Ed.: As is her regular habit, Katie does not disappoint. Thanks Katie! After the fanfare of the holidays, I always like to jump into as many new projects, books, films and interests as possible to combat the lack of sun during these early winter months. English poet Swinburne is one […]
Poetry Sunday – from Katie O’Neil
Early December is such a great time, you can really enjoy the stirrings of winter without being too cold and buried under snow. Some quotes about winter are “What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness” [John Steinbeck, Travels with Charley: In […]
Fleeting Opportunity
Most of us are familiar with the story of the Good Samaritan and his extraordinary generosity. He is greatly touted because of the service he offers to a foreigner who has been ignored by high church officials. The story mentions others, however, that are almost forgotten in light of the […]
Not Quite Perfect
We all go through our trials and tribulations. At different ages the trials and tribulations change. It sometimes seems that the more grown up we get, the more complicated our trials get. The more stuff we have, the more things there are that can go wrong. As we age, we […]
When Healing is a Crisis
I’ve been retired a while now. I still suffer from the “know it allness” of being a teacher for thirty-five years. If you know any of us, please be patient. It’s hard to give up something that you have done for most of your life. In this journey of living, […]
Poetry Sunday and Injun Summer
For years the Chicago Tribune ran this piece every Fall as the feature on the front page, above the fold. It was kind of the “unofficial/official” end of Summer. I loved the tradition every year. The snippet from Longfellow is just a bonus, enjoy! From his pipe the smoke […]
The Choice of Grace
What is it? Can you figure it out? It’s undeniably there! Oh, sorry, but those are the thoughts that run through my head any time I witness Francis engage his people. A few days ago he actually participated in a TV interview and talked (via video link) with real people […]
In the Middle of It
The last few weeks have been crazy. So many things seem to have just gone “round the bend” in our current culture. The Supreme Court has re-defined marriage in a decision that is just as crazy as Roe. The tenth circuit has declared that the Little Sisters of the Poor […]
By a Thread
What would it take for you to physically plunge into a crowd, at risk of great personal embarrassment, just to get a one in a million chance to touch the most famous person of your day? Desperation mixed with some frustration. It was financial ruin, total loss of health and […]
The Importance of Syncing!
Do you have the Galaxy Note 7? Are you Synced? Do these questions confuse you? Syncing has nothing to do with the dinner dishes. Rather, it is a word that the “young people” understand as a regular in their vocabulary. You know, those people who do not know what a turn table is, who […]