Once upon a time, there was a young woman who was hosting Thanksgiving dinner for the first time. She wanted—no, needed—everything to be perfect. She planned and prepped for days, chopping vegetables, rolling dough, scrubbing baseboards, and counting silverware. On the day of the feast, she was up with the sun, full of determination and manic good cheer. As the day wore on, the good cheer waned and the manic levels rose. Pots boiled over and were turned down; ovens smoked... Read more
A few weeks ago, I posted about a GoFundMe appeal for Nicole G. I took that post down a few days later. Here is an update from Nicole, which explains why I took it down, and updates us on her family’s situation. ****I asked Simcha to remove her blog article about our family because it was very searchable via Google. I wasn’t worried about my estranged husband finding it. My 12 year old daughter, for some unexplainable reason, googled my... Read more
PIC 3d crucifixion tattoo If you’re a Christian artist, and you want to use your skill to make the world better, I’m begging you: never lead with the message. Instead, listen with your inner ear until something hits that special note. You don’t even have to know why it resounds for you; just listen, and tell other people what you heard. Hone your skills, stay close to God in your personal life, always be looking and listening for new things... Read more
Well, the harvest keeps rolling in. Here’s the latest installment: An Irish-born Chilean priest convicted of sexually abusing a minor while chaplain at a school in Santiago was sentenced to four years of probation Tuesday. A court in the Chilean capital also banned the Rev. John O’Reilly from any job near children and ordered that his genetic data be added to a registry for abusers. O’Reilly, who has denied any wrongdoing, was not present during the sentencing. Prosecutors had asked... Read more
So I very, very reluctantly watched the clip of someone apparently named “Don Lemon” interviewing the woman who says that Bill Cosby raped her when she was 19. Gawker transcribes the really hair-raising part of the interview, as follows: Lemon: Can I ask you this? And please, I don’t mean to be crude, OK? Tarshis: Yeah. Lemon: You said this last night, that he — you lied to him and said, “I have an infection, and if you rape me,... Read more
Have you ever felt overwhelmed? Ever faced a task and thought, “I simply can’t”? Ever told yourself, “Why even bother trying”? These phrases are not even in the vocabulary of young Benedicta Fisher. Though born with normal use of her arms and legs, she showed signs of Pervasive Systemic Weirdness from an early age, and her condition has only progressed as she grows. But her PSW isn’t slowing her down. Just witness this gutsy kid painting a picture of “Dog Going to... Read more
I know, I know, you’re focused on Thanksgiving right now. Just bookmark this for next week. Advent is coming! I always feel a little silly saying that, because the word “advent” actually means “coming.” But that’s how life is when you’re In Charge of Stuff: you even have to plan about planning ahead. So, if you haven’t looked it up yet, the first Sunday in Advent is Nov. 30, which is . . . soon. We do try to put off celebrating... Read more
Rather than seeing their Church as a refuge where they can meet God, parents of kids with autism often report that their children are more isolated than ever at Mass — either because other parishioners disapprove of their behavior, mistaking it for irreverence or a lack of discipline, or because the liturgy itself provides a sensory overload that is too much to bear, or because sitting quietly and listening is not always possible. If you have a family member with autism, or if you are... Read more
Last week, the bishops of Kenya accused the WHO and UNICEF of secretly lacing a tetanus vaccine with a hormone intended to induce miscarriage and sterility in Kenyan women of childbearing age, in an effort to reduce the population. The bishops issued a press release, saying: [W]e shall not waver in calling upon all Kenyans to avoid the tetanus vaccination campaign laced with Beta-HCG, because we are convinced that it is indeed a disguised population control programme. We do know that the WHO and UNICEF do not... Read more
PIC Wallace on train The train is whizzing out of control, and he can’t get off, slow down, or change course. In desperation, Gromit snatches a box of spare tracks and frantically lays them on the floor ahead, just split seconds before the train he’s on thunders over them. This is more or less what it’s like to raise a child. Yes, you have to work frantically to stay ahead of that train; but no, you’re not exactly in control. Read... Read more
I Have to Sit Down
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