Is there such a thing as “good grief”? What’s good about grief? It seems to be an oxymoron… a self-contradicting word. Do you recall people speaking about “joyful sadness”??? Sadness, grief, and sorrow are the opposite of joy…. opposite emotions…opposite motivators...opposite realities.  A glad heart makes a cheerful countenance, but by sorrow of heart the spirit is … Continue reading “Good Grief” →

Today’s reading from the book of Revelation is one of the toughest we can ever read.  "I know your works, you are neither cold nor hot, but because you are lukewarm, I will spew you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing; not knowing that you … Continue reading “We’re Not Off the Hook” →

What do George Washington,  Jack Dempsey, Mao Zedong,  Michael Jordon, Niccolò Machiavelli and Vince Lombardi have in common? Think hard. Hmmmmm let’s see, they all played for the Green Bay Packers, noooo; they were all Chinese…., nooooo. Okay, I give up. Well, they all allegedly said “the best defense is a good offense”.  "The best defense is a good offense is an adage that has … Continue reading “Let’s Go On Offense” →

Having seven daughters, I’ve always been interested in Louis Martin and his family. Louis and his wife Zelie had 9 children …. 5 who became nuns including Therese of Lisieux, the “Little Flower”. They were certainly holy and raised an incredibly holy family. Louis loved nature, made pilgrimages to holy places, prayed a lot, was … Continue reading “Even Saints Tend To Babble” →

Originally posted June 4, 2020 MYOB I can still hear my mother in exasperation saying, “MYOB”. Whenever we were snooping around or asking the wrong question, she would say “this is none of your business”. If that didn’t work she would increase the admonition to “stop being a  “buttinsky”. No one  wanted to be called a “buttinsky”. It appears … Continue reading “MYOB”…….”Mind Your Own Business” →

Originally posted June 3, 2020 Johnny Mack Brown- a tough cowboy Koinonia Academy (KA) just graduated its 35th class. It’s hard to believe. It brings me back to the early days of KA, which were pretty exciting…everything was new. We were really flying by the seat of our pants and by the Holy Spirit. There are … Continue reading The Wild West Days of KA →

I attended St. Luke’s for grade school. I was taught by the Sisters of St. Joseph. I remember them as being kind and good teachers…but there were a couple who could have run “Hell Week” for the Navy Seals … they were tough cookies, and they didn’t put up with a lot of “funny business”. … Continue reading “Call Me Meatball” →

I really enjoy watching our grandchildren…they are all wonderful… from the youngest to the oldest. Part of the joy is that I can enjoy them and not have to worry about all their many needs. I’m happy to say that after changing about a million diapers back in the day with our 10 kids, I … Continue reading “Things Will Get Better” →

I was looking through my schedule after getting home from early mass, mentioning to Judy about some of the things I needed to do. She jumped in and said, “you need to get out of the house… I’m serious, you need to get out of the house… you need to go play golf.”  “Really ? I … Continue reading “Take A Break” →

The Swiss Alps are incredibly beautiful. I still remember watching the movie “Heidi” starring Shirley Temple and being mesmerized by the beauty. It’s a great story… I’d like to watch it again. Sunday was a beautiful fall day… the temperature was in the high 60’s, the trees were still blazing with colors, the sky was … Continue reading “Oh What A Beautiful Morning …” →