Last summer I camped in New Hampshire's Great North Woods with a friend for a couple of days.  We kayaked, hiked, and generally looked for moose.  We went very far into boggy inlets in the kayaks, we walked a ways down the Moose Alley Trail in the dark with our headlamps, and we drove up and down "Moose Alley" several times, hoping to have our lives graced with the presence of one of these immense, fearless creatures. From the top of Mt. Magalloway, I visualized the moose in the bog we…

The memorial service was at a church in my small New England village.  I have driven by it at least twice a day for 15 years but I had never been inside it until today.  Even though I am an atheist, I like churches.  I feel peaceful in the quietness of a church, and I understand that it is sacred to believers.  Somehow that means something to me even if it isn't logical.

This one was simple in design, having the basic pews, pulpit, and crucifix on the back wall.  Being a…