It occurred to me the other night that there are plenty in my family that would have done alright in the Middle Ages. I have a nephew who is a bookmaker – no, his uncles were pretty disappointed when it turned out to be actual books and had nothing to do with horses. He designs actual books: not ebooks, not pdf files, but actual books. My sister is a Catholic chaplain. My brother Crispin, as good a medieval name as you would want to hear, is a distiller. And my father makes stained glass windows. My wife makes her own bread. There are a few leeches in the family – I mean the ones who practice the medical arts. We have a fair amount of builders and designers in the family too along with poets and bards. All of those occupations or professions take a measure of patience and curiosity; a penchant for philosophy and craft (and the ability to see why philosophy and craft go together). Anyhow, I am grateful for being in a big family where everyone is doing good work.
 |
| A window Jim Cain (my dear father) created for an Episcopal Church in Coalinga, CA. |
