Deception makes fools of us all. Yet sometimes the truth hurts so much that we hold back for mercy’s sake. Our human journey can be a treacherous one to be sure. It’s snowing now, very cold, and more snow and lower temperatures are on the way. Our woodstove pipe slipped a […]
Between Worlds
A short story— Shailyn jerked upright in bed, jolted from the other world back into her own. The usual, odd discomfort dogged her as she peeled back the heavy bed covers, then trod to the bathroom for her daily ablutions. I belong there haunted her thoughts as she tugged on her […]
I Lift My Gaze
“That’s what we storytellers do. We restore order with imagination. We instill hope again and again and again.” ~Walt Disney When I heard Walt Disney’s quote in the movie Saving Mr. Banks a few weeks ago, I knew that he had hit upon a powerful truth. Little did I realize at the time […]
Love’s Fire
Last evening, my kids gathered on a far section of our land. We traipsed across a rickety bridge over our ever-widening creek to reach it. Sheltered by old-growth maples, full of tall grass, vines, and brambles, it’s a wild bit of land. The kids worked hard to clear a space […]
So Loved the World
Christmas—the birth of God as human being. What a concept! For my kids’ generation, I have to translate it in terms of an alien coming to Earth, revealing Himself as the seed of human origin. We are more likely to believe in aliens than angels these days. But, be that […]
For Me?
God’s birth comes in many forms… An old woman and her sandwich saved my life. Not that I was starving. I wasn’t. In fact, I hadn’t had an appetite in three days. Moreover, I had no wish to live. She didn’t know that. But, still, she wouldn’t let me die. […]
A Future I Can Count On
The future bewilders me. I never know what’s next. I should be used to that by now. But no. I make a plan and then watch it swirl into oblivion shortly after my first sip of morning coffee. Since I’m off much of social media, I have more time. So, […]
Opportunities
Every now and again, an opportunity strolls up and shakes my hand. Over the years, my response has changed from over-exuberant my-life will-now-be-so-much-better fantasy to a take-it-as-it-comes-live-in-the-moment reality, saving me a great deal of disappointment and offering me a whole new take on life. Recently, I connected with two podcasters, Dick and Jay, who […]
Being able to celebrate new life while grieving death: the Mass made it happen
In our Catholic world, March 25 is the feast of the Annunciation. Yes, this is the day the Holy Spirit came to an innocent, pure teenager in Nazareth and announced to her that God wanted her to be the Mother of the Messiah. Mary said, “Yes.” It was a day to […]
Holy Enough
Everything in life is a cycle. Birth to death, Spring to Winter, river to lake to ocean, seed to fruit, atom to mass to energy, everything. You could say that about the spiritual life also. We haltingly learn the prayers, then receive the sacraments then work at “the life” and […]