finding hope in a busy world
I quit the piano when I was in the 7th grade. You did too, right? I quit because the practicing was boring and difficult, and even when I thought I had done well, I would listen to the other students play at concerts and realize that my playing was inadequate. I slowly stopped practicing and… Continue reading i miss playing phantom of the opera
I lingered on the trail as the sound of my friend’s jaunty voices faded into the distance. We had been walking through dusty forests, unique to the California Sierras when, suddenly, a lush meadow opened up before us. My breath caught. My friends continued on, seeming not to notice the expansive beauty captured in the… Continue reading hello church
The day after the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001, I went to morning Mass. I arrived to a full parking lot, walking into the church just before the priest processed down the aisle. If you’ve ever attended daily Mass at a parish, you’ll understand the shock I felt as I was forced to squeeze… Continue reading in grief
Memento mori. Remember death. There is one sure thing we are guaranteed in this life, that eventually our life will end. Yet we walk this earth ignoring the inevitable will happen, daily trying to outlast death through achievements, records, children, prayer, anything that will keep us alive once we are gone. The other thing we… Continue reading memento mori
August 18, 2018 Most Reverend Thomas Olmsted, Bishop of Phoenix, Most Reverend Eduardo A Nevaras, Auxiliary Bishop of Phoenix, Greetings in Christ. Today I write to you out of deep concern regarding the horrors that were recently revealed by the Grand Jury in Pennsylvania. I am writing regarding two types of abuse, the abuse of… Continue reading letter to bishop
I am breathless. How could so many priests and bishops abuse so many children. How could they work together in the abuse itself and in covering up this great evil so thoroughly. What brings a man of God to such a place that they believe they are worthy of celebrating the sacrifice of the Mass… Continue reading broken trust
Is it because I'm older? Is that why I care more about elections than I used to? As much as I love learning about society and social trends, following politics has always given me a bit of a headache. So, although I have nearly always voted, I have not always voted with the necessary understanding… Continue reading heaven on earth
Our family is getting off the grid. ha. Ha. HA! Do you hear the boys screaming in the background? What we are continuing, though, is our commitment to keeping our extras light. We're staying off the highways and holding as tightly as possible to the slow lane of life. Last year, we slowed way down… Continue reading put down your worries and walk
Apparently, our kids are not the ones we need to be worried about when it comes to screen time. It's us. Or maybe it's them too. Either way, somebody somewhere some people everywhere are spending a lot of time staring at their devices. I'm guilty, for certain, so I decided to at least attempt to… Continue reading just a moment
The current immigration situation has my heart and my mind in a flurry. I can't seem to set media aside because I just have to know what will happen next, and in my quest for more information I keep getting derailed. Take a breath, say a prayer, re-engage, rest, repeat. But immigration is not new. For years,… Continue reading zero tolerance and faith
god forever tries 