The Wit and Wisdom of Humanity
In my collection of quotations, I have a whole section on proverbs. In addition, I have many quotes under “humor.” Today I’d like to share some of these brief maxims that show our humanity’s collective wisdom and wit. Many of these quotes are anonymous. 1. The world is full of kind people. If you cannot […]
Advent Reflection: The Virtue of Slowing Down
Theologian Doris Donnelly calls Advent “the most difficult season.” She writes, “For all the high drama that surrounds Advent, the truth is we have a hard time getting involved in its mysteries.” She suggest two reasons for this. First, society jumps the gun on Christmas. Retailers start even before Halloween to bombard us with Christmas […]
Prayer of Thanksgiving for All the Seasons of Life
Eternal God, O Timeless One, You tell us: “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven” (Eccl. 3:1). We thank you for all the times and seasons of our lives: A time to be born and a time to die. A time to be young and a time to […]
Why Do We Put People into Categories?
From the moment we are born, we are put into categories. Before gender reveal parties became a fad, someone at your birth would have announced, “It’s a boy!” Or “It’s a girl!” Later we found ourselves in other categories. We were put into Mrs. Toth’s first grade… we rode bus 13… we were in the […]
A Visit to My “Memory Storage Locker”
I rummaged through my “memory storage locker” in my head recently and found these three little stories to share with you today: The Babysitter’s Mite I used to babysit quite a bit growing up. I earned 50 cents an hour back then. One Saturday evening when I was about 13, I babysat three kids from […]
November: A Time to Reflect on Death
November is the month traditionally dedicated to reflecting on death. For those of us living in the northern hemisphere, this is an appropriate time to do this reflecting, for we are experiencing the season of fall. For us, the days are getting shorter, the temperatures are dropping, and the leaves are cascading from the trees. […]
When the Only Way Forward Is Through
We all have times when the way forward seems difficult, frightening, or even impossible. What lies before us (choose your image) is a raging river, a towering mountain, a dark abyss. Perhaps you have suffered a major financial setback… or you’ve gotten some bad news from your doctor… or a relationship you treasured suddenly ends… […]
Things I’ve Come Across Recently
Every now and then I like to list some “things” I’ve come across recently. These are things I’ve heard, seen, read, thought, or just wondered about. They’re in no particular order. 1. The other day I saw a flock of geese take off from a lake in a park. They made quite a bit of […]
Cell 101
One way I grow in my appreciation of who God is, is by regularly reading some good science books and articles. After all, theologians have taught for centuries that we can catch glimpses of our Divine Creator by observing, interacting with, and pondering the natural world. Some theologians went so far as to say: “Creation […]
Three Poems, Three Lessons
Today I’m sharing three poems with you. The first two were written by friends. The last one is mine. I suggest you read these poems aloud and slowly. The first poem called “Shapings” was written by Sister Doreen Strahler (1929-2020). A Sister of Notre Dame, she was an elementary school teacher and principal for many […]