National Poetry Month: April 2026
It’s National Poetry month. To celebrate, I am offering you four short poems–three by friends and one by me. All the poems have a spring theme. I suggest you read each poem aloud, as poetry is meant to be read. The first poem is by Bishop Robert Morneau of Green Bay, Wisconsin. When some of […]
For Easter: The Saving Grace of Humor
Now that we’re celebrating the hope-filled feast of Easter, it is only fitting that we include a little humor in our festivities. For I believe that wholesome laughter can feed our virtue of hope. But I’ll say more about that on another day. For today, I hope these jokes, puns, and funny stories will add […]
The Turtle Story: Reflection for Holy Week
(Eight years ago I posted a true story about a turtle, written by Barbara Brown Taylor. It’s from her book Learning to Walk in the Dark. Here is that story again with a few minor changes. I still believe this story is very fitting for what we celebrate in our rituals during Holy Week and […]
20 Short, Short Quotes about God
One of the most important questions we can ask in life is this: Is there a God? But another more important question is this: What is God like? These are two questions we have to ponder for a lifetime as life presents new experiences for us that can deepen, challenge, modify, or radically alter our […]
“The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry” Part II
Last week I presented a summary of the first part of John Mark Comer’s book, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry. Comer maintains that our current frenetic pace of daily living is having a detrimental effect on our physical, emotional and spiritual well-being. Continual busyness and hurry can harm our health, destroy relationships, and kill joy. […]
“The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry” by John Mark Comer – part I
I just finished reading a fascinating book entitled “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry.” (I want to thank Jen for her enthusiastic recommendation.) The book was so good, I had to exert great self-control NOT to hurry through it! The author, John Mark Comer, was the pastor of a huge mega-church in the suburbs of Portland, […]
The Story of Three Holocaust Babies
The show “60 Minutes” aired a program a couple of weeks ago that touched me deeply. It was entitled, “Three Holocaust Babies.” Leslie Stahl was the narrator. The 26-minute segment tells the incredible story of three pregnant Jewish women who were shipped to Auschwitz. The camp was so huge and tightly controlled, they never met. […]
“Gird Your Loins”
Today we’re going to have a short lesson on a phrase found many times in the Bible: “Gird your loins.” Before sending Jeremiah to be a prophet, God tells him, “Gird your loins” (Jer. 1:17). God also tells Job, “Gird your loins like a man” (Job 38:3). These examples are addressed to men. But when […]
A Lenten Reflection: A Chapel and a Cross
This Wednesday is Ash Wednesday, so I wanted to do something with a Lenten theme. That’s when I decided to reach out to my friend, Sister Kathleen Glavich, SND, a well-known writer and fellow blogger. A while ago she posted a reflection on her blog (“Catholic Faith Corner”) about the chapel here at our SND […]
The 14th Anniversary of My Blog
This week is the 14th anniversary of “Sunflower Seeds.” It was on February 13, 2012 when I posted my first reflection, and waited nervously to see if anyone would read it–besides a few of my friends. To mark this anniversary, I am giving away five free copies of my latest booklet, Walking with Mary through […]