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Published: 01 January 2017

Happy New Year 2017!!  Our expectations of newness for the year upon us is obvious. As I reflect on writing this post I realized that this time last week I gathered with family and friends to enjoy Christmas Day, while just last night I joined with family and friends watching the Times Square ball descend into a new year.  Many events happen in a short time period during the holiday season.  But what does it all mean? As I relax with a good cup of coffee on this

Read more: Our Joyous Expectations of Newness for the New Year

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Published: 25 December 2016

our family nativity with St. Francis Assisi

Christmas has arrived!  That magical time of the year when all seems to be at peace.  That time of the year when nature seems still, wars paused, enemies celebrate together, kids believe in magic and the hope of treasure.  A time when most of us recall how we spent the season as a child, longing once again for that simplicity of life.  Amidst all the secular commercialization, this time of the year still seems to hold a special place for us.

This picture is of the manger scene our family has set up for over two decades, and since the 1980's I have added the statue of St. Francis of Assisi to my manger scene.  Why?

In a little town in Italy, named Greccio, in the year 1223, St. Francis led an evening prayer service for the towns' people, and to make the event meaningful he decided to recreate, live, the nativity, the birth of Jesus.  Prior to this event, the displaying of nativity scenes was unheard of.  But for Francis, the importance of the nativity event was that it was a real event.  Historically, in the town of Bethlehem, a child, later to be named Jesus by his…

Read more: Merry Christmas

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Published: 24 December 2016

Reason for the Season

Christmas Eve, for me as a child, was one of the longest days ever! As an adult, I find this day to be one filled with anticipation and excitement, for spiritually I know that tomorrow we commemorate the birth of Jesus my Lord. But today the birth is not my focus, rather, my focus turns to His mother, Mary. Mary, an unwed teenager from a small town in a desert is asked the impossible; to trust so deeply in God when asked to bear God's son. I have no doubt that Mary's "yes" came with some hesitation and trepidation. And I'm sure she did not always have a pleasant time of it when dealing with her future husband, her family, and just the fact of being pregnant in general. Yet, through it all, Mary never gave up.

Jesus was born to this poor teenage girl in a stable in a small town in the far reaches of the Roman empire.  He was born to a girl who took a leap of faith and trusted in her God. She persevered, not knowing the outcome.  Onward she traveled, despite hardship and fear.

For me, Christmas is not only a…

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Published: 21 December 2016

"In winter we lead a more inward life. Our hearts are warm and cheery, like cottages under drifts, whose windows and doors are half concealed, but from whose chimneys the smoke cheerfully ascends."  Henry David Thoreau

My house after the first of two blizzards to hit in 2010 (credit: Blog Author)

Today, our planet is tilted in such a way that half of us will experience the shortest day of the solar year, the Winter Solstice. Personally, this is my favorite time of the year, for as Thoreau so poetically wrote, this is the time of the year most suited for leading an inward life.

I grew up in the northern part of the US where the days were short, the nights long, and snow blowing in the bitter wind. Ah, heaven! The sun would set around 4:00pm or so and a purplish haze would envelop the area just prior to the arrival of darkness; my favorite time of the day. Why? I'm not really sure, to be honest. It may be because that's where I grew up and so the memory of cold winter evenings brings a warmth to my thoughts. It may be because of my penchant for quiet…

Read more: tips for finding hope in winter