A Whole Street of Houses, Stirred With A Spoon

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“ And by this time they were come up to the great iron gates in front of the house; and Tom stared through them at the rhododendrons and azaleas, which were all in flower; and then at the house itself, and wondered how many chimneys there were in it, and how long ago it was built, and what was the man’s name that built it, and whether he got much money for his job? These last were very difficult questions to answer. For Harthover had been built at ninety different times, and in nineteen different styles, and looked as if somebody had built a whole street of houses of every imaginable shape, and then stirred them together with a spoon.” —The Water-Babies, by Charles Kingsley. Ch.1 (1863)

Virtuous Living

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Across the front of my rolltop desk, in front of pictures of my mother and step-mother and a sundry other items, one finds eight medallions on display. The first medallion is the "keystone", if you will, that unlocks the meaning of the other seven. These days of uncertainty and upheaval, both personally and worldwide, have driven me to meditate on that first medallion. It reminds me that when one acts according to wisdom (truth), one is emboldened with courage and self-control to do what is right (justice).

It is not my intent to debate the number of virtues or begin some deep discussion of ethics or the nature of "good." I intend to stress that living in pursuit of these four virtues while job hunting, while grandbaby sitting, while thinking as I mow the lawn, as I try to maintain the six-foot rule at Walmart, good occurs and I am content and find peace.


One would be hard-pressed to find anything better than wisdom (truth), self-control, courage and justice--but if one finds anything better, then abandon these and follow that.

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