Heaven
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Fr. Joe
Our friend Fr. Joe Callahan passed from this life on Easter morning. He was the spiritual director of our retreat house, and had held that position for almost twenty years, affecting the lives of hundreds and hundreds of people who lived cursillo and other retreats at the house. When I heard the news, I did…
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Celebration Song (Red, part two)
My mother had a print of a painting in her house and I said I liked it, so of course she bought me one. It’s called ‘Celebration Song’, by Tim Steward, and it seems to depict in streaks of earth tones a Heavenly scene of thirteen spirits rejoicing together. It’s a bit abstract, but to…
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Daughters
All of the mother-daughter pairs were at the craft store today, and then they all followed me over to the Paper Store. These girls and women stuck out to me all day long. They were a variety of ages…children to elderly, and some were sweet and others were annoyed. After all, this is the essence…
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Four
My mother is the only person who knew pretty much my whole story and loved me anyway. She fiercely loved me, thought I was wonderful, and said so. She saw my insecurities, failings, and anxieties and knew the root of most of them. She could hear something quake in my voice about four seconds into…
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Christmas, Death, Birth
On November 4, 2012, my family celebrated one last Christmas with our Mom. She died the next day. The day that followed that was my forty-first birthday. On that birthday/funeral planning morning, as Facebook greetings poured in on top of condolences, one sweet friend wrote that she hoped I would one day find some meaning…
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Unlikely Holy Ground
I know what I will see in the moments before I die. I may not be in that place physically, or maybe I will, but I am absolutely certain about the image that will come before me at that time. Strange as it may seem, I know I will see one particular metal exit door…
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Last Day
Given the choice, how would you spend the last day of your life? On November 2nd, 2012, we were told that our Christmas-loving, enthusiastically gift-giving mother had very little time left. Dealing with end-stage ovarian cancer, we had hoped she would make it to enjoy her favorite holiday. She had already online-shopped for all of…
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First Spring Run
Everyone’s running outside today. After a brutal winter, it’s going to hit 50 degrees, and on a Saturday to boot, so the reluctant treadmill runners are making their way out among the diehard ice and snow crowd. It’s a beautiful day, a bright blue sky and light wispy clouds, not too windy, and perfect for…
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Dear Julie,
Dear Julie, I am truly thankful to God for letting our lives intersect. It was clear almost from the start that He had a hand in putting us together, and I am grateful. When I think of you, memories come rushing in, and I want to hold on to them all. I remember… After seeing…
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My Mom, a month later
My good friend, Courtney, lost her mother about a year before I lost mine and she recommended I write to process some of what I’m feeling lately. It occurred to me that I haven’t really written about anything in a long time, which is rare for me. I have felt overwhelming fatigue and I have…