Recent Posts

The Silent Years

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I was reading about the “Silent Years” of Jesus. It made me curious. What the world knows of Jesus is the short three years of his public ministry—three years packed with the most astounding events…

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The Art of Giving

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The Art of Giving It is Christmas time- the season of special music, lights, social and family gatherings, city and church events, parades, and of course, shopping for, wrapping, and giving gifts. The giving of…

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A History of Work

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  When you are raised in an Irish-Catholic home with nine other brothers and sisters, you learn early on that you have a role in the family. Our roles required each of us to carry…

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Family Vacations

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There are certain markers in our lives that remind us of who we were at various stages of growing into who we will be– markers like the different homes we have lived in, the cars…

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A Good Life Takes Practice

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“Practice makes perfect”. “How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice, practice.” These concepts of practice were drilled into me long ago, beginning when I sat down to my first piano lesson at six…

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Stargazing

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  This year my wife gave me a very nice telescope for Christmas. I am not sure what triggered this. I have never asked for one. Yet, I think she knew well my interest in…

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Why Not Become A Saint?

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“The only real sadness, the only real failure, the only great tragedy in life, is not to become a saint.”     Leon Bloy (from La Femme Pauvre) In the nineteen-fifties, Catholic Elementary schools had several objectives, including providing…

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Breaking News

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There are two realities living side by side today. One is the reality described in the relentlessness of twenty-four/seven media coverage with its partner– social network commentary. The other is the reality of my physical,…

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“Dirty Hands”

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The Puget Sound Poetry Connection (PSPC)  anthology “Aria 2020” is out. I was pleased to have two of my poems selected for inclusion in this wonderful volume of poetry by local poets. I Had a…

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Living a Forced Lent

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For Christians around the world, early spring brings with it the bright sadness of the Lenten season—a season of fasting, of abstinence, of giving, of prayer, and of self-reflection. We who practice the Lenten pillars of…

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Peace I Give to You

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Yes, today’s world is turbulent. Whether or not it is any more than past generations, centuries, or millenniums, I will let the historians work that out. I do know that even the smallest doses of…

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Boston Strong

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“I wasn’t good in sports, so I ran. I wasn’t good at running, so I ran long!”   Exactly one year ago I finished the Eugene Oregon Marathon in 3:46— first place in my division. I…

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Burned

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NOTE: Caution—not for minors or for the squeamish… As a rule, we tend to move from one day to the next governed by routines we choose or are chosen for us, until the day comes…

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The Only Truth I Know

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“And so you see, I have come to doubt All that I once held as true I stand alone without beliefs The only truth I know is you”                                          Paul Simon, Kathy’s Song    …

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The Mask of Zorro

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                                 I stood in the dark basement in front of the washing machine, guzzling an upturned bottle of Thunderbird wine I had stashed away for emergencies — when my wife walked in and flipped…

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The Summit of Rainier

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NOTE: I am re-posting this essay on the fourth anniversary of my climb.  MT Rainier – Facts: Summit elevation: 14,410 feet, The most challenging endurance climb in the United States and the most imposing glaciated peak in…

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Christ Haunted

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I recently came upon my 7th grade confirmation picture.  I am standing in front of our fire-place in my family home in Fort Dodge, Iowa with my hands folded, looking out with a forced look of…

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New Poems – Chapter Four

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 A selection of my most recent poems –     A Chance Encounter  ( Selected for inclusion in the WA 129+ collection by WA Poet laureate and Gonzaga University) Chapbook A#3 WA 129+ poetry .“A trouble shared…

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The Practice of Living

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“We shall not cease from exploration And the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started And know the place for the first time.” T.S. Elliot – Four Quartets Its October—again.…

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Stories I Tell My Kids

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“Remember the days of old,             Consider the years of all generations.             Ask your father, and he will inform you,             Your elders, and they will tell you.”   Duet. 32:7 “Daddy, tell us a Story!” These were the…

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Finding Rest in a Tired America

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“Oh, that I had the wings of a dove, that I would fly away and be at rest.”                                     David, King of Israel   I sense in the eyes and faces and voices I encounter…

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The Middle Way

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Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance and order and rhythm and harmony. Thomas Merton Some time ago I watched the documentary “Man on Wire”, which chronicles Philippe Petit’s 1974 high-wire walk…

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Turning Work Into Play

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Life has a curious habit of jumping up and surprising me—provided I keep my eyes, my ears, and my heart open and receptive. Over the Christmas holidays I spent hours playing with my grandkids, as…

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This Present Moment

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“The present is what takes us into the center of ourselves, asking us ‘Where have you been all this time’      Sr. Joan Chittister  “The Gift of Years”     I am listening to an audio…

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Learning to See

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Didn’t I come to bring you a sense of wonder?  Didn’t I come to lift your fiery vision bright?       Didn’t I come to bring you a sense of wonder in the flame?           VAN MORRISON “The…

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Lord, Make Me A Channel

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“To be free is to be totally available to others”      Fr. Murray Bordo In previous blogs, we have considered what is it that brings ultimate purpose and meaning to our lives. This short piece reflects…

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