My four-year-old grandson, Isaac, spent a few weeks with me recently. He’s smart and active, so my daughter and I tried to find fun things for him to do. One day he asked to play the piano. I lifted its lid and showed him the inner workings, explaining why he needed to be gentle with the keys...
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Have you ever been afraid? I’ve had a lot of fear during my lifetime. I’ve heard that it’s important to face your fears, but sometimes it’s hard. A few years ago, my husband and I were hiking around the lake at Lincoln State Park. That place has always been one of my favorit...
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When I was midway through my high school years at Our Lady of Grace Academy, the mandate came down: all the boarders must be in the school orchestra. Some of the girls were thrilled. I wasn’t. Perhaps based on their parents’ advice, some of my classmates chose to learn the hardest instr...
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Sometimes when I’m feeling a little melancholy and out of sorts, I head to a site on the Internet and I search for a photo of my grandparents’ home. In their twilight years, they lived in a small bungalow situated right across the street from their parish church. It had a wide front por...
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Years ago, I worked with a wonderful man named Paul Newland. He was the ad salesman for The Message, and he lived in the town of Washington. One day, he suggested that I do a story about an old Catholic cemetery that was located in his neck of the woods. I thought that sounded like a great idea; an...
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About a year ago, my daughter-in-law asked if we could do family dinners on Sunday nights. I grew up without any extended family in town, so of course I was thrilled. A few weeks ago after a family dinner, I decided to do some science experiments with my three-year-old grandson. You know, the easy...
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My friend arrived at the restaurant in really good spirits. Her eyes sparkled, and she seemed happy. When we sat down at our table, she shared her news. She’s in her late 80s, and she’s been studying the Scriptures since she was 2. She was the youngest of 12 children, raised in a Baptis...
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Attending Mass with my three-year-old grandson has been an interesting experience. It’s kind of like climbing a chain of hills and resting in the valleys. He’s quiet. He’s noisy. He’s playing with a toy. He’s on the floor. He’s bored, and then he’s ready to...
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The year that I graduated from the eighth grade, my mom wasn’t doing very well. Her mind was fractured by mental-health problems, and I begged my Aunt Sally to let me come and visit for the summer. I still remember how she paused at my request, and then said, “You can come, but you have...
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Since I retired about 21 months ago, I’ve been having a lot of fun. One of the first things I did was join an exercise class for seniors. I love my classmates, and I have come to admire them for their energy and their spunk. They certainly aren’t going gently into that good night. I tur...
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