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‘On California’ Is on Vacation

By Charles Taylor Kerchner — December 23, 2014 1 min read
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Just a few nights ago UAL 1530 slipped downward over the expanse of greater Los Angeles lit up like a horizontal Christmas tree. It brought me home safely from the city of my birth, Sandberg’s place of hog butchers, railroads, big shoulders, and best friends. The landmarks of L.A. shone in the storm-cleared air, along with the realization that it was time to pause work and follow the distant star.

I’m in good company here. L.A. is a city of star followers. We don’t have a statue of liberty here, just the vertical light tubes that greet visitors as they arrive at LAX, but we do have the tired and poor who immigrated. Like those who sailed into Ellis Island a century earlier, relatives had written saying that one could make a better life here. And so they come, star followers, all.

I join them. My star involves no material dreams—that time is past—just trying to place myself amid ancient and modern Christian tradition. Deadlines don’t help that quest.

So, there will be new ‘On California’ stories after the New Year and silent nights until.

CTK

Like Chuck, I am looking forward to the New Year. Stay safe and warm, and we’ll be talking with you soon.

DML

The opinions expressed in On California are strictly those of the author(s) and do not reflect the opinions or endorsement of Editorial Projects in Education, or any of its publications.