Do not let your hearts be troubled. It’s an interesting thing, that. Do not let your hearts be troubled. As if they’re prone to that worrying state. Do not let your dog escape from the yard, we might say. Do not let your toddler get too close to the fire. There’s a tendency toward danger, toward disorder. It’s the dog’s desire to run, the toddler’s yearning to discover. And what of the heart? Is it truly prone to be troubled? We live in a tragic world. A world of loneliness,

Sometimes, I think I’ve forgotten how to live in the present. Memory and imagination, nostalgia and wistfulness, the past and the future—I seem to dwell in those places a little too often these days. It was years ago, but still I vividly remember a conversation I once had with a wise friend. He spoke of the “eternal now,” a concept that has stayed with me ever since. To enter into the eternal now is to reside fully in the present. Not to be bound by what was or what is to com

This post was inspired by this Fr. Mike Schmitz video. And today’s Gospel. Oh, and God. I think I have a soft spot for the underdog. The chastised. The unlikely, oft-misunderstood (or even maligned) hero. Last time it was the rich young man. Now it’s Martha’s turn. There’s a particular smugness we feel at the mention of Martha, Mary’s less holy, whiny, busy sister. Oh, Martha. Too bad you just can’t get it right. If only you were more like that sister of yours, sitting at the

On Monday, I painted my bedroom. I figured it was a good way to spend my Labor Day. Aside from some expert advice from my dear roommate (thanks, Colleen!), I did it all by myself. Six sweaty hours of blue tape and paint flecks, and I am proud. My sore arms and hands and back and neck remind me of my new lavender walls that make my heart sing. And it got me thinking about hard work. I like to work hard. I like the satisfaction of a job well done. I love that feeling of coming

Hi! And welcome. So, I just need to tell you some things up front. I like real books. With pages and smells. I prefer face-to-face to Facebook. I find letter-writing wonderfully romantic, however antiquated. I'm not big on the whole "social media" thing. Sometimes I dream of those carefree days of childhood when I was TV-less, phone-less, and full of imagination. BUT. I love words. Oh, how I love them. I have always had a great fondness for writing. Stories, poems, letters, e