You may recall that I’m directing this year’s Christmas play at my church. This play has become a demonstration of a saying of one of my Orthodox friends: anyone who tells you Eastern Christianity is an organized religion is lying. It’s pure chaos. We had our penultimate rehearsal Thursday night. Half the children still don’t have costumes including my daughter, who decided at the last minute to play the part of an angel instead of being in the audience as... Read more
  I want to talk to my readers who, like me, have been abused, and are struggling at Christmastime. I also want to talk to people who know abuse survivors and want to be helpful; particularly the ones who think they should give advice. Advent and Christmas are times of year when we want to be with family. That’s what we’re conditioned to want, after all. Turn on the television and watch the ads. Watch the holiday specials, if... Read more
I asked Saint Nicholas to be my father. It wasn’t really necessary. All saints are our holy Fathers and Mothers without being asked; that’s how the Communion of Saints work. But I am, in many ways, an orphan, and I have a fear of abandonment, so I asked him. I was lying in bed in the dark, worrying. My daughter had one of those sudden, terrifying high fevers that preschoolers randomly catch at the least convenient time. After hours of snuggling next... Read more
  I’ve just been informed about an urgent Missing Persons case from the Portland area.  Her family is desperate to find her, and my friend has asked me to pass along this information. The small print on the above missing persons notice reads: Anne Delaney has a history of going missing and of visiting 24 hour Adoration chapels, with the mission: “fast unto death.” She will not eat or drink on her journey, and in the past has been located... Read more
I have the best readers; the most wonderful, dedicated following. Sometimes they leave me comments, and that is great. Just today, a reader who goes by “See Noevo” and who comments on nearly every post lately asked an intriguing question which I swear I’m not making up: What about Santa’s true gender, or rather, how Santa self-identifies on gender? Or Santa’s sexual orientation? I tried to brush See Noevo off with some casual banter, as usual, but he’s keenly interested... Read more
I had a friend– a wonderful, compassionate, funny and creative friend, a great gal in every way. I’ll call her Patty. I loved Patty. We lived in different parts of the country, so we usually talked online. And goofing off with Patty and my other online friends was the best part of my day. Patty always managed to make me smile. But patty herself wasn’t happy. Patty suffered from anxiety and depression, the worst cases of anxiety and depression you... Read more
Of course it’s too little and far too late. After the sordid history of our country, after everything that has been done to the Sioux and to indigenous peoples in this country, a group of more than a hundred veterans have gathered to say they’re sorry and to beg forgiveness, from the Sioux of Standing Rock. And the tribe forgave them. My feelings are so mixed right now. On top of everything else that’s been done to them from the... Read more
Here’s a video made by my friend Lindsay, explaining about all those Christmas Facebook schemes like the wine exchange and the Secret Sister gift exchange. It doesn’t have to involve money to be a pyramid scheme, as Lindsay demonstrates: Stay safe out there, folks. And if you don’t mind being at the bottom of a pyramid because at least you’re “spreading good will,” how about giving ten bucks to a charity instead? The Friendship Room is trying to expand their... Read more
Once, in the city of Myra, there was a poor man who had three beautiful daughters. The poor man fell on harder times than usual, and one day there was nothing left. With a heavy heart, he determined to sell one of his beautiful daughters into prostitution so that the rest of them could eat. He knew it was wrong, but saw no other way. Saint Nicholas heard of this, and went to the man’s house after the family had gone... Read more
I’ve just found out that in a surprise, last-minute decision today, the Army Corps of Engineers has agreed to deny the current route for the Dakota-access pipeline. We at Steel Magnificat had stated months ago that the bulldozing of Native American religious sites to build an oil pipeline was comparable to bulldozing Saint Peter’s Basilica to put a pipeline through the Vatican. This is far from over. The sacred land bulldozed over Labor Day weekend cannot be repaired. The un-ceded treaty lands have not... Read more
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