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Adam Hamilton tells a story about a camping trip he took with his two young daughters. The trip coincided with his birthday.
He explained to his two daughters that each could have 20 dollars each to spend during the three days they were camping there. The two girls were so excited that they practically dragged their dad to the gift shop just outside the camp.
Children’s laughter fills the air as dusk creeps gently over our backyard. Firelight flickers in the firepit, embers smoldering, perfect for roasting marshmallows.
Soft night sounds and fireflies spring up from the grass around us, and a cool breeze bathes our foreheads.
Truly this is a glimpse of heaven, I think, as I breathe out a deep sigh of contentment and thank God for the moment. What could be better than this?
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I will confess that as a person of Irish heritage on both sides of my family, I found the events in Ireland recently particularly dispiriting.
Not only did the nation vote, by a two-to-one margin, for the legal prerogative to kill their children in the womb, but they also welcomed and celebrated the vote with a frankly sickening note of gleeful triumph.
Word on FireBrandon […]
Memorial Day is a federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May. For some, Memorial Day means the beginning of summer. For others, it is a day off to go shopping.
The purpose of Memorial Day, however, is to honor military personnel who died while serving our country, particularly those who died in battle or from wounds received in battle.
On Veterans Day, we honor those who served honorably in military service during wartime or peacetime.
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Word on Fire
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In the year 480 A.D., the last of the rulers of what remained of the western Roman Empire, a man by the name of Julius Nepos, died, leaving one Roman emperor in the far off eastern city of Constantinople (for the first time in 95 years), and the old Roman empire in Europe in the midst of a deleterious decline. In this era of ever diminishing expectations, St. Benedict was born.
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Mother’s day is a special holy day when we honor the gift of our mother. This year we celebrate Mother’s Day on May 13.
Attempts to start an American Mother’s Day began after the Civil War as a protest to that war’s carnage by mothers who had lost their sons in that war. This early Mother’s Day for Peace movement was led by Julia Ward Howe, author of “Battle Hymn of the Republic.”
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The other night at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, Michelle Wolf, who I’m told is a comedian, regaled the black-tie and sequin-gowned crowd with her “jokes.” Almost all were in extremely bad taste and/or wildly offensive, but one has become accustomed to that sort of coarseness in the comedy clubs and even on mainstream television.
I don’t spend a lot of time in front of the mirror. Usually a quick glance to comb my hair and brush my teeth before I dash out the door will do.
But today I actually looked and noticed evidence of growing older: gray hair.
Not that I hadn’t had any before, but this time it struck me how the gray clashed with how much of a child I still feel like I am.
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Word on Fire
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This article is in joyful preparation for the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which is observed annually on May 31.
A few years ago, I was having dinner with some friends, and the discussion turned toward Catholic social justice. This got me really excited, because one of the things that drew me into the Catholic Church was her rich body of social teachings.
