When I was 5 my family moved into an old farmhouse on a large patch of land, replete with a barn and lots of wildlife in the back lot. Unfortunately some of the wildlife had become comfortable inside the house, and it took a few years to fully rid ourselves of a mouse problem. JustContinue reading >>
Try not to be mean
A few weeks ago I was preparing a thank you note to send to someone. I neatly wrote inside a card, placed the address label and stamp neatly on the front, and fastened the flap with a monogrammed sticker. I wanted this person to know that I was truly appreciated this, and thought indicating thisContinue reading >>
A good interpretation
It is necessary to suppose that every good Christian is more ready to put a good interpretation on another’s statement than to condemn it as false. – St Ignatius of Loyola Is there a work of art, or piece of writing, that means something different to you each time you come back to it? ItsContinue reading >>
We must love one another or die
There is a poem by W. H. Auden I return to often when I am discouraged. After a political season characterized more than ever by hatred and division, I needed these words today more than ever. They refer to a particular moment in history, but explain a fundamental truth that guides my life: that weContinue reading >>
The thing worth chasing: on saying goodbye to a friend
I get awfully emotionally seeing the people I love receive the Eucharist. When I was quite ill with Crohn’s, before surgery put me into remission, I was often unable to stand through mass. I would hoist myself out of the pew with my parents or brother or now-husband, and would weep at the sight ofContinue reading >>