Taking Action – Page 20 – Perpetual Adoration

February 4, 2014

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A Simple Reminder

Last week, my daughter, Laura, shared a recent experience in a family email. After I read the email, I asked Laura if I could publish what she said in my Adoration Letter. She said yes. Laura is 26 years old and was recently involved in a play at a local community theater. I changed the name of her friend to protect her friend’s privacy. Here’s the email:

September 28, 2013

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Creative Ways to Find a Job

During the fall semester of my senior in high school (1974), my friend Dennis told me about a new grocery store that had opened in the Westlake Shopping Center (across the street from Northwoods Mall). The name of the store was Randall’s, and it was the first store in Peoria that had scanners at checkout lanes instead of cash registers, so items didn’t have to be rung up one at a time by hand. At that time, I was 17 years old. I asked Dennis for the name of the store manager, and he told me that his name was Steve.

September 21, 2013

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Rebellion Among McDonald’s Employees

When my wife and I returned to Peoria after I graduated from law school (1982), a cloud of fear overshadowed Central Illinois. Peoria was still reeling from the thousands of layoffs that had taken place in the late 1970s. Families were fleeing to other states in search of good-paying jobs.

July 13, 2013

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The Language of a Victim

One of my greatest challenges is controlling the way that I talk to myself. Whether we realize it or not, most of the talking we do is to ourselves. We’re experts at getting ourselves worked up over a situation, generating self-righteous indignation toward others, and convincing ourselves that we’re right and others are wrong.

May 18, 2013

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A Lesson from Iron Man 3

Last weekend, I saw Iron Man 3 with Georgette and two of our daughters. Iron Man 3 is the seventh installment of the Marvel Comic Universe of movies that includes Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger, and The Avengers. The lead character in the Iron Man series is Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.), a self-described genius, billionaire, playboy, and philanthropist.

May 16, 2013

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Cooperation With God

There was a time when all the Catholic grade schools in the country held an event every May that celebrated the crowning of Mary as Queen of Heaven and Earth. The event included a procession with music, followed by a crown of flowers being placed on the head of a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Among devout Catholics, the month of May has always been known as the month of Mary.

February 3, 2013

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Too Sick and Lazy to Write

I haven’t been feeling well for the past couple of days. I finished writing my meditation on the sin of sloth yesterday, and all I want to do right now is go home, take some Advil and decongestant, and get some sleep. My head is clogged up, my eyes are watering, and I’m having chills.

January 5, 2013

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Is Life A Wrestling Match?

Verne Gagne – Wrestling Champion

December 29, 2012

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A Time for Progress

A few years ago in early January, one of my relatives who was in her 60s told me that her New Year’s resolution was to lose thirty pounds. In February, I asked her how her diet was going, and she told me that she had quit the diet. When I asked why, she said, “The first week I lost three pounds. The second week I didn’t lose any weight. The third week I lost only a pound. The fourth week I didn’t lose anything. After that, I gave up.”