- By Melannie Svoboda SND
Brandon Chrostowski, founder of Edwins Restaurant in Cleveland, Ohio, knows all about second chances. At 18, he was arrested for dealing drugs and was facing five to ten years in prison. Instead, the judge gave him probation. Because of this second chance, Brandon turned his life around. He went back
- By Melannie Svoboda SND
Years ago, a good friend recommended that I read a book on Australia called In a Sunburned Country. It was written by Bill Bryson whose most famous travel book is Into the Woods, the best seller on the Appalachian Trail. Bryson was born in Iowa but lived for 20 years
- By Melannie Svoboda SND
Sometimes I come across a single paragraph that stops me in my tracks. A paragraph that forces me to go back and read it again—and maybe even again. Today I’d like to share one such paragraph with you that I found in the book, The Luminous Web, by Barbara Brown
- By Melannie Svoboda SND
To celebrate Labor Day, I am devoting today’s post to humor. I do this occasionally, because I firmly believe we must never lose our sense of humor. We can let go of many other things—our youth, our good looks, our dreams of winning the lottery, and even our perfect health—and
- By Melannie Svoboda SND
Occasionally I like to showcase the writing of others on my blog, sometimes by name, sometimes anonymously. Here is a short piece by a friend who wishes to remain anonymous. She was the primary caregiver for her mother in her final years. When she shared with me this excerpt from
- By Melannie Svoboda SND
I like to sing. I always have. As little girls, my sister and I used to sing duets in harmony. Our favorites were “Harbor Lights” and “You Belong to Me.” I sang in the children’s choir at our parish, in our high school glee club, and now in the choir
- By Melannie Svoboda SND
When I ask friends out to lunch, I ask them to pick a second date too. That way, in case something unexpected comes up for one of us, we have another date to fall back on. I learned long ago, when making plans, it’s always good to have a Plan
- By Melannie Svoboda SND
Recently I lost another friend. She was Judy Moore. Reverend Judy Moore, an Episcopal priest whose final years were spent ministering in Albuquerque, NM. My friendship with Judy goes way way back to 1951 when we first met in second grade at James A. Garfield School in Willoughby Hills, Ohio.
- By Melannie Svoboda SND
We hear enough these days about people doing mean or bad things: bullying a classmate, stealing from the elderly, driving recklessly, cheating the government, throwing garbage in a river, vandalizing a historic building. People doing bad things often makes the news. So today, let’s focus on true stories about ordinary
- By Melannie Svoboda SND
Holy Envy: Finding God in the Faith of Others is another inspiring book by Barbara Brown Taylor. You may recall, she is an Episcopal priest who, after years as a pastor, moved into the world of Academia beginning with Piedmont University in Demorest, Georgia. There for years she taught a
