link

His dad was an alcoholic.

A lost sheep.

The bad guy.

That was the portrait of him painted by the conservative religious (Mennonite) culture that Charlie married into, and which was then framed and hung, as it were, on the wall over his son's childhood. Behold your dad.

In his book, Charlie's Boy, Justin travels back through time to his 12th summer, and he meets his dad all over again. Like, who is this guy? Who am I? And he looks this time with a little different eyes.

Eyes that aren't afraid to love his dad.

Under that kind of look, boy how his dad grows! He becomes a living, breathing, human being no frame could ever hold. Charlie steps out from the pages of the book, steps forth from his frame, a free man.

You can find Charlie's Boy here. Look for seller Stauffer and Sons.

-

Song, in part, inspired by Stay In Your Lane by Courtney Barnett.

Hello! This one about how do we become more of who we are more and more grow in time and patience and persistence.

It goes a lot of places: What happens when we die? Is destiny a thing? What about God? Who dat, and what like?

We do some reading too: Moby Dick, Hermetic texts, the Gospel of Matthew.

Also, there's a special guest or two.

-

Works Uncited

Fighting My Demons by Ken Carson (Where da fuck my blunt?)

Meant To Be by Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line (If it's meant to be, it'll be.)

Tie Me Up! Untie Me! by mewithoutYou (I was looking at the leaves climbing to the tops of the trees...)