Category: Uncategorized

If there’s one event I look forward to every year during Black History Month, it’s the celebration sponsored by the Toms River Branch of the NAACP and the Ocean County Library that combines food and community with a whole lot of soul. This year’s “Celebrate Black History Month” program is set to begin at noon…

One of our favorite experiences as a family of eight was dinner in our local diner, even when the youngest were still in diapers. The experience was magnified when we traveled across country with our best friends and their five children. The look on the servers’ faces when we walked into a restaurant with four…

Today is a good day to write about failure, because today I was told that nothing I say is important – a defeating and discouraging thought, especially for a writer. They are words meant to wound, an intention that leads others to self-doubt. Most people, and particularly, most writers, struggle with self-doubt at one time…

As a Catholic, I have a confession to make. I read, reflect on and often incorporate the wisdom of other religious teachers in my life. I have always felt it would be arrogant of me to suggest that God limits the wisdom of the Holy Spirit to only those of one particular faith tradition. And…

There are those friends in life who have such a way with a turn of phrase that they always keep you smiling, at least, or laughing, at best.  I have such a friend, and no matter how poorly I may feel on any given day, her phone calls are sure to lift me out of…

For a time, I have become the primary caregiver of my three young grandsons while their parents attend to their newborn who needs specialized care in an out-of-state hospital. I’ll be honest. It’s not an easy transition for someone in their sixties who has adjusted to working from home on her own schedule, often in…

Sometimes opportunities come into your life which are not only unexpected, but transformative. Sometimes it’s a new job, a powerful retreat, service to others, or time spent with the sick or dying. Sometimes, it’s as simple as spending time reading. This year I was blessed to be a part, in a very small way, of…

Today I received an email in my inbox entitled “Being Human is Hard.”                                                                                                                                                                 Every time…

As children, there is something powerful about the stories told to us by our fathers. My time with my dad was always filled with family stories, made up stories, Bible stories or ancient myths and they all left an impression on my young heart. My dad was especially fond of sharing his love of Native…

In a recent Facebook exchange about our treatment of immigrants at the border, I wrote, “America will suffer for the mistreatment of God’s children.” A Christian gentleman replied, asking, “How are we mistreating God’s children?” saying they have no right to feel mistreated if they come into this country illegally, and shared the story of…