letters from the wilderness
Next week is Holy Week, starting with Palm Sunday leading to Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and finally, Easter. I need to ask myself: have I fully entered into the penitential season of Lent? If I were marking myself, I'd give myself a B grade. But it's not about grades, really. It's about conversion.... Continue Reading →
I gave up sugar for Lent which sounds so cliche, right? How many Catholics say "I'll give up sugar, I'll give up chocolate?" I think now my true idol was independence, not sugar. Sugar was the face of the deeper issue. I've always had a difficult relationship with food and body image. No, I didn't... Continue Reading →
On Monday, I spent time in my office physically cleaning up the space and taking care of the March bills. This is the first time I've tried this task, and I liked it. Though I still have a pile of papers to finish filing. I liked setting up my space, my intention (as my favorite... Continue Reading →
Wednesday was Ash Wednesday, marking the beginning of the Lenten season in the Roman Catholic Church calendar. Ashes are a sign of repentance and one's humility before God. I've been thinking about humility a lot this week. Listening to the Litany of Humility and the beginning of The Imitation of Christ inspired me to examine... Continue Reading →
I will begin with a caveat. What I say here is my argument, my reasoning, and my faith. My reasoning comes out of my training as an English and History major where I had to provide a thesis and support it. Looking at the Bible through the lens of Sola Scriptura would never be logical... Continue Reading →
I decided to start a regular series on Friday about my Catholic faith and faith journey. I had planned on starting in one spot but couldn't get started. Then, I realized I needed to start at the beginning (cue "Sound of Music"). As always you're free to read or not. I just know this is... Continue Reading →
Since I'm alone in my house all week or in the car driving 20 to 25 minutes one way, I spend a lot of time listening to podcasts. While I listened before the quarantine in 2020, I found myself listening more often during the quarantine. I'd rather listen to a podcast than watch something on... Continue Reading →
When I started this post several days ago, I didn't realize how much I would need it for myself as a reboot. Basically, my family, including myself, got sick this week. My daughter and I were the sickest. She ran a fever for several days while I had a low-grade fever. My youngest son was... Continue Reading →
Sunday was the Feast of Epiphany, and yesterday was the Baptism of the Lord, all in the Roman liturgical calendar. According to Merriam Webster, epiphany means: a(1) : a usually sudden manifestation or perception of the essential nature or meaning of something (2) : an intuitive grasp of reality through something (such as an event) usually simple and striking... Continue Reading →
As I spent time figuring out what kind of environment I needed in order to create a new home for myself and my family in Virginia, I decided to revisit an old tool, the Annual Review. Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest, Forest, VA 2015 was the last time I did the Annual Review, a concept I... Continue Reading →
2 dogs and a house 