I got some friends on Facebook and elsewhere who’ve taken umbrage with Mr. Obama refer to Kanye West as a “jackass.” I don’t follow Kanye West at all and I didn’t see the video music awards, but if the President of the United States of America refers to an individual with that epithet, I say … Read more
This was my first week teaching a class in almost five years. It was fun to be back in the classroom. This is the first time I’ve ever taught this particular age group. Keeping seventeen seventh graders and fourteen eighth graders on task can be a challenge. Add to that fact is that the curriculum … Read more
Carl Sandburg had a poem about the fog. The fog comes on little cat feet. It sits looking over harbor and city on silent haunches and then moves on. Carl Sandburg That poem is with me this morning as I sit looking at the fog that covers the valley in front of me. I’m sitting … Read more
This summer I’ve been brewing Starbucks nearly every morning in a two-cup coffee maker that we’ve inherited from our daughter who left it here on a vacation a year or so ago. Having a summer off is a luxury for most folks and it was for me this year. I like my coffee black, aromatic … Read more
More than a month ago I wrote about taking a picture of the labyrinth at Mt. Irenaeus and how that invited some comments from friends that sent me on a journey that included reading Dan Pink’s, “A Whole New Mind.” Actually, I downloaded the book and listened to it on my iPod Touch. I listened … Read more
I remember the first time I ever walked a labyrinth. It was at the Franciscan Renewal Center in Scottsdale, AZ. I remember how calming and centering that was. Since then I’ve had an attraction to labyrinths. A month ago while attending an Evening of Re-Creation at nearby Mt. Irenaeus I snapped a picture of their … Read more
I just got a video link sent to me and it’s typical xenophobia disguised to look like patriotism. When I reminded this individual that our grandparents had come from Wales and couldn’t speak English and that we are reminded in Exodus 23:9, “You shall not oppress a resident alien; you know the heart of an … Read more
This summer I’ve been enjoying almost no news. Almost without thinking I’ve been avoiding the news. Tonight my mother told me a tragic story of a couple of Buffalo, New York firefighters who lost their lives today trying save other. That’s a real tragedy and my heart goes out to those families but save for … Read more
Don’t aim at success–the more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it. For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue, and it only does so as the unintended side-effect of one’s personal dedication to a cause greater than oneself or as the by-product … Read more
In a couple of months I’ll be stepping down as fraternity minister for our St. Irenaeus Fraternity of the Secular Franciscan Order. I really enjoy being a Secular Franciscan and lately I’ve been a bit more active in wearing my Tau. I’ve been challenged in that regard by my friend Br. Kevin Kriso, OFM. I’ve … Read more
