Hope
Now Is The Time
Yesterday was Ash Wednesday so my parents and I went to church in the afternoon. The deacon gave a short, but powerful reflection. He started by reminding us that we are in a spiritual battle. Every day we see evidence of a struggling world. We face our own challenges and decisions as well. We need […]
Olympic Peace
My sister and I watched the Olympic opening ceremony together tonight. We noticed much of the symbolism for peace that we know is international. That was the overarching theme, and for good reasons. We talked about how only a couple of months ago, the media covered a man escaping North Korea and making it over […]
Looking for the Light
A friend has been on my mind recently. This morning I thought of her again as I was praying and took action right away by texting her to see how she was doing. After a while, I received a text back. Then another. Then another. She was really struggling. I stopped, said a prayer, and […]
Inky’s Story
I saw a story today about Inky Johnson. I didn’t know anything about him, but I watched an incredibly inspirational video in which he tells his story. He played football in college and was on track to be an NFL player. He only had a few games left and his life would be changed forever. […]
Respectful Grocer
Today as I was having my food rung up at the grocery store, I was watching an elderly gentleman in the adjacent lane. He had a Veteran’s ball cap on. The two young men who were helping him were chatting with him and very patient as he dug for his change. When he was finished, […]
Thoughtful Teens
Today I went to a monthly cooking event with high school youth who are in the Foster Care system. The group split into teams to prepare a chili dinner with cornbread, corn jalapeno popper salad, and pie. I have seen these kids for several months now – a couple for over a year. It is […]
Ultimate Forgiveness
Today I saw an incredible story about a woman who forgave her assailant. The boy was 13 years old when he shot the woman, but contacted her shortly after he was incarcerated and apologized for his actions. She accepted and forgave the youth. Not only that, the young man asked if he could write to […]
Here’s to Hope
Today I read a quote from Pope Francis that really touched my heart: “Hope would always have us recognize that there is always a way out, that we can always redirect our steps, that we can always do something to solve our problems.” I thought about this and how easily I can feel stuck in […]
Non-violence
I read the scripture readings for Mass today and thought it was interesting and timely that the Gospel was about the apostles asking for vengeance. Then I read the reflection by Bishop Robert Barron, which I always find insightful. These are the words that struck me most: “James and John (the sons of thunder) cry […]
Prayers for Attacker
Yesterday I heard about some students from Boston College currently studying in France who were attacked. A woman who has a history of mental illness threw acid into their faces. The girls were reportedly doing ok and would recover. Today I heard the rest of the story. As the girls wrote on social media to […]
Still Finding God 