Originally Posted March 18, 2021 “Who am I”….. the classic statement in Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables where Jean Valjean confesses his identity, at great cost, to save an innocent man. It’s a powerful moment in the story where the “rubber meets the road” about his true identity. Who am I ? By ourselves we can know a … Continue reading “Who am I ?” →

Originally Posted last Thursday May 26th on Ascension Thursday, the Ascension is being celebrated today, Sunday May 29th,....so a repeat. Also I hope you can play the song and read the BLOG at the same time. “In The Clouds”…. listen to this song  as you read the BLOG today.  "In The Clouds" Our daughter Mary wrote … Continue reading “Ascension Into Heaven” →

Originally Posted March 17, 2021 Like many of you, I was thinking of Hippopotamuses the other day. They are big and ugly and crabby. You have to be careful when you make fun of your local Hippo…. they may take offense. I learned that “while hippos spend up to 16 hours a day submerged in … Continue reading “ Don’t Call Me Tubby” →

All human beings need to know that they are of value, that they are worth something, that they do some things well. St. Paul needed to be encouraged; Michael Jordan needed to be encouraged; the man serving a life sentence in prison needs to be encouraged. While most of us would recognize that this is … Continue reading “It Was Nothing, Just Doing My Job…” →

“In The Clouds”…. listen to this song  as you read the BLOG today. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_w2UCuX1EBg Our daughter Mary wrote it. When I first heard it, I loved it. It reminded me of the Lord’s ascension into heaven.  I could  picture the scene.  “And when he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a … Continue reading “In The Clouds” →

The other night we were watching a movie about Father Damien or Saint Damien of Molokai, SS.CC; we usually just call him, “St. Damian the Leper”. It was a very good movie and the actor playing St. Damian reflected his love for God and the lepers he served, and also his humanity. In one scene, he … Continue reading “How To Respond To Temptation” →

I’m hopeful that as you get older there’s a tendency to “think correctly” more often than in the past ....that wisdom has increased over the  many years…. that you’re able to distinguish the important from the trivial.  While I’m cautiously optimistic that this has occurred in my life, I know there’s still room to grow. Sometimes the … Continue reading “Why Was I Mortified ?” →

There’s a big difference between  walking into your living room and greeting one of your closest friends and walking into a banquet hall where some big shot is being feted. In the first case I’m comfortable, giving my friend a holy hug, offering a glass of wine, picking up our conversation from the last time we … Continue reading “Do I Hug Or Bow” →

Originally Posted March 16, 2021 Facing reality can be a challenge… often it’s painful.  I may not like a particular aspect of my life, so I can tend to dismiss it, ignore it…. “hey I need to get a new mirror… the one I have is distorted… I look a lot better than that”. Hmmmmm. Over … Continue reading “Facing Reality” →

Originally Posted March 15, 2021 As I recently “scoured” the landscape of life, it seemed that almost all the news was discouraging. I won’t repeat all the bad news because you’re probably already aware of most of it, and if you’re not, why ruin your day. With all of this, I was feeling a bit … Continue reading “Hope Against Hope” →