Last week I attended a memorial service for a very bright, generous and capable young woman. The friends who spoke at the service highlighted wonderful details about her which captured my own sense of her. We celebrated her life and how she managed to touch each one of us. The closing prayer changed that moment. The Reverand stood up and demand we come forward and be saved. We need to accept Jesus Christ as our savior and we needed to do it right then. He said it did not matter if we were Catholic or something else. Only Jesus, his Jesus would lead us to salvation. It was terrifying. I watch around 40 people clammer out of their seats and go forward. He kept calling and calling. Finally, he asked them if they accepted Jesus as their savior. They responded. He stood in front of all of us and said Jesus took these two young people so he could save 40 others.

The cost benefit discussion disturbed me. It frustrated me. This blog will heopfully serve as a means to communicate; to articulate for myself and for others. I turn to Melville and to Montaigne as my guides. Sounds pretentious doesn't it. But both men have served as mentors and as solace ---