Past

Learned From Dad

Today I was looking through a scrapbook that my dad made of some of his award winning photos. I came across a picture of a cabin in the mountains that looked somewhat familiar. It turned out that it was one of the same places that I took a picture of when I drove the dirt […]

Memories of Mom

This morning I was up early and went to Mass right away. I went to the church that my parents and I belonged to many years ago. At that time, my mom played the organ for the choir and her friend was the director. My dad sang and I did also for a few years. […]

Fall Arrived

The weather today was perfect for ringing in the first day of Fall. It was cool, wet, and cloudy with the sun peeking through towards the end of the day. I was happy to get out my olive green wool jacket to wear to church today where I saw my son and his fiancee. She […]

The Prayer Drawer

Today I went through my mom’s “prayer drawer” in her nightstand. It’s where she kept all her religious articles and prayer books. I found many treasures. There were prayer cards and Mass programs for friends and family who had died. I found a prayer book over 100 years old that my mom had signed her […]

Old Family Bible

There are many treasures that I come across in this house. Today I picked up the old family Bible. It was a pretty comprehensive Bible including pictures, prayers, and maps. I found a prayer card tucked away in it from a priest’s 25 anniversary of ordination in 1973. The book also contained a place for […]

New Floors

Several months ago, the toilet overflowed in my mom’s bathroom. It was a mess. Even more so as the whole master bathroom area was carpeted. The restoration company came and ripped out a big swath of the carpet, cleaned out the water, sanitized the space, cut a hole out of the ceiling below, and set […]

Future Letter

Today I was updating and clearing out some things in my computer. I came across a letter that I had written to myself 2 years ago after my father died. It was a letter of encouragement. I don’t remember writing the letter at all, but that isn’t really surprising. I’m sure it was an exercise […]

Best at the Time

I still struggle with thoughts that I could have done better for my mom and my dad. Today, a friend sent me a reflection that said in part: I have acted in the best way I could at a given time, and many times it was more than anyone could reasonably expect. In fact, some […]

Same But Different

Today a far away friend called who I have known for many years. As we were talking, we decided we met about 20 years ago when my youngest son was about 10. When we would get together at that time, we mostly talked about our kids, our faith and our struggles. Many times we would […]

Memory Lane

There have been many people in and out of the house for many months. They have helped in so many ways. Several helped clean and do laundry and the dishes. It was very much appreciated, but also led to a pretty unorganized kitchen as people put things in places they thought they should be. This […]