It’s Day 2 of the Semi-Annual Tin Cup Rattle!

This is one of those increasingly rare moments where I ask for some small remuneration for my efforts to provide you with the sort of Catholic content, newsiness, fun, and so forth that is this blog. We Sheas live in narrow financial straits. For those who have joined the blog since last time, I am a writer (and sole breadwinner) trying to feed and house a wife and two boys on a lower middle income, plus what I can make from donations here and freelance work as a writer and speaker. My wife is the chief homeschooler and bottle washer of this here enterprise, as well as a human dynamo in a dozen other tasks.

This month, like all months, is tight (and we live *very* frugally). So, I’m here to say that I hope you’ll agree not to muzzle the wretch treading out his ink stains. I deeply appreciate the generosity of the folks who have responded so far, and hope that you if haven’t yet, you will join them.

So I’m askin’ ya, if everybody who has gotten something good from this blog will kick in some bucks on the PayPal button (I’m not shy, be as generous as you can) you’d be supporting what I think is an eminently worthy cause and saving our financial bacon as we struggle through another month. I have tried to avoid doing this as long as I can, but winter is the time we feel the pinch financially (and I have been working long hours to make ends meet and will do so for the foreseeable future). So during this Tin Cup Rattle I’m taking time to say, “If you like what you get here, then please be as generous as you can and help out with the care and feeding of a unique news, opinion, and information source that you just can’t find anyplace else.” Thanks!

Oh, and remember, you can buy my books and tapes! And if you’d don’t trust PayPal (though they are extremely reliable), feel free to email me and ask for my snailmail address. I’ll happily take a check instead.

Also, has it not occurred to you how badly you need me to come and speak for your parish, conference or organization? Oh yes! Badly indeed do you need me!

And, if you are an editor, you need me to write for you. It’s critical. Your mag will just wither away and die without my prose. As for my poetry, I happen to have the distinction of having prompted the only letter of complaint ever sent to First Things about the poetry they publish. So there!