I try not to pay attention to Bishop Robert Barron, and I fail. He’s the one who always seems to be blaming the mass exodus of young people from Catholicism on poor catechesis and “the dumbing down of our faith.” Yesterday, I noticed him being ratioed on Twitter in a spectacular way, with many of my friends leaving frustrated comments. I watched the short video he’d posted, against my better judgement. It was an advertisement for a new scheme of... Read more
A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew: Jesus said to his disciples: “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.... Read more
I heard the squealing of rusted scooter wheels before I saw him. “Hello,” I said without looking up, calling Jimmy’s boy by name. Jimmy the mechanic and his partner and children live just a few houses down. The boy is the youngest, a wiry five-year-old who rarely wears a shirt this time of year. When Jimmy does the rounds with his lawnmower to earn money, the boy tags along behind with a toy mower. I don’t know if he’s... Read more
I couldn’t pronounce her name. I didn’t know anything about her as an artist, and I still know very little. I was just eight years old when Sinéad O’Connor performed “War” live on television, and tore up that photo of our beloved Pontiff. I certainly didn’t hear about it until much later. When I was a teenage homeschooler, kept carefully safe from the wrong kind of knowledge, I read about the stunt in a copy of the Catholic League’s Catalyst... Read more
I’ve been going back to church. You don’t have to do what I do. At this point I don’t care about anyone’s idea of an “obligation.” I think of the Catholic hierarchy as more of Christ’s abusive boyfriend than Christ’s vicar. I would never want a reader to think they had to do something traumatic just because I did. If you have found God somewhere else, good for you. If your experiences have led you to believe there’s no... Read more
A girl got an abortion at 29 weeks. That should be all I have to write. That should be the tragedy. There’s enough wrong with that sentence that it ought to make you cry for a week straight. Why was a teenage girl pregnant? Where’s the father? Why is no one talking about the father? Was she raped? I don’t have reason to think that she was, but I wonder why I don’t see anyone asking that question.... Read more
Adrienne walked out of the eye doctor’s office and sat next to me on the waiting room chairs. “How did that go?” I asked. “I don’t know,” she said, tapping her phone. As I went into the office for my turn at the ophthalmoscope, I asked the the same question. “She’s fine,” the doctor said pleasantly. “Perfect twenty twenty vision.” I breathed a sigh of relief as he took my precious glasses, without which I can’t see more than... Read more
We went to Robinson, in Serendipity. Serendipity is still driving perfectly, more like sledding or riding a magic carpet than driving a car. I’m shocked daily at how, in spite of the horrible misadventures last winter, I did manage to pick out a good used car. It was just a fixer upper, that’s all. I now know not to ignore juddering or a weird gasoline smell. The electricity is all working beautifully. She’s still got the torque strap around... Read more
I don’t know how to say how I feel right now. Things continue to be a little better than they were. The garden’s growing nicely. Adrienne is excited for school. I’m having better energy after my getting sick the other week. Emotionally I’m a bit of a wreck. I keep having panic attacks and I can’t sleep. I know the things I’ve gone through aren’t things you get over after a week or two of respite. I know I’m going... Read more
I’ve been back in Serendipity and driving for over a month now. I switched my car insurance back in February, to a nice inexpensive company with a bright red logo. At the time, for reasons I’ve gone into ad nauseum, my car was a doorstop. I couldn’t drive anywhere. I didn’t know how long that situation would last, but it ended up lasting four months. The insurance company offered me a discount on my premium if I downloaded an... Read more
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