After the killing of 49 innocent people dancing in an Orlando nightclub, my heart shrunk with despair. The familiarity of mass murder is paralyzing because hate cannot be legislated away when such a killer believes his murderous rage is righteous. How do I battle my own gut reaction toward retaliation? The Washington Post reported 29-year-old […]
Sister Peggy Cummins, age 67, runs a safe house for survivors of sex trafficking. Honoring her vow to chastity for 48 years, she had no experience with either sex or trafficking when she began this work in 2011. Yet the horror and debasement did not shock her. Instead she was jolted by a different realization. […]
At Congregation Beth Shalom of the Blue Hills I sit by the gallery’s fireplace with Lila Rosenbaum, 86. Sunshine warms our backs from the wall-high windows and she speaks of finally “having a home.” The 9,500 square foot temple is tucked to the side of an open field by a stand of old growth trees […]
When Mike Foley was a child and lost something, his mother would say, “It’s just stuff.” However, when he lost a marriage, a job, and three generations’ worth of family heirlooms, it’s not easy. Yet at age 69, the former lieutenant with the Boston Fire Department is not bitter. “I’m not in charge, I leave […]
(Special thanks to Bill Noonan for allowing the use of his photos of January 12, 2016 fire. http://www.billnoonanfirefotos.com Today when Boston firefighter Larry Smith, a 27-year veteran, rushes into burning buildings, his courage is fueled by faith. Twenty-two years ago he was blinded in a raging house fire. During that ordeal he discovered only God could […]