Outside the sun shines on still-green grass while glistening spider webs rock in a gentle breeze. Dead, prickly flower heads bob on brown stems while clusters of rust-colored oak leaves rattle against the bare branches of neighboring trees. Even the indoor plants oppose each other in stark contrast. My green […]
We’re on the Same Island
Though I do believe that John Donne was right, “No man is an island,” since we are all connected to the God who made us, I must also toss in a clarification: suffering can separate us in ways that islands don‘t dare to dream. For the past several months, I’ve […]
Emerging from the Cocoon
Image: Pexels.com (2016), CC0/PD Featured on CatholicMom.com I closed my eyes and found myself in a cocoon — the coronavirus cocoon of isolation. Where was the familiar life I knew yesterday? Here God wrapped me in his protection by confining me to a small space and captivating my heart. Instinctively, I struggled […]
Loneliness and Thanksgiving: Thoughts from a Catholic man
God is the answer, because without Him there is no hope By Larry Peterson Loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted is the most terrible poverty. (St. Teresa of Calcutta) This will be the third Thanksgiving since my wife passed away, and when you become widowed, there is an inescapable loneliness […]
CWG Book Blast: “10 Steps to Girlfriend Status (Bird Face book two),” by Cynthia T. Toney
This month, the Catholic Writers’ Guild is touring Guildie Cynthia Toney’s book, “10 Steps to Girlfriend Status (Bird Face book two)“ It is a SOA winner. Teaser: When Wendy questions her neighbor about one 1960s photograph, she opens the door to triple trouble—a Cajun family secret, feelings for two very different […]
My Yearly Faith Challenge: The Annual Prostate Exam
October was Breast Cancer Awareness Month across the nation. This is a good and noble fight and I am glad that “pink” is everywhere down to the shoes and wrist bands the NFL players wear to the pink bats MLB players use. But I would like to share about a […]
Healing Our Decembers
Tears flowed freely during the meeting with my spiritual director, Sandy, as I shared with her the pain I was feeling. “December is here,” I said. “I get such a wave of anxiety and grief at this time of year.” Somehow, I have a hunch I’m not alone in experiencing […]
Another Secular Triumph–Helping Laura Kill Herself
Her name is Laura and she is 24 years old. She is a healthy woman who lives in Belgium. She wants to die. Why does she want to die? Because, as she says, “Life, that’s not for me.” My initial thoughts were that this young woman is severely depressed or […]
Presence
It’s been years. She’s desperate; her money gone, her health still declining. She has no hope, no relief and wellness seems to be an impossibility. Doubled over, in a crowd that is abuzz on the dusty streets she becomes part of the mayhem and a crazy idea flickers in her […]