faith

Reflections on Ash Wednesday

February 14, 2013

I’m not sure if it was the fasting and abstinence, the compound effects of getting up early for the past several days, my choice of Lenten sacrifice (more on that tomorrow), or the simple fact that February has been BUSY, but when I sat down to write today’s blog post last night, I just didn’t [...]

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Let the Good Times Roll

February 12, 2013

As I wrote over at Sarah’s place yesterday, Mardi Gras may be my new favorite holiday season. Despite its history as the “last chance to celebrate” before the penitential season of Lent, Mardi Gras is the opposite for me. After the mad rush of Christmas that makes me a little crazy, the no-pressure season of [...]

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My Thoughts on Newtown: Control, Stigma, Evil, and Love

December 15, 2012

In the aftermath of the incredible tragedy that occurred in Newtown, Connecticut, on Friday, I found myself desperately seeking answers. Who did this?…Did he have a troubled childhood?…Was he let into the building?…Did he have a grudge against someone in particular? Some of these questions have been answered, some have yet to be, and others [...]

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A Beautiful Tapestry: Ash Wednesday Reflections

February 23, 2012

Wednesday afforded me a rare opportunity: to  go anywhere at all attend Mass without Nathan. Which is to say that I was able to attend Mass without a squirmy, noisy, frustratingly adorable attention hog who cheeses at all parishioners with whom he is able to gain eye contact. I’ve been hoping for awhile now that the [...]

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The Faithful Departed: Remembering Deacon Hank

November 2, 2011

Over the past nineteen months since Nathan’s birth, I’ve read many stories of moms who were devastated when they found out their children were (or would be) born with Down syndrome. My story is a little different. Someday I plan to tell it all, but for now I’ll summarize it in this way: before Nathan [...]

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Not What I Expected: First Communion Edition

May 17, 2011

Sarah Kate has been looking forward to her First Communion, which was held this past Sunday, for about two years.  First Communion is when a person receives the sacrament of the Eucharist for the first time; in our church it’s held at the end of the second grade school year.  The girls wear white dresses [...]

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Don’t Stop Believing

October 8, 2010

I confess.  I have both of the first-season “Glee” soundtrack albums downloaded to my MP3 player.  I listen to them while I run, and Sarah Kate and I sing the songs in the car all the time.  Her favorite is “Somebody to Love”; mine is “Don’t Stop Believin’”.  I loved the show throughout the fall [...]

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Alleluia, Alleluia!

August 4, 2010

I recently watched a little-known documentary film entitled “Praying With Lior“.  It follows a young Jewish boy (who happens to have Down syndrome) preparing for his bar mitzvah.  Since he was a small child, Lior has spent countless hours praying.  Some people who know Lior believe him to be a “spiritual genius”, while others think he [...]

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