There are days when I feel like I’m a kid again playing “opposites.” This was a game in which we tried to say and do the exact opposite of what we were actually doing or meaning. It was silly and more challenging than we imagined it would be, but we…
I begin with this question: Am I more afraid of dying from the coronavirus or of living in fear for the rest of my natural life? Disclaimer: This is a strictly personal reflection. I am not casting aspersions on anyone else’s decisions vis-à-vis COVID. It’s been two years to the…
The holidays are behind us once again. That means fewer plates that I have to keep spinning around on poles. A crazy image, to be sure, and one that may already be anachronistic to younger people! Nevertheless, it’s appropriate for me. Christmas, Kwanzaa, and New Year’s bring a certain amount…
Maybe I was a weird child. I don’t know. Perhaps all children think deeply as they try to understand the world around them. Surely, as children with limited experience, we all make assumptions that make sense to us at the time. As we age, gather more information, and achieve a…
I loved living in a state whose climate included all four seasons. Something about the changing seasons and the attendant ebb and flow of energy suits my nature perfectly. That’s why the coming of winter is always a welcome event. Even though we don’t experience greatly fore-shortened days and frigid…
I wasn’t going to cook a big Thanksgiving dinner this year. For only the four of us, it just seemed like too much work. I already struggle to prepare dinners even though I only do it four days each week. It’s a complicated task to work around the vast array…
As the holidays approach, it seems natural that family comes to the forefront of our minds. I lived far away from my family for most of my young adult life. I now live close enough to see much of my extended family every few years. When I do, it’s as…
A cat is not a dog. How do I know this? Simple observation of the animals with whom we share our home. It’s been said that dogs have owners, but cats have servants. Our experience bears this out. While these animals exhibit some of the same behaviors, they do so…
It came through the bedroom window on a clear, crisp moonlit night. “It” was a palpable energy that seemed to emanate from the moon itself. My sad and sluggish self/spirit was suddenly infused with an overwhelming sense of what I could only call “love.” I have never forgotten that feeling…
Up until I was in my early 40’s, I was a practicing Catholic. I was raised in a Catholic family, in a Catholic city, in a Catholic part of a state. I was what is called a “cradle Catholic,” meaning I was born into that faith. I stopped attending Mass…
