In the wake of terror and violence, a Facebook friend rallied against desensitization or surrendering to despair. But what else is there to feel? Paranoia? Revenge? Hatred? I needed another option. This is the season for love and goodwill, but headlines disconnected me from holiday cheer, such as writing Christmas cards. Then, I thought, why […]
Mary, Jesus’s mother, spent her last days in Turkey, and I visited her house, surrounded by maple trees, high above the ancient Roman ruins of Ephesus, five miles from the Aegean Sea, now rebuilt by the Catholic Church as a holy place. After Jesus entrusted his mother and apostle John into each other’s care, it […]
October 11, 2015. On Sunday we had a free day to hike the historic neighborhood of Sultanahmet, and had a chance to visit three mosques. Being in a holy place on Sunday felt right, even if Christian churches are scarce. Much like Goldilocks with the three bears, we sampled small, medium and large mosques, and […]
Politicians take an all-or-nothing stand on issues while a spiritual leader urges practical morality to get things done. It’s ironic. Since when did it take courage to compromise? Pope Francis wrote, “I prefer a Church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a Church which is […]
Today I gave a young man a spirit message from his dead mother. I know, weird. I’m not a small medium at large. I’m not a psychic. It just happened. There I was, waiting for my sandwich-soup combo, and the 20-something-year-old behind the counter was about to hand me my food. Then he paused and […]