I hadn’t planned on writing about crosses today. Sometime around the Exaltation of the Cross (September 14), I’d snapped a picture of the old hymn “Take Up Your Cross” (below) with the idea that I’d return to it. Maybe meditate on crosses and the words of the hymn. (Or spend ten uninterrupted seconds considering, which is what passes for meditation in my life these days.)
Spring is just around the corner, so saith the illustrious Punxsatawney Phil. At this time of year, when 55 degrees feels balmy rather than chilly, I’m eager to roll down the car windows at the first glimpse of forsythia – long before the parking lot snow piles have melted. Granted, rolling down windows held more excitement when there was actually rolling to do and my vehicle was something other than a minivan, even if it was my parents’ Chevy station wagon. These are five songs that, to me, are the perfect accompaniment to the windows-down ride.
On Wednesday, March 2, I’ll be reviving a reading linkup, and I’d love for you to join me!
#OpenBook will be a monthly link-up each first Wednesday of the month.
My quick takes on social media – the good, the bad, and the unexplained. You can find and follow me on any of the platforms below.
Several authors, including Erin McCole Cupp and I, will be selling and signing books at the Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg’s Conference for Men on Saturday, March 12,…
2 Comments
In my totally unqualified opinion, worry and anxiety are epidemics in modern culture. Fear, worry, anxiety – they all separate us from God’s love. “Be not afraid,” the first words of Pope St. John Paul II’s pontificate, appear frequently in the Gospels. (I’ve found references to those words or a variation appearing from 120 times in the Gospels to 365 times throughout the Bible.) And yet, our lack of faith and our pride prevent us from taking those words to heart. From letting go and letting God.
Within the space of a few days last month, I read two stellar books that address exactly these issues: one a contemporary romance and the other biblical fiction.
2 Comments
Why small success? Because that’s the only kind I know! Even the big ones come in small steps. Here’s my paltry offering for the week:
Parents, can you “waste time” with your children? It is one of the most important things that you can do each day.
— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) October 27, 2015
I’m good at wasting time. One might call me an expert. Yet, I need to be reminded, by the Pope no less, to do that with my kids.
When I had only one child, I spent loads of “wasted” time with him. Four and a half years. I pushed Thomas trains around the wooden track. I sang and danced to silly songs in the backyard. I lay in the grass and watched the clouds pass.
Then I had another baby. And another. And another. And my time divided amongst the little people in my life.
6 Comments