Defining freedom: The old/new lure of socialism On this Independence Day weekend, taking a few moments to consider defining freedom – for ourselves, our lives and our choices-seems fitting. I find this old/new lure of socialism antithetical to what we stand for in this country founded under God. But this is clearly not so for […]
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The Cover: Does It Matter? The short answer is yes, book covers hugely influence our decision to buy or pass. In fact, a whopping eighty percent of readers and bloggers say their decision to buy a book is determined by the cover. For best selling authors like Lee Child, Dean Koontz, Harlen Coben, David Baldacci,
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Her Name was Karen: Illness as metaphor. Karen worked as a staff nurse in the CCU at the hospital where I had been hired as the director for medical nursing. With astounding clarity, I can see her face and the variety of scarves she wore to cover her baldness. It took me some time to
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The Feast of the Ascension: Why Does it Matter? Last night, Fr. Paul began his homily during the vigil Mass for The Feast of the Ascension of Jesus, with that question. It’s a fantastic scene, isn’t it? This event witnessed by eleven ordinary people a couple of thousand years ago; fantastic to them then and
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John Chillingworth/Picture Post/Hulton Archive, via Getty Images The Great Divorce: A Reread …the bus was full oflight. It was cruel light. I shrank from the faces and forms by which I was surrounded. They wereall fixed faces, full not of possibilities but of impossibilities, some gaunt, some bloated, someglaring with idiotic ferocity, some drowned beyond
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It’s spring in Nevada And the benefits of my March cleanup efforts are everywhere I look. The ponds and streams constructed years ago now flow cleanly and powerfully. The roses are magnificent. I can recall so readily what this house looked like when we came here…can it possibly be seventeen years ago? There was nothing.
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We Do What We Can: Or Do We? These words sound weak: “we do what we can” in this culture of superlatives where someone is not just good but “amazing”, where a movie is not merely excellent but “awesome.” Recently, I spoke with a long time friend about why the phrase, “we do what we
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In pursuit of excellence: TB12 America’s national passion for football was for many, many years pure mystery to me. I could not understand the attraction of watching a bunch of guys pushing and shoving and occasionally badly injuring one another. For me, football was a total bore. Despite that history, I am one of Tom
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Women of a certain age. Age is a funny thing. We can think that the phrase- and its associated number – means categories that limit, bound and define. Or we can mostly ignore it and live the life we choose, until we’re too ill to do so. In this twenty-first century, we read and hear
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Could we have it wrong? Is it about avoiding unhappiness? ” So, are you happy now that I, Claudia is done?” I stared at my psychologist husband and grudgingly admitted. “I was happier while writing it because now I’m wondering what to do in the next book…” We had been discussing happiness. That everyone says
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