Today is one of those Birth Days in my family circle. It is unusual in that there are three today: Oldest son, Tom; spouse, Cathy; daughter-in-law Robin all begin a new year in their respective histories. Tom was born less than three weeks after the Beatles appeared on the Ed Sullivan ‘shew’, February 9, 1964. […]
Wednesday noon we attended Ash Wednesday service at the local Catholic Church, and that afternoon I walked around with ashes on my forehead (“dirt” as the Priest described it), not making a particular statement with it. It’s the one time of the year when you can sort of figure out who might be Catholic. Back […]
There will be endless political verbiage about the new Minnesota political map, released yesterday. The implications depend on where you live, what your political leanings are, or who you like, politically. (In some places there will be an incumbent Republican (or Democrat) against another incumbent from the same political party.) It will be a very […]
Sometimes, something is just too good to wait. This morning I had the opportunity to re-union in St. Paul with Marion Brady. Marion and I were long time members of a quality education e-list maintained by the National Education Association (NEA). We “met” on-line in the mid-1990s, and had only seen each other in person […]
Tuesday I was privileged to attend a preview of the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize Forum at Augsburg College, Minneapolis MN. All I can say is “be there”. And if you plan to be there, enroll now. I will be surprised if there is room for walk-ins the days of the Conference, March 1-3. All details […]
A day or so ago I answered the phone and a little-person voice announced herself as “Susie”. Susie? I thought it was a misdial. Then her mother came on, and I learned that I was talking to granddaughter Lucy, all irrepressible five years of her. Her sisters, Girl Scouts, had convinced her to call us […]
Each time I express an irritation with the Catholic Church, a few friends will write, in assorted ways, “why not just leave?” I always answer in assorted versions of “you can’t change an organization from the outside. You have to slog away within the system.” Plus, except for the hierarchy, whose clear obsession is temporal […]
Today at Mass at Basilica came the expected Declaration of War (my interpretation) by the Catholic Hierarchy against the majority of us in the pews and not, who do not buy the promulgated line. If you are not Catholic, or one of the two-thirds of Catholics who do not normally go to church, the declaration, […]
A little medley for the day of the Grammy’s. The news just in that Whitney Houston is dead at 48. She had a great talent and a tragic life. I picked a few personal favorites from different artists off of YouTube…. Whitney is at peace. Any favorite songs you’d like to add to this list? […]