Category Archives: Journal

Sharing more about me, less about (almost) everything else

Odors, Experiences, and a Life Without Scent

Posted on March 15, 2025 by Brian H. Gill

How things smell matters. “‘…What’s in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet;…’”(Juliet, “Romeo and Juliet” , Shakespeare (ca. 1597)) “‘Here’s the smell of the blood still: all the perfumes of … Continue reading →

Posted in Family Stories, Journal, Series | Tagged , | 3 Comments

The Eagle, My Father, and the Warehouse

Posted on March 8, 2025 by Brian H. Gill

I remember when the Case building on NP (Northern Pacific) Avenue in Fargo looked the way it did in that photo. I’d better explain. I’m old, but I’m not that old. The F. O. E. (Fraternal Order of Eagles) parade … Continue reading →

Posted in Family Stories, Journal, Series | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

“No Such Thing as a Perfect Family”

Posted on March 4, 2025 by Brian H. Gill

One way or another, I’ve been part of a family all my life: as a child, as a husband and father, as a grandfather. The experience has never been perfect. But I think Pope Francis is right. We do, occasionally, … Continue reading →

Posted in Being Catholic, Journal | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

My Oak Tree and Its Travels

Posted on March 1, 2025 by Brian H. Gill

A happy memory from our time on Buford Avenue in the early 1960s — I talked about that a couple weeks back1 — is planting an acorn from one of the oaks there. An Acorn and Memories Among the many … Continue reading →

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Pope Francis: Somewhat-Good News

Posted on February 21, 2025 by Brian H. Gill

Pope Francis has been popping up in my news feed this week. More accurately, I’ve been seeing the headlines of news items and op-eds inspired by the pope’s current illness — and by culturally-normative assumptions about what popes are and … Continue reading →

Posted in Being Catholic, Journal | Tagged , , | 3 Comments