at Heavy Riff, Third Wheel pubs and from “Total Wine and More”
• To savor my brother-in-law’s sugar-free peanut butter cookies
• To eat peanut butter with almost anything
• For indulgent readers – every writer’s dream
• For you, if you got this far in a litany of indulgences

I apologize that this has degenerated to the very personal and self-indulgent litany of joy. In my defense, it was very good for me.

I would add one gratitude that divine generosity probably did not supervise:

The Patriots are going to the Super Bowl!

Why shouldn’t I be among the first to wish America a happy 250th?  It is a good time to get perspective from the bottom of the curve.

We have much to celebrate. A nation

1.  Founded by people who took unimaginable risks to sail to the edge of the known world
2. Inhabited by misunderstood, but spiritual indigenous people. Some had ventured a democratic government.
3. Settled by diverse white people, from the traditional, more British traditions, to the religious outsiders: the Puritans, Quakers, Catholics
4. Sharing the principle that government was by the consent of the governed.
5. Of compromising people who merged the agricultural anglophiles with the mercantile congregationalists to forge a Declaration of Independence and a Constitution.
6. Of industrious people who worked the soil and founded small businesses.
7. Of intellectual people who adopted the best principles of the Enlightenment in their government
8. Of equitable people who saw the dangers of an established church and guaranteed religious freedom.
9. Of literate citizens who guaranteed freedom of expression in journalism, speech, and assembly.
10. Of inspired people who devised government, economy, and religious toleration appropriate for a new continent

And that is only the first fifty years, but it makes you thankful for a good beginning.

To be fair, the nation did not get it all right.

1. Colonists did not always value religious freedom. They persecuted the Baptists, the Catholics, the Quakers, the Anabaptists.
2. Colonists drove the native people from their land by violence and white supremacy.
3. Terrorists attacked a British mercantile ship and called it a “Tea Party.”
4. Loyalists were persecuted during the Revolutionary War.
5. Politicians wrote vicious attacks on each other, usually anonymously.
6. The right to vote was restricted by property ownership, race, gender, other local requirements.
7. An economy was developed based on slave labor.
8. One human race was qualified as 3/5 of a person.
9. Immigrants were targeted by the Alien and Sedition Act
10.  Justice was sometimes short-circuited by lynching and tar and feathering

Just as you can love a spouse with all their “flaws,” you can love your country with its mixed record on democracy and justice.  Just as in marital bless, you probably discuss the flaws and find out where you’re wrong. Or occasionally you recognize together how your relationship can be improved.

We do not have to protect a strong relationship by denying its flaws. No one should be ashamed if the United States is viewed with a critical eye. If it can’t take criticism it is a fragile system indeed. We did not come this far without Amendments to the Constitution. We did not (usually)pass legislation without compromise.  If we disrespected our rivals, it drove us to deadlocks, even wars. But we did not sanction mean criticism or blatant prejudice.

If we are going to celebrate the glory of the United States, let’s be humble enough to admit its flaws. Don’t be the married couple that never had a disagreement or a fight. Be the honest citizens who love their country for  all its faults. That’s how you celebrate an anniversary.