Wrapping up a Biblical Resolution
I just completed one of my 2016 New Year’s Resolutions. It was one that I anticipated taking all year to finish, and I’m proud of myself for keeping at it. I’ve just read the Bible. The entire Bible, cover to cover. I figure that between the readings at Mass every week and various Bible studies I’ve done, not to mention learning Bible stories as I was growing up, I’ve probably read or heard every word of the Bible over time. [...]
An old holiday tradition gets a new, sweet twist
Baking Christmas cookies is one of my favorite holiday traditions. It takes me back to when I was small, baking Christmas cookies with my mom and my sisters, and it brings warm memories of the many Christmases since then in which I’ve continued the tradition. I usually spread my baking out over several days, but this year my sister and I decided to make cookies together, so we spent a full day in her kitchen last weekend, sifting, sorting, measuring, [...]
A minor miracle has a major impact
I referred to it as “a minor miracle.” A friend of mine laughed, asking what I would consider to be a major miracle. “The parting of the Red Sea,” I told her. “The lame throwing down their crutches and walking. The blind suddenly being able to see.” She suggested that those might better be described as dramatic miracles, rather than major ones, and another friend then suggested that I call the one I was talking about a simple miracle, rather [...]
A lesson in integrity comes from an unexpected source
They spoke with eloquence and a bit of humor. They spoke with wisdom and a lot of experience. They were members of a new Toastmasters club, and were giving a presentation at our recent Toastmasters conference. The man who transported them to the conference waited in the back of the room till they were done speaking, at which time he would take them back to prison. The three presenters were from a nearby Federal Prison Camp, a minimum security facility [...]
Can’t we calmly agree to disagree?
You can disagree without being disagreeable. This has always been one of my firm beliefs, and it’s something I’ve always tried to live by. It breaks my heart that it’s a practice that seems to be getting less and less common every day – and in everyday matters, not just hot-button topics like religion and politics. Still, we’ve had more than our fair share lately of evidence in that last category. That’s why an experience I had last week was [...]