Kindness and humility sometimes seem to be very unpopular traits these days. We adulate those who are boastful and arrogant while assuming the someone with quiet dignity is somehow weak. Given the current climate I was thrilled to learn that Mother Teresa will soon become a saint. I can’t think of a more deserving person nor one that I more admire.
She was born in what is now Macedonia at the time that it was part of the Ottoman Empire on August 26, 1910. When she was eighteen she moved to Ireland to become a nun. Ultimately she found her way to India where she became the founder of the Missionaries of Charity. Her life was dedicated to running hospices and homes for those with the most dreaded diseases that often made them pariahs to the rest of society. She gave succor to those with leprosy, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis. Understanding the needs of the poorest among us she set up soup kitchens, hospitals, orphanages, schools and clinics. Her service to mankind played out in some of the most horribly desperate situations where few others dared to go. Her services were always free to those who needed them and offered with unconditional love. Continue reading “Saints Preserve Us”
It may not officially be spring but it certainly feels like it. This is a time for cleaning out the cobwebs in the house, mulching and planting in the yard, and just generally making some positive changes. Mike and I have been working on a more healthful lifestyle and the results have been rather dramatic. Now I want to extend my resolutions of change to other areas of my life as well. For some time now the readership of my blog has been rapidly deteriorating. I suspect that after writing five essays a week for four years I am becoming a bit stale. After all, how fresh can my memories and ideas be considering that I have composed over eight hundred columns during that time? 
It’s spring break time and what could be more wonderful than that? I had firmly decided that we all need a vacation from politics and the craziness that seems to be defining this election cycle. I had set aside my concerns about the outcome of the political primaries and began to understand the wisdom of the old saying, “Que sera sera.” I’ve certainly seen enough in my lifetime to realize that the good, the bad and the ugly tend to come and go with the wind. I settled into a determination to just have a good time in this beautiful Easter season and celebrated my victory over my own indignation by watching a James Bond movie on Friday realizing that escape is often quite therapeutic. 
All It Takes Is A Little Love 