I know, I know I repeatedly have urged you to try the Mystic Monk Coffee – and many of you who have done so have written to agree with me that it’s pretty delectable stuff (I recently made a gift of some samples to my L’il Bro Thom – something of a coffee snob – and he pronounced it “unbelievably good”) but now I’ve found a lip balm that surpasses any lip balm I’ve tried (and I’ve tried them all)... Read more
I knew a Sr. Rose de Lima, once, who was a very kind soul. Today is her feast day, and the Dominicans of Summit, NJ have a beautiful portrait of her featured, along with some background and a shot of Rose’s “hermitage,” It looks pretty bare and simple. Not like my snug little Anchor, here! Still taking Buster to school. Comments will be held in moderation queue until Monday! Read more
In watching the Olympics this past week, it occurred to me that very likely none of the talented Chinese athletes we watched had brothers or sisters. Or one brother, or one sister. So, when we watched 2008 drummers working in perfect synchronization, we were looking at 2008 people who have no idea what it’s like to say “Mom, he’s looking at me funny,” and watch the mother turn around to see an angelic-looking sibling pretending disinterest, and to hear her... Read more
I meant to link several days ago to John Nolte’s thoughts on what constitutes Treason in Hollywood. Somehow or other, possibly because I am still in post-retreat lalaland, I mentally connected Nolte’s post to these confessions of a Hollywood Movie Star by Robert Avrech. (Via Bookworm) And that – with Avrech’s confession about being that most unthinkable of creatures, a “conservative Jew in Hollywood” – linked in my mind with a piece about Anti-Semitism in the Democrat party, in which... Read more
I hate those moralist chestnuts that go, “I thought I had it rough, living without shoes, until I saw a man with no feet.” I get the point – be grateful for your life in all of its inconveniences and problems – but it’s always seemed to me a bit of a guilt-tripper. I much prefer stories like this, which run along the lines of, “boy, did I feel like a schlub, lazing about, when I saw what this woman... Read more
A long, long time ago, in answering a question from a reader about why we Catholics make such fusses about things I wrote of Advent and the Incarnation: God kisses the earth, and nothing has been the same since . . . But no, maybe that’s not quite it, maybe God doesn’t just kiss the earth, for a kiss cannot last. Rather, God comes, as bridegroom – the real bridegroom who weds himself to us, divinity to humanity, and shares... Read more
Via our friend, Pianogirl… Don’t dismiss this out of hand – just go watch it. I know, I know, some of you say music is nothing to you…but – watch it – this isn’t really about music. It’s about hoisting one buttock into the air, and conflict resolution, your children’s shining eyes and surviving Auschwitz, and it is remarkable. Go to www.choralnet.org, then click on Music & Passion with Benjamin Zander. (Or watch the embed, thanks to Pianogirl!) You’ll like.... Read more
It has been a very interesting week since the online retreat; I’m still dwelling desert-side, but I’ve managed a peek at Drudge and a perusal of Instapundit.com. My interest in the political is still way diminished, but not totally lost. I sense within myself not so much a broad change of perspective but rather the installation of a new window, to let in a bit more fresh air, so to speak. Whether that will blow me to pieces or simply... Read more
“What a waste…” You hear that from people, often, when they meet a handsome priest or a pretty nun, and even more often when they encounter monastic life. They either cannot believe that a life “apart” can be rich and meaningful or they believe (as one gent wrote me) that “women were made for bearing children and enriching the world through the family” and take issue with this sort of life – a life of prayer and separateness which has... Read more
As I was listening to this brief podcast of Heather King discussing a recent retreat experience (which reminded my Li’l Bro Thom of this post, so he sent it my way) my Elder Son wandered into my office munching a Stella D’oro Breakfast Treat and chuckling. “What’s so funny,” I asked, knowing that whatever he’s laughing at will be something I’ve never thought of before. “I was writing an administrative outline for a forum and referred to it as an... Read more
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