The mystery of Christmas

Therein…lies the mystery of Christmas.“God…almighty maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible” renounces Godliness for our flesh: flesh that is thrust out of a mother’s womb, that suckles a mother’s breast, that pees and poops.

NOBODY'S PERFECT - Take a picture of us

THE FIRST TIME I saw someone with a disability in a movie was when I was eight years old. I cried when I saw the movie Heidi decades ago. I remember watching the movie as a young child when I stayed home from grade school, suffering from the flu.

SPIRITUALLY SPEAKING - Take nothing for granted

It is not anybody’s job to take care of us, and we should be grateful when someone does. …nobody owes us life, a living, service or love—and when we are given these, we need to be grateful.+Rev.

Four thousand Mondays

HOW OFTEN DO YOU think about death? The thought of no longer existing is too painful and grim for many to bear and is frequently avoided, but one psychology expert thinks people need to face their fear of death head-on to live more fulfilling lives.

Retirement is a beginning— are you psychologically ready?

How do you know you are psychologically ready to retire? As a start, ask yourself these four questions:1. Is your work meaningful?

By any other name, they would taste as sweet!

LIKE CRANBERRIES, SWEET POTATOES ARE A FOOD many Americans serve only at Thanksgiving—and maybe again at Christmas. That may be due to the fact that, although they’re available year around, they are in season during the months of November and December.

SPIRITUALLY SPEAKING - The trouble with language

Language is of only modest help. Every sentence is a wispy net, capturing a few flecks of meaning.The sun shines without vocabulary. The salmon has no name for the urge that drives it upstream.The newborn groping for the nipple knows hunger long before it knows a single word.

NOBODY'S PERFECT - Why do we lose our sense of smell?

I LOVE TO SMELL.I enjoy the aroma of freshly-brewed coffee, a fragrant soap or lotion, and the aroma of sautéed onions and garlic. In the fall, the scent of leaves and a bonfire relaxes me, while a spring rainfall or the smell of newly mowed grass makes me enjoy nature so much.