I dreamed the stars were falling. I’ve been exhausted for days. Jimmy’s boy and the Artful Dodgers kept coming over to help me put the garden to bed, a few hours every afternoon. It takes twice as long to do any gardening, if you have to stop every minute to find something harmless for chaotic Appalachian children to do to feel helpful. But somehow, in the midst of all of it, I pushed aside the dead sunflower stalks at... Read more
I woke up terrified, and sad. I have been learning to be happy for nearly all of 2024. I’ve had more peace and calm this year than in any other year of my life. Turning forty was the most peaceful birthday ever. Now that I’ve got a car again, I’m driving with virtually no anxiety. I’ve been going to church on Sundays and only having to walk outside for parts of the liturgy, without panic attacks. I’ve been practicing praying... Read more
A Catholic gentleman on social media said that our current situation with male voters was because no one was listening to men– that the Catholic Church hasn’t listened to men. At least, he said words to that effect. I didn’t see the tweet before it was deleted because of the outcry. But I’ve been thinking about the assertion ever since. It makes me sad. In the Year of Our Lord 2024, somebody apparently decided that the problem with everything was... Read more
On a chilly mid-November afternoon, I went outside to turn over the compost heap. I had only a little time before I had to get Adrienne from middle school, but I needed to do my gardening. It’s the only thing that makes me feel grounded and alive. I have to make busywork for myself outdoors, even in November when the world is dying all around me, and in winter when it’s dead. As I rounded the corner to the backyard,... Read more
A Reading from the First book of Kings: In those days, Elijah the prophet went to Zarephath. As he arrived at the entrance of the city, a widow was gathering sticks there; he called out to her, “Please bring me a small cupful of water to drink.” She left to get it, and he called out after her, “Please bring along a bit of bread.” She answered, “As the LORD, your God, lives, I have nothing baked; there is only... Read more
I haven’t been in the best shape, the past few days. I can’t imagine I’m alone. They’re telling me the United States’s democracy is finished and the tariffs will drive inflation through the roof. Millions of innocent migrants, like those people in Springfield I tried to speak up for, are in mortal danger. Schools are going to be in trouble. Ukraine and Gaza are doomed. There won’t be any effort to mitigate climate change before it’s too late. We’re... Read more
There is little to say, but I’ll say it again. I did this eight years ago, I’ve done it countless times since, and I’m doing it again now. I’m saying that this is wrong. Authoritarianism is wrong. Racism, xenophiobia and nativism are wrong. Rape, sexual abuse, and misogyny are wrong. White supremacism is wrong. Glorifying the wealthy and presuming they should rule merely because they are wealthy, is wrong. These things are against the Gospel. They are against common sense.... Read more
I suppose this will be the last of my lighthearted and snarky Election Updates for the year. As I’m writing this, on Monday, we have about thirty hours until the polls close in the Eastern time zone, and then the candidates-earning-votes stage of the election is over and the litigation stage can begin. I don’t like that the litigation stage is now an expected November tradition, but nobody asked me. Please refer back to my boilerplate about voting and... Read more
My aunt– not one of the mean ones– said she looked forward to Halloween every year. She lived in a well-to-do neighborhood, in a nice house facing the park. It was one of the prettiest well-to-do neighborhoods of the city, perfect for walking on an Autumn evening, but it was near downtown and bordered closely by several poor neighborhoods. On Halloween, hundreds of families would come up to the fancy neighborhood, so their children could trick or treat. I’ve... Read more
I was ripping out the last of the tomato cages, when the shrieks began. There are at least ten children on my block and the block across the alley, and they play outdoors loudly whenever it doesn’t rain. You always know school has let out because the laughter and yelling starts– playful yelling, silly yelling, yelling punctuated with bouncing balls and those irritating motorized scooters. This wasn’t that kind of shriek; it was a frightened shriek. I’d just gotten... Read more
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