The Town by the Bend in the River

Several years ago, my friend Gerry told me the story of the star thrower, which I often refer to in posts and general conversation.  It is a terrific story with an important message: you can choose to make a difference regardless of the circumstances stacked against you. I have come across another story that I …

Around the World in Seven Years

woke up at 0400 … accomplished two of the four “S’s” … cleared my email and checked book sales, we’re already on the board for 2014 0500 … headed up to the Redemptorist Renewal Center at 0500 …. performed my daily devotion to Our Mother of Perpetual Help …. contemplated for 30 minutes in the …

Thanksgiving

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day, a day which was first declared a federal holiday in 1863 in the midst of the War Between the States by President Abraham Lincoln.  It pains me to think that 150 years later, it is more often referred to as the day before black Friday. The year has been a challenging …

The Economy of Hunger …

As a participant and supporter of Heifer International, I received a welcoming brochure in the mail this afternoon.  According to Heifer International, 852 million people around the world are chronically hungry and 25,000 people die every single day from poverty and hunger.  I looked for another source.  According to Starvation.net, one person dies needlessly every …

Vision Quest, part I

According to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, a Vision Quest is a solitary vigil by an adolescent Native American boy to seek spiritual power and to learn through a vision the identity of his guardian spirit. Native Americans believe that each human is put on this earth for a special reason.  That reason is not always clear to …

The Fields of Friendly Strife

“Mandatory knowledge” was a key element for my classmates and me when we entered the United States Air Force Academy in 1967.  Of the countless facts and dates I was required to put to memory, the one that has endured the years is a quote from General Douglas MacArthur to the 1946 graduating class at …