Sometimes it feels to me as if the spirit of the world has darkened, and sometimes it feels as if I am just more aware of the darkness that was here all along. In the past week, three stories have intersected to reinforce my perception of this darkness.  The United States of America has just…

Tuesday, February 25th -- One month ago I got up as usual and went for a three-mile run. After breakfast and my usual preparation at home, I traveled to two of the schools where I coach on the west and north sides of Chicago. I had meetings with a principal, a teacher, and a teacher…