Author: Jeff Hampton

Change of plans

I was called to the dentist office for a consultation. You see, my dentist and my periodontist – yes, I have two people living in my mouth – are concerned because a long-time gap in my bite has led to wobbly teeth. The two doctors have talked among themselves and I went to the appointment thinking I was going to be given a plan to shore up my mouth and I would learn how long it would take and how much it would cost and we’d schedule it out. But that didn’t happen. Continue reading “Lenten Reflections”

Beware of Formulas

In the past year I’ve submitted some of my short fiction and essays to journals that have periodic competitions and claim to have the eyes and ears of agents and publishers. I’ve not won any prizes, not gained any contacts, but I’ve received a blizzard of emails offering seminars on how to whip my writing into shape. Continue reading “Lenten Reflections”

Who Do You Follow?

It began with a single, soft note . . . a brief pause . . . and then a perfectly formed chord of four, six or even eight notes. And from that single chord a perfectly lovely melody was built, ebbing and flowing, rising and falling, drifting through the symphony hall and into the ears and down into the souls of all who were listening. It was moving and stirring. And it all began with a single, soft note. Continue reading “Lenten Reflections”