I shuffle into our prayer room in the early hours, 5ish most days, to join Doug, my deacon husband, in praying The Office of Readings and Lauds. He’s lucid even before his black coffee and quietly prepares me a cup with plenty of cream. We both accept that I will not be clear-headed for awhile….

The desert is blooming right now. One neighbor has a cactus with blooms I’ve never seen before. Doug has coaxed blooms from at least nine different kinds of roses in our backyard. But, plentiful oleander and palo verde blossoms in our neighborhood make my nose run and my eyes itch. I sneeze and sneeze and…

It’s the phrase I resort to when trying to describe what life has been like since becoming Catholic more than 20 years ago. It’s still new and fresh, and I am kept afloat by an effort not my own. That’s why I say I’m swimming in grace.  The evening we were received into the Church,…

It felt good to run along the canal again yesterday after more than two weeks of recovery from sickness and injury. April in Phoenix brings Alleluia weather. I step outside and am comfortable in the shade, but if a slight breeze cools me too much, I step into the sun; then if the sun warms…

I’ve learned so much from our daughter about choosing JOY!Today, which happens to be our daughter’s birthday, has been exceptionally good. I woke up just before the alarm sounded, my husband and I had an unrushed prayer time together, my boss came into my office to tell me my administrative assistant and I are both…

Christ in me the Hope of Glory. Pain cannot separate us from the Love of God. Pain cannot stop us from loving. Jesus is with us in our pain. He is. I have tried fighting pain, and it’s no good. The saints learned to rejoice in their sufferings. And I’m no saint, but they prove it’s…

When the Gospel is read on Passion Sunday, I don’t like hearing my own voice among the crowd shouting out “Crucify him, crucify him!” I fantasize that I would have stood strong for him. And though it makes me squirm a bit, it’s good for me to play my part with the rest of them…

I had never heard of costochondritis. It made my chest hurt and scared me into a trip to the emergency room where they quickly did an EKG, blood tests, and lung x-rays to rule out heart and lung issues. The good news is my heart and lungs are healthy! But, I need to lay off…

I have this abstract painting hanging in my office, and I find it beautiful, soothing, and interesting. I never tire of contemplating it’s blend of color and texture. I see in it something of the mystery of life. I can’t quite grasp it or explain it’s significance. It requires of me a certain openness and…

I can’t see red roses without remembering the roses. Three dozen of them, at least, and the most heavenly fragrance I’ve ever known. My neighbor, Rosa Maria brought them. My senses were opened more fully to the beauty of creation and I begin to see Mary in a new way – not just as Jesus’ mother, but…