DH and I are having a bit of a quiet away-time. It was just about a year ago, I was almost burning down the house! Reposted from October 2008 I wrote here, that I would be recording a podcast of Vespers in ‘about an hour.’ Well, Vespers will be late. They’re coming, just as soon as I write this and my hands stop shaking. Here’s the deal: I’m fasting. No eating between meals, only two meals a day, yadda yadda,... Read more
Reality shows are all over the television now. That’s partly because we are a nation of voyeurs, partly because reality shows are cheap to produce, and partly because we have raised a generation that is very comfortable spilling everything before a flashing red light. As I am on a mini-getaway with my husband, this piece from 2005 -which is about my then-refusal to do an interview for the BBC- seemed apropos: February 14, 2005 Playing to the cameras; a theory... Read more
I wrote this in April of ’08 about my husband, but every word is still true. As we take off for a weekend of togetherness, I want to tell you, again, what a wonderful man God has gifted me with, though I do not deserve him: I don’t write much about my husband because he’s a private fella; now and again I’ll relate a period of puzzlement he may express regarding our children or the books that disturb his sleep,... Read more
October is my birthday month and I am 51. It is also our Wedding Anniversary month; we are married 27 years. Both hubby and I are deeply in need of some time away from our respective daily grinds -I frankly cannot read or write another word of news, stagecraft and revealed lies. He cannot stand another droning meeting or another day of deadlines and incessant beeping. We’re very grateful to be able to earn our livings -and we love our... Read more
My readers have better memories than I do. Today, I got this in the mail from an reader who asks to be identified as “A Product of Pittsburgh Steelworkers”: I had written to you before the election about how then Candidate Obama would no longer talk to a television station in Florida because he didn’t like some of the questions they asked Joe Biden. See your article Obama: Yes to Iran, No to WFTV from October 2008. But even I... Read more
Guys, my poor son Buster (I’ve written before about the delicate constitution of my strapping 6 foot-230lb’er) is very sick at school. He sounds awful. He went to the health center, and they didn’t say flu, but maybe bronchitis and they sent him away with antibiotics. Basically the doctor looked at his file, said “oh, you were here about the same time last year with the same symptoms, so we’ll treat it the same way.” Boy, that’s reassuring. He really... Read more
Brown Scapular My husband was noticed a brown cord peeking out from the neckline of my shirt and asked, “what’s that?” Oops. Caught. “It’s a brown scapular,” I admitted. “That’s like, hardcore fanatical Catholic stuff, isn’t it,” he asked. “When did you start wearing that?” He wasn’t being critical, exactly. My husband is a tolerant sort, and if a person wants to practice a lot of devotions that he doesn’t feel particularly called to, that’s alright by him. But he... Read more
I’ve focused a lot about Morning Prayer and Vespers in my writing, as evidenced by the podcasts, and I have certainly loved praying the Hours out of my Christian Prayer Breviary for the past ten years. I used the breviary to pray all of the hours, of course, but Vigils (or, what is now called the Office of Readings – OOR) was limited therein. Some years ago I had bought the full 4 volume set of the Liturgy of the... Read more
Mercy and truth have met each other: justice and peace have kissed. –Psalm 85:10 What a humbling and inspiring story, brought to us thanks to Rocco (and via Cassy Fasano), and what lessons to ponder, here. We could think on this for the rest of our lives and not fully comprehend this mystery: …the most emotional and profound of the bunch came when the monthlong gathering was addressed by a Rwandan religious, Sister Genevieve Uwamariya, whose recounting of her own... Read more
Obama To Enter Diplomatic Talks With Raging Wildfire It’s satire. We are allowed to laugh and be a little irreverent. Read more
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