Beliefs – Page 24 – Perpetual Adoration

February 25, 2012

Categories

Honey Boys

When I was growing up, my oldest brother, Jerry, was everything a mother and father would want in a son: intelligent, gentle, and respectful. I never saw him argue with my mom or dad. Never. Not even once.

February 18, 2012

Categories

A Reservoir of Love

It happened on a Friday evening in April of 1977, when I was 19-years-old. I was home from college for the weekend and after dinner, my mom brought out a cake she had baked for my youngest brother, Tony. There were 2 candles on the cake and it was time to sing Happy Birthday to the baby of the family. As usual, the candles were lit and the lights were turned off. Tony sat in mom’s lap while we sang to him. After Tony blew out the candles, someone turned on the lights to the dining room. It was then that we noticed mom was wiping away tears from her eyes.

February 11, 2012

Categories

The Unanswered Question

The first time I ever heard the phrase “Academic Freedom” was when I was 22 years old. It happened in 1979, when I was a student at St. Louis University School of Law. I had no idea when I started law school that I was going to get a real “education” on how a Catholic university operated.

February 4, 2012

Categories

A Retired Nun Challenges My Manhood

Last Monday I received a telephone call from a retired nun who reads my articles every week. I’ve known this particular nun for over 20 years. Even though she’s “retired,” she works harder than most people who are half her age. She’s a very holy and humble woman who cares greatly about the Catholic Church and the current state of humanity.

January 28, 2012

Categories

A Punk Kid & The Student Teacher

When I graduated from a Catholic grade school in 1971, I was determined to never look back. I got off to a bad start in first grade and every year after that got worse. I was more than ready to move on. I looked forward to starting high school with a blank slate and an entire new group of teachers who had never heard of me.

January 7, 2012

Categories

A Dilbert Resolution

In last week’s article, Habit Gravity & Escape Velocity, I told you about a New Year’s resolution I imposed upon one of my teenage daughters last year. The resolution was for her to make her bed every morning immediately after waking up. In the article, I provided one of the primary reasons most people don’t keep their resolutions – they fail to develop the new habits that are necessary to follow through on the resolutions. I also provided a formula that can be used to help facilitate the development of new habits.

December 31, 2011

Categories

Habit Gravity & Escape Velocity

Georgette and I still have three daughters living at home with us – Mary (20), Christine (17), and Teresa (15). Although Georgette has asked all three of the girls to make their beds every morning, only one has consistently complied with her request. The other two daughters have expressed various reasons (excuses) as to why they can’t seem get the job done every day, such as, “I don’t have the time” or “I keep forgetting.”

November 12, 2011

Categories

Revenge, Boxing, & Forgiveness

When I was 12 years old, I took over a paper route delivering newspapers for the Peoria Journal Star. Every day, I picked up the newspapers at Stafford’s Dairy, which was located about 6 blocks from my parents’ home.

October 29, 2011

Categories

Scary Times

BOO! IT’S GETTING SCARY OUT THERE! As I am writing this, there are “Occupy” protests going on in numerous cities throughout the United States. One of the gripes of the protestors is the lack of jobs that are available. The protesters remind me of Linus in It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. Instead of going trick-or-treating with his friends, Linus waited up all night in the pumpkin patch for the Great Pumpkin to arrive with free toys and candy. My favorite quote from the show came from Linus when he said: “There are three things I have learned never to discuss with people: religion, politics, and the Great Pumpkin.”