In the last post, we talked about the damage that rejection and criticism do to a writer’s spirit. Most writers are sensitive, quiet people who are unsure about their calling. So how do you weather the endless rejections from publishers and critics? First, remember the rejection that Jesus received. Imagine […]
Lepidoptera Blessings
The day after hurricane Irma, I marveled at a swallowtail butterfly gliding through my front yard; a graceful, welcome reprieve from the harsh winds of the day before. It was huge, soaring and totally unexpected. This isn’t the first time a butterfly has blessed my day. Happiness is as […]
Catholic Teen Books
Guilds with a small “g” serve as the organs of The Catholic Writers Guild. Small “g” guilds include critique groups, chapters, committees, conference gatherings, and other community-building entities. They encourage the vocation of writing among the member and sometimes, the members venture into parallel enterprises, for example, the organization known […]
Don’t Wanna Hear It!
I suppose that it is easy enough to look at the spiritual journey and get caught up in all of the details of how to get from point “U” (unworthy) to point “H” (Holy). In one form or another everyone understands that as the end game of living the […]
Rejoice! Gospel Meditations, by Louis Evely
Lent invites us to refresh our souls, to refocus our lives, to set things right. Rejoice! by Louis Evely, has a way of growing us out of our comfort zones into the light. It challenges us to lift our crosses and follow Jesus. Evely writes: “There were times when Jesus […]
Something Worth Waiting For
By Janice Lane Palko Advent is upon us – a season of waiting. I hate to admit it, but I’m a bad “waiter.” I’m not too deficient with the day-to-day waiting of standing in line at the grocery store, or cooling my heels at the post office, or idling in […]
The End of It All
In November our Church calls us to remember the remarkable of the Church both recognized (All Saints) and those unrecognized (All Souls). We set up memorial tables, reverence the book of the dead and attend memorial Masses. All the while taking comfort in the idea that we are doing […]
Of Pencils and Love
Isn’t is a curiosity that the most astounding contemporary Saint of our time would choose an image that has nothing to do with who she was? Mother Theresa was in all ways a “doer”. She was the one in the field and getting her hands dirty in places where others […]
Shelter
You may or may not be familiar with the phrase “road trip” depending on your age. That phrase, though, defined a generation and coined many phrases that are in the American lexicon of nostalgia. There was a time when friends or family got into their car and were not perfectly […]
From Bethlehem to Calvary
My parish has many lovely traditions and displays, but one in particular struck me and continues to strike me every year. There is a wooden cross on display outside our church during Lent, and another inside. Both are handmade at our parish each year — from our Christmas trees. At […]