Expectations can be perplexing at times…. what’s expected…… what does my boss expect of me, what does my spouse expect of me, my  kids, my friends, God…. ?  What does a father expect of his children? The 4th commandment spells it out. "Honor your father and your mother" (Deut 5:16; Mk 7:10). “Children owe their parents respect, gratitude, just obedience, and assistance”.(Catechism, par. … Continue reading “What Do We Expect Of Ourself” →

Boy oh boy…my head’s spinning. Things are happening at the 30,000 foot level and at the 2 foot level. It can keep me off balance. Let me be more specific.  Merry Christmas Major life changing events are happening at the 30,000’ level. Christmas, the celebration of our savior’s birth….magnificent, overwhelming, majestic, incredible. Trying to get … Continue reading “So Many Gifts” →

This is a slightly modified BLOG from June 23rd. It seemed appropriate during the Christmas season to thank the great St. Joseph for taking care of the Blessed Mother and her new baby... the Lord Jesus. Father's Day is celebrated worldwide to recognize the contribution that fathers  make to the lives of their children. Many countries observe … Continue reading “Thank You St. Joseph” →

Hey, Christmas is not over at midnight on December 25th.… we’ve got a lot of time to celebrate.  Some say we should celebrate the “12 days of Christmas” which would take us to the feast of the Epiphany on January 5th. Actually the Church celebrates from December 25th until the Baptism of the Lord, on January … Continue reading Only “Tough Cookies” Know How To Celebrate →

What a day !!! So many memories of Christmas. As a young boy, I loved our Christmas tree with the tinsel and the lights that bubbled as they heated up. I loved the smell of the tree. I loved the presents under the tree and the anticipation. I loved going to midnight mass coming in … Continue reading “Merry Christmas” →

If the Sun suddenly went out, we'd find ourselves in complete darkness. We’d also notice the Moon and planets suddenly disappear, because their light is simply the  sunlight reflecting off of it. So, while we can enjoy a beautiful “Harvest Moon”…. remember, the moon is  not the source of its own beauty.  Beautiful Harvest Moon A messenger of … Continue reading “The Moon Is Beautiful, But….” →

Many years ago when I taught sciences at Koinonia Academy, I was always looking for something to interest the students. I remember when one of the teachers brought in his pet tarantula spider, named Ignatius…”Iggy” for short. Well Iggy’s favorite dinner was a grasshopper. They would pop Chuck, the uninformed grasshopper, into Iggy’s cage and Chuck … Continue reading “Let’s Be Ready” →

Well the big Nor’easter hit yesterday, but it wasn’t as big as predicted, at least in our town which officially got about 7 inches; other neighboring towns got up to a foot. Nevertheless, it’s always interesting as you see the various reactions to the snow. It begins with the preparation…”get to the store… do we … Continue reading “Storms Bring Us Together” →

More often then we can imagine, God saves us from some unknown peril. We may initially not be very grateful because “the saving” may include an inconvenience…maybe even a major disruption in our life. So, at the time we may even be “bummed out” because things didn’t go our way.   Titanic I was reading a … Continue reading “Saved By the Bell” →

Originally Posted on June 19, 2020 June 16th was my mother’s birthday. She was born in 1912 and would now be 108 years old. Affectionally known to her grandchildren as “Granny”, she lived with us her last 4 years, dying in 1996…24 years ago. Mary Elizabeth Dempsey Touhill did not have an easy life.  She was … Continue reading “Granny” →