Ash Wednesday teaches us that the ashes of repentance must precede the triumph of Palm Sunday and the joy of the Resurrection.

Our homesickness made us vulnerable, open to the wisdom and nourishment of the Advent season.

When I read Berry’s poems and essays, I sense he and I are kindred spirits. But when I consider family tales of shattered relationships, addiction, and mental illness buried under agrarian beauty, I’m troubled by the evils Berry chooses to overlook.