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Barbara Falconer Newhall

Veteran journalist Barbara Falconer Newhall riffs on life as she knows it.

  • A CASE OF THE HUMAN CONDITION
  • MY EVER-CHANGING FAMILY
  • WRITING & READING
  • MY ROCKY SPIRITUAL JOURNEY
  • WIDOWED
  • FUNNY BUTTON

DON'T MISS!

I've written hundreds and hundreds of posts over the years. To help you find your way to the best of the best, I've tagged my favorites "Don't Miss!" Scroll down here to find them.

Another way to locate Riffs on Life that you might enjoy is to click above on your favorite category – "My Ever-Changing Family," perhaps, or "Funny Button." You can also use the search box located way up top to hunt for stories by topic. There's fun reading at "garden," "aging," "kids" and, of course, "Jon."

Journalist Kay Campbell: ‘WWG Bows to the Enduring Mystery of the Universe’

August 6, 2015 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Barbara Falconer Newhall's book Wrestling with God: Stories of Doubt and Faith on sale at Book Passage bookstore, Corte Madera, California. Photo by Barbara Newhall

My Religion Newswriters Association colleague Kay Campbell says this about Wrestling with God: Stories of Doubt and Faith. Read more.

Dying Jesus . . . Dying Churches?

July 23, 2015 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

The flogging of Jesus Christ, and crucifixion, a painting at the Melk Abbey, Austria. Photo by Barbara Newhall

I saw a lot of Jesus in the old European churches I visited last month. Sad to say, in church after church, Jesus was almost always dead or dying. Read more.

Atticus Finch — Meet Mother Emanuel

July 14, 2015 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

My copy of "Go Set a Watchman" on the counter of my local bookstore. Atticus Finch story. Photo by Barbara Newhall

“Go Set a Watchman” didn’t have a craft problem. It had a theme problem – in the character of a bigoted Atticus Finch. Read more.

Cheap Thrills at the Glasmuseum Passau — Outrageous, Over-the-Top Decorative Glass.

July 2, 2015 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Decorative glass circa 1835-1845. Bohemia. Round plate with amber Painted glass with chinoiserie motifs. glasmuseum passau. photo by barbara newhall

Spotted at the labyrinthine Glasmuseum Passau — wonderfully outrageous, phantasmagoric decorative glass. Gotta share it with you. Take a look. Cheap thrills. Read more.

I’m a Studs Terkel Wannabe — He Captured American Voices

June 25, 2015 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Author Studs Terkel with books in background.

It was Studs Terkel’s oral histories that inspired me to record the voices of Americans talking about God. Read more.

Retired Is a State of Mind — Six Ways to Know If You’re There Yet

June 18, 2015 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

A trail alongside Bon Tempe Lake in Marin county, California. Photo by Barbara Newhall

Retired is a state of mind. Not a state of paycheck or work schedule or commute or how much time you spend at the office. Read more.

Was That Old Testament God Just Trying to Keep Us in the Game?

June 11, 2015 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Monopoly game board.. As played by that Old testament God?

The fiery, judgmental God of the Old Testament and Hebrew Scripture had a redeeming quality that he shared with my persistent little son Peter. Read more.

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LET’S CONNECT

ON THE FUNNY SIDE

A Dream About Wrestling With — Uh, Who Was That Anyway?

A dream about wrestling. Detail of a column in the Wurzburg Cathedral, shaped in a knot. Photo by Barbara Newhall

I had a dream about wrestling the other night. Was it a message from my deep psyche — or the heights of heaven? Read more.

MORE "ON THE FUNNY SIDE"

CATEGORIES

  • A Case of the Human Condition
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  • My Rocky Spiritual Journey

 
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TO MY READERS

Please feel free to share links to my posts with one and all and to quote briefly from them in your own writing, remembering, of course, to attribute the quote to me and to provide a link back to this site.

My Oakland Tribune columns, btw, are reprinted by permission of the Trib. With the exception of review copies of books, I do not accept ads or freebies of any kind. Click on the "Contact" button if you have questions. Enjoy!

 

DON’T MISS!

2024-calendar

Here Comes Another Year!

Winter Solstice — My Mother’s Last Words to Me Before She Died

author Barbara Falconer Newehall has stopped coloring and dying her hair so that the white hair now shows. Photo by Barbara Newhall

My Brand-New White Hair. It’s Real. It’s Scary. But I Kinda Like It

sunny-cheerful-airbnb-house

Widowed: I Don’t Like My Life

MORE DON'T MISS!

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