CHOCOLATE FOR YOUR BRAIN!

Reflections on Camping*

2013-05-19T12:41:00.001-04:00

It is five am. But we went to sleep by 10.The camp site was hardened crushed gravel and dirt. But it wasn't uncrushed gravel. Your sleeping bag is great, but it is still cold. My Achilles' tendon is still barking at me, and will be for days to come, but the three Advil I took last night helped, i think, though my back disagrees. Totally disagrees.A few raindrops are falling, but the birds

7 Quick Takes Friday

2013-05-18T08:44:00.000-04:00

1. Yes, I know I missed a lot of posts this week but I've been very busy. Doing what? You haven't told us what you did this week in the course of posting! Well, let's start with Monday. Monday, my daughter had a sports banquet to attend and there was a cub scout meeting and that same daughter decided she needed a new outfit for the occasion about two hours before launch time. Explaining

Wear Your Diamond Dearings Every day

2013-05-14T13:09:00.001-04:00

Why? Because the worst thing that could happen is not that you lose them. The worst thing that could happen is you save them for a special occasion and then lose them. Or that you don't wear them for fear they'll be lost and they grow dusty. You lost out on all the days before they were lost when you could be wearing them and drawing pleasure from beauty. You put the light under a bushel

Mother's Day Gifts

2013-05-12T08:27:00.001-04:00

I love Mother's Day, especially the hand written cards from my younger children. The writing projects they do in class for this day give me a snap shot into how they perceive the world that I cannot get any other way; a holiday Rorschach of my parenting duties if you will. For example: When my oldest was 4, his class did a project. I love my mom because......fill in the blank. There was

7 Quick Takes Friday

2013-05-10T15:04:00.000-04:00

1. Circle of Life... Wednesday, there was a bunny in our garage. I didn't mind it, it's cute, it's not a pet and no one is going to be fearful of going out to get a bike or a diet coke with a long eared baby ball of fluff hopping around. Thursday, there is a four foot long black rat snake in our garage hunting. Friday. Since there was no mongoose lurking outside my door, I called the

Do I Have to Do Homework to Read Your Book?

2013-05-09T11:34:00.000-04:00

No. How Much Do You Have to Know? The question was posed, “Do you have to know Greek Myth to understand this book?” No. But I hope reading it will spark your interest in discovering the richness of these ancient treasures whose influence is still felt today. Want a modern Odyssey? Try Finding Nemo. It’s all there. The one eyed monster, the sirens, the underworld, the monster

It Matters

2013-05-08T13:36:00.002-04:00

I've been reading/listening on and off to the Gosnell trial and the Benghazi testimony. Both stories are hard to listen to for prolonged periods without suffering from both despair and fury. Both stories are the triumph of political fealty over the reality. I understand why the Gosnell trial is not being covered. It is icky and it goes against the political winds of the day that authorize

Earning My Daisy Patches in Love and Joy

2013-05-06T13:49:00.002-04:00

There is a rule in domestic work, do the worst first. It works, because if you summon the will to do the hardest most obnoxious task on your to-do list early, everything afterwards seems easy. I have not followed this rule even though I know it works. Why? For the same reason I don't keep a food diary even though I know it works. Why? Because the former no matter how efficiently done, still

7 Quick Takes

2013-05-04T09:43:00.000-04:00

1. Helen is due out in 26 days. Good news. My mom and brother both enjoyed it. Bad news. I'm still editing. Good news. It's not as clunky as it was. Bad news. It still needs buffing and polishing in places. Good news. It holds. Bad news. There is so much more I want to put into this book, because I really have enjoyed having her wander around in my head these past six years. I'll

Because We Need Beauty

2013-05-01T13:32:00.002-04:00

Today, if I look at the news, it is hard not to fall into the sin of despair. It is why we need things like sunsets and the laughter of children, the taste of chocolate, the color red, spring with all of its riotous outrageous color, and beauty saturating our souls, feeding them against the pain, the wrong we creatures made in God's image inflict on ourselves daily. So I began a post wherein

The Catholic Stand

2013-04-29T07:00:00.000-04:00

I have a piece over at the Catholic Stand. You can check it out here.

Another Presidential First

2013-04-28T23:08:00.000-04:00

According to the Daily Caller, President Obama became the first siting commander in chief to directly address Planned Parenthood. He proudly bragged that the number one abortion provider is not going anywhere. He concluded his remarks with the remarkable, “God Bless You Planned Parenthood.” Tiny Tim was not available for comment. Shrewdly, he gave the speech on a Friday, allowing the Saturday

7 Quick Takes

2013-04-27T08:33:00.001-04:00

1. I'm alive. I know the blog hasn't shown it lately, but it is nonetheless true. I'm also here to answer that even when a writer isn't writing, she's still a writer, and she's just as annoyed with herself as the reader is with stopping in and finding nothing to read. 2. Saint Mary's College Class of 1988 Reunion Here I Come! I've got my plane ticket and my reunion reservation so I'm

Understanding God's Love

2013-04-24T13:20:00.000-04:00

I saw this video and was overcome by the simple beauty of the policeman holding onto the man afterwards. Go ahead and watch, I won't spoil it. Here, there was a soul despairing. Nearby, perhaps anticipating the rash cruel impulse that was tormenting the man, the policeman watched. I especially love how he continued to hold onto the man afterwards. God is like that with us when we seek

Sherry's Writing Rules

2013-04-23T21:49:00.001-04:00

Dreaming of writing the next great American novel or at least crafting a story that has been kicking around in your head whenever you get the opportunity to be still? Writing is all about allowing your imaginary friends in that genre to talk to you and tell you what they're going to do and where and when, and then doing the research to put them in their place for those occasions when you're not

Diaper Free in NYC

2013-04-23T12:08:00.000-04:00

Call me old fashioned if you wish, but the newest trend in chichi parenting, going commando doesn't send me. Being cutting edge, the New York Times reports on this environmentally conscious attempt to pretend that all things most modern must be whatever makes no sense whatsoever. Elimination communication as it is called, clearly sends a message to me...stay away. This is not to say my

She Lapped Him

2013-04-22T11:21:00.000-04:00

It's been coming for months. Paul and Anna are deeply connected siblings. Two years apart, Paul has been her constant companion as she grew through milestones that every baby en route to toddlerhood does. Crawling to walking, mush to solid food, talking in single words to sentences. Paul has been her guide through the jungle of living in a large family, giving her access to bananas via a

How Do You Write a Book? Helen Update

2013-04-17T11:23:00.000-04:00

Step One: Sit down at the computer. Step Two: Write story. Step Three: Edit out all the stupid words. Step Four: Repeat as needed. With six years in the making, there have been many chapters that ended up on the cutting room floor of the internet. I had a shipwreck, a rape and two plays. They're all gone. There was a dramatic scene I deemed too out of character with the rest of the story

Have Mercy on Us and the Whole World

2013-04-15T13:19:00.000-04:00

I have read as much as I could stomach of the Gosnell trial, and what I read fills me with both sorrow and revulsion. The temptation to go all James and John, "Lord, let us reign fire down..." is strong, because the evil is so obvious. However, James and John are rebuked by the Lord, it is not good for their spirits, and it is not good for mine either. While in Texas visiting my parents, I

What the He Double Hockey Sticks Happened to this Blog?

2013-04-11T13:43:00.001-04:00

I went to Texas. I saw my mom and dad. I came home to softball and birthday parties to plan and rsvp and baseball and editing because holy cats the book I'm still editing is out in 50 days cue panic alert. Meanwhile I have a daughter turning six on Saturday. I need to get to the book store for her. My toddler knows how to open doors. She also flushes toilets. So writing new words has

This Explains Everything, I've Been Playing the Wrong Sport!

2013-04-10T11:53:00.001-04:00

This is my 10th time with a two year old. The battle of the parental will against the irrational mind or is it the irrational parent against the indomitable will never ceases to surprise. My daughter is a dumper. She plays with the stuff in a basket, releases everything in it from captivity and then cavorts onto her next mess. Today, I thought she should assist in picking up the plastic eggs

A Letter to the Older Sons and All Day Laborers in the Vineyard

2013-04-03T14:34:00.000-04:00

Inspired by some of the various conversations on Facebook and other places, about the new Pope, the traditions of the Church, the earnest work of living a faithful life, and the hard slow walk to the foot of the cross. Fellow Older Brothers and Workers who have Been Here since Morning Working...Unite! Boy do we get the short end of the stick! We are asked to work, we are promised a fair

Glimpses of Heaven

2013-04-02T11:58:00.002-04:00

Sitting around the table after singing "Happy Birthday," someone asked my daughter what her favorite point of the day had been. She looked around and talked about going to the baseball game with her father. I looked about and my favorite moment was that one, with everyone around the table. Even on Easter, we hadn't quite captured the knowing moment of being together, despite going to mass,

Small Stones Monday

2013-04-01T07:00:00.000-04:00

Monday's Stone Just before Dawn they ran to the windows Awake and aware when we could be sleeping because todayin the week before Easter,we rose to a snow day. Tuesday's Stone Seeing For the ForestIt's due tomorrowshe's done her pieceagain and againand sent us to the store for moreWhile tucking in her brothershe comes to methe painting should be a bridgewith water reflecting the bridge

Limping into Easter

2013-03-30T18:47:00.002-04:00

This is the high season for Catholics, especially those church going rosary saying apologetics reading catholic blog groupies like me. Except I am completely spent. Emotionally, spiritually, personally, I am tired. I have had a crummy Lent. The irony stings. I wrote a column on Lent. I've tried adding things and taking away and I’ve forgotten and started again and forgotten and started