Tag: contemplative

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Be yourself

I came across a great piece of writing this morning and I wanted to share it.

Conformity has very little to recommend it. Trust yourself and trust others. Our world has so little trust even a little more is precious. If you can’t trust who you are—the naturally valuable, curious, interesting, and exciting person you were born to be—why should anyone else trust you?

Mediocrity and inner frustration are the true price of conforming. Only those with the courage openly to live their dreams can ever hope to find lasting satisfaction with their lives.

Read more here.

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Indebted

I’m indebted to a recent visitor to this blog for the following powerful message from Fr. Stan Fortuna, CFR. I had not heard of Fr. Stan nor his ministry until tonight, but I’m impressed and blessed. I hope you will be too.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-aaKUnzfXA]

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Doors

Today started out with a drive over the Mt. Irenaeus for Mass this morning. I wasn’t going to go, but being a creature of habit I got in the car and drove over. I listened to Bill Douglas on the way. It was a change. This summer for one reason or another I’ve listened to a lot of Jimi Hendrix. I can’t seem to get enough of Voodoo Child and some of his other cuts from the Woodstock Concert. Continue reading “Doors”

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Hazy summer thoughts..

It’s hot here tonight. It’s muggy and hot. Today the daytime temperature in the Genesee Valley and Rochester, New York area exceeded 95F. That’s very warm in Western New York. It may not be global warming but it’s unusual. I went shopping at the Lands End Inlet store adjacent to Market Place Mall in Henrietta, New York. Continue reading “Hazy summer thoughts..”

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Bill Moyers trumps Turdblossom

I came across this video from Bill Moyers and PBS. It speaks for itself and framed by the last post this makes it all the more poignant.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmwdevPRycY]

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All are welcome

Today as I made my way to Mt. Irenaeus for Mass I could not shut out the specter of war and an overall feeling of helplessness from my mind. Saber rattling by the Bush Administration both in Iraq and lately Iran, along with news that Russia has put its long range bomber fleet back into the air for the first time since 1992. As the father of two draft age children I cringe at the thought of a return to conscription. Continue reading “All are welcome”

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Scare tactics

It’s been nearly six years since the Bush Administration initiated their politics of fear and you aren’t really any safer than you were in 2001. They’ve used this fear tactic to persuade us that we ought to surrender basic freedoms that Americans have traditionally enjoyed. Continue reading “Scare tactics”

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Conscientious objector

Thirty-five years ago I volunteered for the United States Navy. I volunteered for the Hospital Corps because like this man I didn’t think I could kill people. It ain’t in me. No amount of training can overcome my most basic instincts and core values. Agustin Aguayo deserves a medal, but he’ll likely get jail time and maybe even a less than honorable discharge.  Agustin’s got real guts. I’m praying for him. There are hundreds or perhaps thousands else like him. We decry the violence at places like Virginia Tech and imprison people like Agustin. We have deep problems here man, deep problems.

“When I hear my sergeants talking about slashing people’s throats,” he said, crying openly, “if I’m not a conscientious objector, what am I when I’m feeling all this pain when people talk about violence?” –Agustín Aguayo.

Read more here.