There are only a few things that I remember being smacked for at home - swearing was one of them. I picked up this language in the playground and taught my sister it before tea. My poor parents went spare! As I overhear conversations on trains and in shops there seems littl
Blog: Pictures-Books-Reflections
How many gadgets do we need for living?
Posted on by James Woodward
Well here is my bit of Daily Mail journalism for the month! I sometimes wonder looking around here (and elsewhere) whether we shall ever need to speak to anyone ever again.....
During my search for a book in the library I saw a lad carrying his lap top - probably with the infor
The Last Gift of Time
Posted on by James Woodward
I have turned to some biographical narrative in order to consider how older people themselves narrate the meanings of age. Perhaps it is not surprising to discover that women do this much more creatively (and I think honestly) than men. This short book is quite amazing in its elo
In Praise of…..
Posted on by James Woodward
Johnny Cash!
Thanks to friends I have a recorder which helps me in my research and also gives me the chance to listen to music - I have mastered the art of downloading music - which is a great in the absence of radio and television. My new discovery is Country and Western - (n
Painted Glass
Posted on by James Woodward
You might remember my writing about Washington National Cathedral last month. I was reminded of a funny conversation that I overheard. I should say that it is not difficult to overhear conversations - they speak so loudly here!
Referring to the glass a lady asked 'Do they have t
Ten things you probably didn’t know about Chicago
Posted on by James Woodward
This is the city's flag
Here Wrigley's invented chewing gum
Charlie Chaplin made some of his films here
Adler and Sullivan invented the skyscraper here
The tallest building in America is here
Louis Armstrong recorded some of his work here
This was Al Capone's bac
Who will rule the world?
Posted on by James Woodward
This is a very fascinating race for the White House and the most powerful position in the world. The rules and regulations that surround the election seem to an outsider as very complicated. I get my main US news from CNN and Chicago public Radio. The only thing that I am c
Presbyterian Homes
Posted on by James Woodward
Ever keen to connect with the developing culture of care and housing for older people I am invited to travel north of the city to visit Presbyterian Homes - or more precisely - Westminster Place in Spokie (an Indian word) in Evanston. My guide is Dr Celia Berdes who is the D
Make it Rock – Baby – on Trinity Sunday !
Posted on by James Woodward
Chicago is a segregated city and as you move south from the University of Chicago you move into the heartlands of Black African America where white faces are the exception. I travel half an hour to an Episcopal Church on South Dante Avenue - the Church of Messiah - St Bartholom
Things I like about America
Posted on by James Woodward
Do you understand anybody that exists without making a list or two or even three?? I thought I would offer one by way of a little lighter read:
Here is a list of my top twenty likes -
Coffee
Cheap and efficient public transport
Steak
The American Episcopal Book of
At Seventy
Posted on by James Woodward
At last - a text as rich in wisdom about age as I have seen. May Sarton At Seventy is a journal of the poet and writer's life. She takes us through the ordinary ups and downs of life in Maine starting in on the 3rd of May 1982 (her birthday) and ending a year later.
Jimmy’s: The Woodlawn Tap
Posted on by James Woodward
I am sure some of you may wonder what life is like out here - well it has its ups and downs - things that make one smile and others that bring a slight frown! I was in the library for most of yesterday struggling with a very dense book entitled Narratology: An Introduction to t
Democracy
Posted on by James Woodward
Many of you will be familiar with this face - Dr Madeleine Albright. She was the 64th Secretary of State in the Clinton Government and, at that time, the highest ranking woman in American politics. She has a reputation for no nonsense speaking - and her achievements in Governme
The Beulher Centre on Ageing,Health & Society
Posted on by James Woodward
The Centre is somewhere in this picture!
Part of the joy of sabbatical time is the opportunity to network with people who are leaders in your area. I have tried to balance my interests - pastoral theology; housing and care for older people; Church life and the spiritual j
What is in a story?
Posted on by James Woodward
The rain has stopped and there are promising signs of sunshine - I rise early and have some breakfast in Starbucks which at 6 45am is too full! I share a table with a young black woman who is reading her Bible. This, I have found here, is very common. How many of you have you
St James’ Cathedral Chicago
Posted on by James Woodward
Woken early by the extraordinary amount of rain falling from the sky - and three hours later it is still coming down. I thought it was supposed to be wind on Pentecost Sunday ? I pop upto Starbucks for my morning coffee and look out over the wide roads and cars struggling with t
Cloud Gate
Posted on by James Woodward
I wrote on the 6th May about the Millennium Park in Chicago. Its highlight for me and many others is this sculpture by British Artist Anish Kapoor - his first public outdoor work installed in the United States. A 110 ton elliptical sculpture is forged of a series of highly-polis
North Western University
Posted on by James Woodward
My adventure starts early as I need to get north of the city into a suburb called Evanston - it is the location of this University - a large campus stretching over many acres.
The journey demands that I negotiate the quite complicated public transport system. An overground dou
My Small House
Posted on by James Woodward
How much space do we need in which we can live? How many things do we need for fulfillment? Perhaps most of our lives are cluttered in some way or another - waiting for the next Jumble Sale to off load this and that. I read recently that we only have space for about thirty book
The thing about life is one day you’ll be dead
Posted on by James Woodward
I was going to have a rant about the annual accounts from the Church of England (see news item 6 May on at www.cofe.anglican.org) and how much it costs us to keep Bishops - if someone can explain it to me without causing a minor stroke I should be grateful - but I resist for