I’m beginning to think there’s a lot more that goes into being faithful than what I once thought. It’s about perseverance when I’d rather take a nap. It’s about trust when I’d like to call in all those favors I’ve done for others, strong-arm when necessary. It’s about dying to myself for my kids, the grandkids, my husband, my parish family – for Jesus Christ in the Eucharist in the monstrance in the middle of the night when someone needs a... Read more
I’m not ready. I’d rather stay here, in this house. The company left yesterday. It’s time to begin taking down Christmas and getting on with Ordinary Time. But I am dragging my feet. I enjoyed it, and now I’m clinging to it. I’d like to keep it a few more days – maybe forever. Not the flu I caught over Christmas despite the flu shot in October. But the rest. The baking, the hostessing, the linen changing for guests, the... Read more
Audrey and I were good friends when we were young. In high school, our paths didn’t cross very often as we simply didn’t have many classes together. But in middle school, things were different. On one occasion, she came to my house, and we ended up at the church. That wasn’t so odd, because my brother and sister and I were in the church quite often after hours. It was almost a second home (since our dad was pastor there).... Read more
In the mid-1990s, my father took a new pastorate in Illinois. The Presbyterian congregation had suffered great loss in membership when a new, independent, charismatic church opened its doors for business and began recruiting members from the rosters of local parishes (from all denominations and even the local Catholic parish). Dad had a challenge on his hands. How does one keep parishioners excited about remaining Presbyterian when there was so much excitement about what was happening just down the street... Read more
Last night, before the snow began falling, my husband and I went to a Twelfth Night Christmas party. The night was something from a dream. We revisited a home we had not seen in seventeen years and talked with professors we knew in graduate school. And I had the thought before the party began, before we even left our home – what if we stepped across the threshold and suddenly were transformed into the people who met and married seventeen... Read more
I’m fascinated by Elizabeth Ann Seton for a number of reasons. One, she’s a convert to the Catholic Church. Two, her grandfather – if I remember correctly – was an Anglican minister. Three, she was tough in the face of loss. Her mother died. Her father died. Her husband died. Two of her children died. Her sisters died. I probably would have wanted to die too. But not Elizabeth Seton. Instead, she grabbed hold of the grace she found in... Read more
1. This year, learn one new hobby. Try to make it a time-honored craft, like knitting, crocheting, Artisan bread-making, rug-hooking, candy-making, or painting. (If you already are proficient at one of these, pass your knowledge on to another!) Your new skill should be personally entertaining, but it should also be something that you can utilize as a gift-giving source. 2. Make your own disinfecting cleaning wipes. Cut a roll of quality paper towel in half using a serrated knife. Insert... Read more
It’s the excitement I used to feel when I was a child and it was time for the Children’s Film Festival on Saturday morning. The cartoons were over, and that was okay because Kukla, Fran and Ollie were about to present a movie. That’s where I met Heidi. It’s where I visited the Swiss Alps and had a curmudgeony grandpa who raised goats and befriended a girl in a wheelchair. It’s the convergence of adventure and fear – like when the babysitter would... Read more
I can vividly remember two Christmas presents from December 2003. My daughter gave my father a plastic horse. Jennifer turned five right before Christmas that year, and she was determined that she would pick out and purchase a gift for everyone in the family. She didn’t want money or opinions from anyone. It was her year to be a giver. She chose a plastic horse at the dollar store and declared, “This one’s for Grandpa.” I guess that Christmas was... Read more
I’ve had the same dream twice in the last few weeks. In the dream, I am dying – not the kind of dream where you are falling and about to hit the ground or someone is going to shoot you and you’ll be dead instantly. I am dreaming that I have an illness and the loneliness & terrifying suffering stretches out before me. There. Is. Nothing. Else. I feel the panic rising in me. There is no escape. No one can... Read more
Denise Bossert
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