Prayer

June 11, 2016
June 11, 2016
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The Simple Things In Life

Best Things In LifeI attended Saint Louis University School of Law from 1979 to 1982. There was a McDonald’s restaurant that was located about six blocks from the school. The area where the McDonald’s was located was run-down, and it was not uncommon to run into a homeless person when I stopped at McDonald’s for a bite to eat.

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May 21, 2016
May 21, 2016
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Food From The Angels

Angel Food CakeHave you ever wondered who came up with the name “Angel Food Cake”? I was curious about it, so I did some research. While you would think that an advertising and marketing genius came up with the name, it appears as though it was a woman who was baking a cake in her kitchen who thought of the name.

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May 14, 2016
May 14, 2016
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A Bug Watch and a Guardian Angel

Bug Watch PackageOn Mother’s Day, my oldest daughter Anna invited our entire family over to her house for dinner. After dinner, we celebrated the birthday of her 6-year-old son, David. Whenever I’m invited to one of my grandchildren’s birthday parties, I go out of my way to find an inexpensive but unique gift that they will remember and enjoy using. I always tease them ahead of time about the gift I have for them.

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May 1, 2016
May 1, 2016
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The Departure of a Media Titan

Mother AngelicaIn March 1985, my wife and I attended an Easter Seals breakfast at the Continental Regency in downtown Peoria. The featured speaker was a 61-year-old cloistered Franciscan nun by the name of Mother Mary Angelica.

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April 16, 2016
April 16, 2016
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A Decision Not To Be A Victim

victim-mentalityTwo weeks ago, I wrote about some of the abusive teachers that I had at the Catholic grade school that I attended during the 1960s. Last week, I wrote about how the behavior of those teachers wasn’t much different than the behavior of other teachers in the 1960s. I wrote that at that time, there were some parents and teachers who believed that abusing and humiliating boys was a necessary part of transforming them into real men.

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March 12, 2016
March 12, 2016
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Living Up To Expectations

ExpectationOne Sunday morning during the summer of 1997, I was in the bathroom getting ready for church. The door was open and I was standing at the sink, shaving. My oldest daughter, Anna, appeared in the doorway and the following conversation took place between us:

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February 20, 2016
February 20, 2016
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Coping With the Death of a Loved One

Moments TogetherWith the recent death of my father-in-law, I’ve had to fall back on some of the coping skills I learned and developed when I was younger. I’ve written before about the death of my 13-month-old sister, Kathryn Mary. When she died, I was 15 years old. I’ve also written about the sudden death of my cousin, Tommy LaHood, who died when I was 11. Tommy’s brother, Harry LaHood, passed away when he was 41. Harry and I were the same age and were best friends while we were growing up.

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January 2, 2016
January 2, 2016
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Some Unexpected Help With A Problem

APC-SMT1000On January 1, after I went to Mass and had lunch with my family, I headed to my office with the intention of cleaning up the stacks of files, papers, magazines, audio CDs, and other miscellaneous items that had piled up during 2015.

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December 12, 2015
December 12, 2015
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Star Wars and The Age of Entertainment

Star-Wars-the-Force-AwakensOn Saturday, December 5, 2015, people started lining up at the TCL Chinese Theater IMAX (“TCL”) in Hollywood, California. Their plan was to camp out until the evening of December 17, when they would be allowed to enter the theater to watch the newest Star Wars movie, Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

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