Holiday Cheer

We arrived at our Thanksgiving Day destination, opened the back of my parents’ Jeep and watched in horror as all four bottles of wine rolled out of the vehicle, onto the ground and down the slopped driveway. From inside her house, my sister could see and hear my father’s reaction. “Oh, no. Oh, no. The wine. The wine,” he exclaimed with his hands on his head. Let me tell you, folks, it was a true Thanksgiving miracle that not one bottle broke, not one sip was spilled.

Four Days

Fun. Festive. Family-filled. Yes. Yes. Yes.
But I’ve never known a holiday to be restful, no matter how many days off accompany it.

Remembering the Righteous

“Whoever saves one life, saves the whole world.”
It all comes down to ordinary people doing the good that needs to be done. When that doesn’t happen, the most terrible, unimaginable horrors take place.

Tonight I met a man who survived the Holocaust. I got to listen to his story. He was only about 16 when he escaped the Warsaw Ghetto. He was helped by a young man about his own age. After the war, he found out that his friend lost his life for helping Jews. Such people are known as the “Righteous among the Nations of the World.” The quote above is written on medals to honor them.

Childhood Ponderings

John overheard our friends’ 6-year-old daughter ask her dad what he thought her voice would sound like when she was older. “Beautiful,” he said without a moment’s thought.

A King of Peace

“My kingdom does not belong to this world.” ~John 18:36

Jesus was speaking to Pilate when he said this, and it wasn’t in the course of a casual conversation. Jesus had been arrested and would be sentenced to death. I can’t imagine he was relaxed, but he certainly seems unattached. And detachment seems to be one of the most important lessons worth learning. This simple sentence is a reminder to me not to cling too tightly to anything in this life.

Solemnity of Christ the King

Clothes Behaving Badly

I am not a shopper, and a pair of jeans I was trying on today seemed to know this. This particular pair of jeans protested the mere possibility of coming home with me by slicing my finger with its sales tag. Yes, there was blood. And the jeans were banished to the unwanted section of the dressing room.

It’s Not Too Late

The big feast of Thanksgiving is almost here, and you can help make the holiday happy for a family in need.
Sacred Heart Community Service in San Jose has made it easier than ever to act on your good intentions.
Click here and give. Just $18 buys turkey for two families.