First of all, I must apologize for such a long radio silence. While I am not the most prolific poster among our distinguished faculty, I do try to post more frequently than I have of late. As many of you know, I live in western North Carolina, a region hard hit by Hurricane Helene on September 27. Since that time, I have           been trying to collect my thoughts to share as well as my thanks for those of you who have been thinking of and praying for those in our region who have been so severely affected over the last few months and who are still struggling. Unfortunately, I have had trouble doing just that, both due to the new constraints on my time and my own lack of mental focus. But as we approach the end of the year, I wanted to finally share the experience of the storm and of the remarkable generosity and support that I have witnessed here in the mountains of western North Carolina. [Read more…]