Boxwood Beads   I love medieval art — on a grand scale, of course, the gothic cathedrals and castles, the abbeys and chapels, all those vast tapestries of battle scenes of chainmail heroes on mighty steeds and fleets of sailing ships bound for adventure, and stained-glass windows that paint with light, made to outlast time itself and sure that God will prevail. But miniatures are what I love the most — I picture nameless troubadours who turned their passions into miracles of rhyme, tonsured monks, vessels of the Holy Ghost, carving boxwood rosary beads while burning with quiet fire. God knows they took their time.     © Michael Fleming Dummerston, Vermont April 2026