Cottage On Turner

Dear Friends, It's August, and I'm still thinking about America250 over here. One of the freedoms outlined in the Bill of Rights (adopted to the US Constitution in 1791), in particular: That Congress shall make no law against a peaceable assembly of citizens. One of America’s superpowers is the right to assemble. We often think about that in political terms (I’m sadly thinking of riots; but rebellion against real oppression can bring forth goodness, too, I think). Assembly can also be more...

Dear Friends, Well, it’s July and we’re heading into the America250 weekend. It has me thinking about the nation’s founding and the yearning of the human heart. The United States of America was founded on a promise and as citizens, not subjects, it is our duty to lean into those promises. I’m reading Jeff Shaara’s This Glorious Cause currently and it is reminding me of the struggle and sacrifice of ordinary people being called to an extraordinary mission. What is it? Can I do it? Should I...

Dear Friends, As we approach the summer months of Michigan, I have been reflecting on the ideas of Work vs. Recreation vs… leisure. We have an idea of what work is here at The Cottage. Recreation or amusements– I can name a few (baseball, apple pie, napping on the beach). But leisure? Isn’t that the same as recreation, resting? Aristotle viewed leisure as a cultivation of virtuous activity in mind, spirit, and character. He drew a distinction between recreation and leisure in that...