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In Praise of the Attitude Adjustment

I’m digging the Jesuit Media Lab’s Lent 2026 series (“In Praise of . . . “) despite totally forgetting that I’d written for it! It dropped today . . . click the image below to enjoy!

#ignatian #choir #christianity #god #lent #prayer

Standing in the Pause

Mary and Martha, grieving the death of their brother Lazarus (Image courtesy of GoodSalt.com) This weekend, we hear the second-most-famous story about Martha and Mary in the Scriptures. The death and raising of Lazarus is a pivotal point in the events leading up to Holy Week—one of the key “signs” shared by John in his Gospel. But for the grieving sisters, time would have flowed…

#faith #Lazarus #christianity #god #jesus #prayer

The Pelican

“There’s something wrong with that pelican,” I said. My husband and his brother and I had just completed half of an annual tradition: a Thanksgiving weekend beach walk on Marco Island, FL. We’d just reached the southern tip of the island and were preparing to turn around when I spotted the bird. It had landed in a crevice between rocks on the jetty, presumably pursuing prey, but then it kept…

#faith #ignatian #florida #god #gulf coast #marco island #nature #photography #prayer #Travel #wildlife #Writing

The Littlest Angel

My reflection for the Jesuit Media Lab’s “Waiting and Wassailing” series dropped yesterday. I chose Bing Crosby’s “The Littlest Angel,” a song that never fails to bring a sappy tear to my eye. Click here to read/listen and explore the rest of the series. (You can also sign up to receive a song and reflection a day in your inbox, now through Christmas Eve.) Wishing all the blessings of Advent,…

Books I Love by People I Love (2025)

‘Tis the season . . . for curated book lists! Here’s my quirky annual contribution, with just two rules: I have to 1) genuinely like the book and 2) know the author personally (enough to have had a conversation). If you’re shopping online (I’m looking at you, Cyber Monday), I beg of you, GET NOT YOUR BOOKS FROM AMAZON. Local independent bookstores need our December dollars! If you don’t have one…

The Blindfold

Last week, I was caught in afternoon traffic driving home from a retreat. When the school bus ahead of me reached a red light, two little girls flattened themselves against the back window. How cute, I thought—followed by, Why do we let this precious cargo ride like loose eggs in a box? Both thoughts were chased from my mind, however, when that precious cargo began mugging and gesticulating at…

#faith #ignatian #christianity #god #jesus #prayer #Spirituality

Play Ball!

The Wisdom of Occasional Obliviousness I watched a lot of baseball last month. (To be clear: I watched a lot of baseball for me.) After the Phillies were eliminated in post-season play, I embraced those scrappy Toronto Blue Jays and followed them all the way to the heartbreaking eleventh inning of game seven of the World Series. A curious thing happens to me when I’m watching baseball. I don’t…

#baseball #blue jays #Cherished Belonging #christianity #Homeboy Industries #phillies #Toronto #world series

It Was Well with His Soul

During Jeff Draine’s memorial service last Saturday at Wallingford Presbyterian Church, I had the privilege of speaking about his faith. I have written about Jeff here before, in the 2018 blog post “Eat the Peaches” after he was diagnosed with young-onset Alzheimer’s, and in the the long account of our friendship after he died last month. Here’s what I said at his beautiful, joyful…

#funeral #memorial #christianity #faith

Walking Toward Love

A Friendship in Ten Movements 1 minute Jeffrey Noel Draine, 1962 – 2025 The world lost a good one this month, when, at the age of 62, Jeff Draine went home to the God he loved after eleven years living and dying with Alzheimer’s. (You can read his beautiful obituary here.) Jeff was the first friend I made as a full-blown adult. After college graduation, I moved into the Freedom House community…

#alzheimers #friendship

Train Time

When Porter and I decided to take Via Rail across Canada, we had no doubt we’d enjoy ourselves. We love train travel, and the sleeper-car experience was a real “bucket list” item for each of us. I was a little worried about how I’d handle the absence of WIFI on the Canadian, but mostly I was just curious about the outer and inner journeys. Here’s what I discovered . . . Large Vistas and Small…

#prayer #Spirituality #trains #Via Rail

An Analog Adventure Awaits

Yesterday morning, I found myself missing the oddest thing: not having a laptop. Let me explain. For more than thirty years, at least one morning in August has found me on the deck at my uncle’s beachfront condo in Wildwood NJ, drinking coffee and watching the sunrise. Yesterday was one of those days. I was resisting the pull of my devices, temporarily keeping at bay the emails to read, the…

#amtrak #Canada #Canadian #trains #Via Rail

Got Peace?

I’m delighted to share that my review of Eric Clayton’s new book, Finding Peace Here and Now, has appeared in the National Catholic Reporter. It is not enough to wring our hands and pray for peace, Clayton insists: “If peace is what we desire, then we need to practice it.” How, then, does one practice peace? What are the repetitive, foundational movements that precede mastery — the spiritual…

#ignatian #book review #christianity #peace #peacemaking

Fear Locks the door

When the Catholic Preaching Institute asked me to write 300 words “From the Pew” for Pentecost, I knew exactly what I wanted to write about! You can see the Gospel and the “From the Pulpit” commentary, along with my reflection, here on the St. Charles Borromeo Seminary website. This is what I wrote: From the Pew: June 8, 2025Pentecost Sunday (John 20:19-23) When I was in my thirties, my mother…

#christianity #faith #fear #jesus #pentecost #prayer

Habemus Papam!

Where were you when Pope Leo XIV was elected? How did you react? Busted Halo solicited a group of writers to answer that question in 300 words or less. Loving a tight word limit, here’s what I wrote: “I assumed you were dead,” my brother said. What other explanation could there be for my silence following his 12:12 text (White Smoke!) and 1:16 follow-up (American Augustinian! Villanova…

#faith #catholic #pope #PopeLeo

What Day Is It?

Every time I walk into church and spot my friend Jamey Moses, I can count on him to ask me the same question: What day is it? No matter if it’s Saturday, Sunday, or a random weekday, I always reply, This is the day the Lord has made! At Easter Mass yesterday, I sang Psalm 118: This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad! And this morning, like the rest of you, I woke up to the…

#catholic #faith #PopeFrancis

Englewood Review

This week, I was thrilled to read Catherine Anne Sullivan’s take on Finding God Along the Way in the Englewood Review of Books. Besides being positive promo, it’s going to bring my book to the attention of people well beyond the reach of my usual target-audience circles. Catherine’s writing is gorgeous, so enjoy that for its own sake! Click on her name to explore more of her work. Here’s the…

#camino #faith #ignatian #ivc #books #prayer

Prodigal Mic Drop

The most pointed insight I ever gained into the Prodigal Son story (Luke 15:11-32) came during a retreat skit performed by a group of West Chester University Newman Center students. I remember no context—only that they’d been put into groups and assigned parables to act out. (BTW I can’t believe I made them do this. I skipped my own college orientation because I heard there were skits!) Truly,…

#prodigal #bible #gratitude #jesus #Scripture

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