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45 and the Mid-Life Brisk Walk
I recently turned 45, officially entering “mid-life territory,” as I was gently reminded. Although hearing this non-disputable truth gave my ego a bit of a sting, my soul had known for years that mid-life was upon me. We, adults, are not too different from children. I don’t know how often I must remind my boys to clean up their trash from the basement or put their clothes in their rooms. Or my favorite, “The dishwasher is dirty; why don’t you throw your bowl in there while you’re at it…thank you very much.” We all know the saying if I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a thousand times. We…
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Facebook, Beauty, and Good Friday
I don’t use Facebook often, but when I do, I love the memories on my feed. You know the ones: “Three years ago today, you were here… Seven years ago today, you posted this,” etc. Last Friday, my Facebook memory was from 5 years ago in Venice, Italy. More specifically, it was a video that I had posted inside St. Mark’s Basilica during the Good Friday Celebration of the Lord’s Passion. After not sleeping last night, here are a few things that kept me up all night about the video and the significance of this day, Good Friday 2021. The music strikes me first in the video, a rendition of…
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Let’s Dance
I have not done much dancing of late. My days of getting down doing the running man or moonwalk have passed. That said, I couldn’t help but dance this week to a different tune. There is no secret how these times have been mentally taxing for many of us. No role, occupation, or vocation has been spared. This week, we got some bad news regarding the health of one of our sons. It is nothing serious, but it is heartbreaking for him nonetheless, as it will most likely prevent him from participating in his favorite sport for the foreseeable future. A participation that has been so critical for the mental…
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Hard To Be Human
It’s well-documented that the pandemic has brought many challenges to the surface for millions of people around the globe. Not only physical illness but loneliness and isolation have sparked a wave of mental illness as well. The pandemic has affected all of us in some way. Like so many things in life, although the struggles we face are felt by many, they are unique. In other words, our experiences and struggles are our own. For us, the pandemic has been about navigating being home with two school-aged boys every day for almost a year. On the one hand, I loved it because I knew this was a time we would…
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“Shining Like The Sun”
There was a moment last week that gave me great pause. Standing in an outdoor shopping area, watching people walk by, I was struck with a profound wonder. Blame it on the COVID-19 shut-in orders, blame it on not being out and about regularly in almost a year, blame it on sitting every day with my 4th-grade son teaching him. There I was, engaging in an ordinary, mundane activity of heading to the store before a snowstorm, yet being swept away with wonder and awe. Namely, to be in the presence of others. What a gift. Standing still and watching people frantically move about to get milk and bread before…
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A Fire of Hope
The light slowly and quietly breaks the dark condition of the horizon. The first glimpse of the sun gives energy to all who see and feel it. The canvas of colors instantly invites us into a renewal that we all know so well, for it is offered daily. A renewal of life. A revival of our hearts. A restoration of our souls. Peace. Beyond the peace, we feel a burning desire that smolders from within: a desire to start anew, escape the past, take a step forward, and breathe. We yearn to be fully alive right here and now in the present. We might call this intense desire Hope. Over…
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Gift of Silence
Due to COVID-19, the world community has paused. Humanity has been forced to stop, allowing for a type of collective vulnerability that has rarely, if ever, happened before. This shared experience has forced us to examine ourselves individually and culturally in ways we might never have been able to do during our times of “normalcy.” The first observation is one of sadness. Sadness for those who have died, usually alone, and for the families who have had to watch a loved one die from afar. Sadness for the millions who have lost their jobs and, with that, their dignity, and now struggle to find ways to support their families and…
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The Greatest Illusion
For the last few nights at the dinner table, we have been reading excerpts from the book The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy. I can’t recommend this book enough, whether you are 12, 22, 42, or 92 years old. This passage from the book struck me most last evening… the dialogue between all four characters (boy, mole, fox, and horse) stood lakeside, watching the beautiful and peaceful swans pass by. “How do they look so together and perfect?” Asked the boy. “There’s a lot of frantic paddling going on beneath,” said the horse. “The greatest illusion,” said the mole, “is that life should be perfect.” -Charlie…
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Listening to Time
Tick. Tick. Tick. If we are quiet enough, the constant tick of a second hand can penetrate the subconscious and even seep into the depths of our souls. It is the sound of a more profound truth that we both yearn for and fear. I remember hearing a story in Switzerland, the land of “time,” about a young gentleman who came into a store to look for a watch. After inspecting a particular watch for about five minutes, he looked up at the owner and asked, “What can it do?” The store owner replied, “It tells the time.” “That’s it?” asked the young gentleman, and walked out. Time is an…
