Many who heard the speech given by our former and present President, felt ill at ease with his sweeping indifference to the worries voiced by the Episcopal Bishop, asking for mercy. Ill at ease is too polite, too soft. People feel angry, upset, and disturbed that someone and his followers would froth at the mouth uttering mockeries and slander and smugness that a person of faith speaks the words of Jesus. I am not Episcopal, but I stand with her. ... Read more
If you follow Christ, you will suffer, but you will suffer joyfully. Not happily mind you, but with a full heart, knowing that your pains, your tears, your agonies, your injuries, your fears, all of it, is united in Christ on the way to, or on the cross. You will know rejection, whether before you are born, or on route to the place of your birth, or after your birth, as a babe, as a child, and as an adult.... Read more
Ten thousand steps, Duo Lingo, did I read, did I study, did I write? Did I do ten push ups? Did I try to do ten sit ups? Routine helps but when I run up to the end of it, I am left with the grief again. It keeps showing up like an unwelcome guest. Why is it hard to think? Where is my energy? What’s for dinner? My brain hopscotches from thought to thought, feeling to feeling, until it... Read more
10) I stink at Dulingo, so don’t ask me anything in spanish. 9) I am reading a book, it’s slow going. 8) I did submit a piece to two places this week. 7) Exercised several days. 6) Studied some for National Board. 5) went to adoration. 4) Wrote several personal essays, of which two I submitted. 3) Sent a letter, reached out to a friend. 2) Visited with my brothers and sister. 1) I am studying for the Praxis on... Read more
So President Elect Trump wants to rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America. As an American, I feel I must apologize. So here goes: I’m sorry Mexico, the Goof of America is busy illustrating how big the gulf is between his understanding of the world and the rest of the known world. However investigators here at Chocolate for Your Brain scoured the District of Columbia to find out what other name changes are under consideration. These are mere... Read more
Over the years, I’ve made resolutions. They include the usuals like losing weight, reading books, and praying more. Some years, I succeeded, other years I failed within a day. Writing wise, I’ve written goals like getting published once a week, writing a book, and being part of the book festival –all of which I’ve made –but also had years where I didn’t. The challenges of resolutions indicate to me that experience of success is no guarantee of success, (writing goals)... Read more
Woodcut by Christian Rohlfs of 1910 The three kings brought gold, frankincense and myrrh. They also brought their faith, their desire to find the king for whom the star in the heavens shone, and their willingness to journey. They sought the Christ. That’s all that is required if we want to be in relation with Him. He already wants that with us. What do we bring? Do we bring Christ our prayers? It gives Him the opportunity to hear our... Read more
2025 is a Jubilee year of hope, declared by Pope Francis. With such years, there are special graces which may be obtained by going through Holy Doors, praying for the Pope’s intentions, making a pilgrimage, and more. I love indulgences because I need all the grace I can get. So when I read up on the opportunities for this coming year, I felt surprised the only place designated in the United States is the National Shrine of the Immaculate... Read more
We don’t spend much time thinking about the three kings or three wise men that journeyed far from their obviously comfortable homes (bringing gold, frankensence and myrr anywhere would have been a pricy and risky endeavor), to follow a star. They found a baby in a manger, a trough used to feed animals, and yet understood in the heart, that this child was more than a child, this was the King of Heaven. Imagine the faith, the trust, the... Read more
Being a parent of older children, I must relearn what I knew when they were little. Saint Therese of Lisieux’s famous saying, “Do little things with great love,” holds, it’s just the little things you do change. As a young mom, I understood, when I got them dressed, I’d clothed the naked. When we served them three meals a day plus miscelaneous snacks, we fed the hungry. Evening trips to deliver cups of water meant giving drink to the thirsty. ... Read more
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