The beloved fantasy author, J. R. R. Tolkien invented a word: Eucatastrophe. Even spell-check knows it, which is quite impressive. The word is a combination of the Greek prefix  eu — meaning good—and catastrophe, which is not exactly what you might imagine. Catastrophe  in a literary sense is like an epic plot twist. So—a good plot-twist. Or, in the words of Tolkien, “a sudden, joyous turn.”  I’d been borrowing Tolkien’s invented word for this month’s speaking engagements, th

My father-in-law and I had a lot in common. Both firstborn. Introverts. Students of the Bible. Lovers of nature. Both of us extremely conscientious, to a fault. I could relate to many of Erle’s passions, as well as his struggles. I understood the weight of pressure he felt. Pressure to please and achieve, to perfect and perform.  The day Erle died I witnessed an exchange between my husband and his brother that was especially profound. Kyle said, “This is what I imagine happen

Today's post was written by my husband, Kyle, in memory of his dad. Erle K. Anderson passed away on Friday, December 5, 2025, at age 88. Alzheimer's disease is a great robber of memories. Not only the memory of the one suffering, but sadly, our own memories of the man who was. I’d like to take a few minutes to help us all remember who my dad was and how he influenced us. D ad often referred to himself in the 3 rd person as E. Kermit. I think this was his way of sort of step