Some of my family members were uneasy at the thought of standing up at my mother’s memorial mass to read from the Bible, a document they didn’t believe in. I told them I thought belief was seriously overrated.
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."
The Somethingists — They Don’t Believe in God, but They Do Believe in . . . Something
[caption id="attachment_1163" align="aligncenter" width="427"]
The Helix Nebula. NASA Photo.[/caption]
The Helix Nebula. NASA Photo.[/caption]
Good news for those of us – count me in – who aren’t at all sure of what God is like. It’s called Somethingism. Read more.
The Rise of the “Nones” – Young Americans Are Doing Without Church
I was in Bethesda, Maryland, for the annual Religion Newswriters Association conference last weekend. Here’s what I found out about the religiously unaffiliated in America. Read more.
When Your Kids Don’t Fight — Enough
My children do not tease each other like the normal sibling pair. They are nice to each other. I worry. Where did Jon and I go wrong?
Amazing Clay — More Wonderful Stuff from the Berkeley Art Center Show
Some more wonderful stuff made of clay by three artists featured in the show, "Local Treasures: Bay Area Ceramics," at the Berkeley Art Center through Nov. 18 — Wanxin Zhang, Ted Fullwood and Clayton Bailey. Read more.
Ceramics Envy at the Berkeley Art Center — I Want to Get My Hands into that Earthy, Messy, Squishy Clay
I’m a writer, but whenever I visit my friend Nancy Selvin’s ceramics studio, I wonder whether I’d rather be working with something more tangible than words and ideas — like clay.
Religion Scholar Huston Smith at 93 — ‘Be Happy!’
Ninety-three-year-old Huston Smith rolled into the Sagrada bookstore in Oakland, California, in a push wheelchair the other day, ready to do what he does best – say something. At 93 and plagued as he is by hearing loss, weakened eyesight and debilitating osteoporosis, you’d think the popular author and religion scholar would be ready to take it easy. Not so. Read more.