‘Because You Can’

In 2010, I trained for the Chicago Marathon, and it remains one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, physically and mentally. For months I was exhausted, at times frustrated; I was nervous, excited, worried, and exhilarated. Midway through my training program, I was feeling especially tired and...

The Element of Surprise

The story about Joshua Bell playing in a Washington, D.C., subway station a few years back surfaced again last week on a Facebook post I saw. The point of the story is that, in 2008, a Washington Post reporter enlisted Bell in an experiment about people’s perceptions—in this case, how many passersby...

Bringing Back the Bluebirds

A couple years ago, a Franciscan friar in my community, Fr. Carl, built and mounted a number of bird houses on the property of our St. Anthony Shrine. The birdhouses are nicely constructed of cedar and are the exact type suited for bluebirds. Because there were no bluebirds around the shrine property, we...

It’s That Time of Year

Spring sports. Anyone who knows me well knows that the only sporting functions I like to attend are only those in which my kids are playing. And even though all my children are now young adults, two of my sons are still active in sports. And I am still their biggest fan. Last Friday Cory came home with a...

Sisters’ Scrutiny Continues

Monday’s news included a story that Pope Francis basically gave an affirmation to the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith in its takeover of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious. You can read the details in all sorts of places on the web—I spotted the ABC news story first, then checked...

God Gave You

Several months back, I was at an event sponsored by the Athenaeum of Ohio. Even now, I still think about the brief talk that Fr. O’Cinnsealaigh gave that evening. During his talk, he mentioned praying to God about all the pain and hurt and suffering that goes on in the world—from natural disasters to the...