The Unclad Soul

I have thought lately about Louis L’Amour’s novel, “The Proving Trail,” the story of a young man who goes off to find his father’s killer.  The journey becomes more about him proving himself than it does proving who his father’s murderer was. Life is often a proving trail. I have a good friend who recently went in for a kind of routine brain surgery, if there is such a thing, only to be told the tumor the doctor thought was harmless turned out to be malignant and the prognosis not good.  A loving husband and father of a darling young daughter he now faces challenging treatments and involved medical procedures.  But his spirits are high and he is determined to beat the odds.  He is a tough, smart guy who loves life and he is walking his proving trail with remarkable courage.  I cheer him on and find in his faith, hope for my own feeble beliefs.  Another dear friend recently came to the awareness that perhaps in her childhood she was sexually ab...

The world of children is a place of wonder and enchantment.  It is also a place of sweet innocence and the testing of things unknown and scary. Ingrid is almost 10 now, only a couple of weeks away.  We are into our summer swimming routine at the White Rock Y.  The pool is crystal clear and it’s never crowded when we are there, which is usually right around noon on Saturdays.  Sometimes we go on Sundays, too, same time and hardly anyone is there.  Most families don’t start to arrive until later in the afternoon.  We like the privacy even if it is hot, which is what summer is supposed to be anyway.  Besides, we put on plenty of sunscreen. Ingrid has steadily learned to swim effortlessly and with great joy.  I put her in classes when she was 2, 3, 4 and 5.  But she really never liked any of them.  The classes were often large and there wasn’t a lot of attention given to any one child. When she was 6 she took private lessons, w...