Suffering

December 22, 2012

The True Spirit of Christmas

NativityDuring my sophomore year in high school, I had a friend with whom I would regularly compete to see who could lift the most weights. (For the purpose of this article, I’m going to call him “Frank.”) Anytime one of us challenged the other, we would meet in the locker room to see who could bench press the most weight. Frank had an advantage over me because he was a year older, two inches taller, and weighed about thirty pounds more than I did.

October 20, 2012

A Real Live Sister Act

Last Tuesday evening (October 16) while I was participating in a holy hour in a perpetual adoration chapel in Cleveland, Ohio, I learned that my second-biggest Adoration Letter fan was scheduled to have her leg amputated.  Georgette and I had arrived in Ohio on Monday evening for two days of meetings with a group of business owners who get together three times a year to share ideas and strategies for growing their businesses.

March 31, 2012

Is Suffering Evil?

Last Monday while I was in the adoration chapel, a former client of mine, Mary Grace Schneider, arrived for one of her weekly holy hours.  I noticed that there was something different about her, but it didn’t register in my brain until she asked me to pray for her.  That’s when I realized what was different.  She had walked into the chapel without a brace or other walking device, something she had not been able to do for several years.

August 13, 2011

The Killing of an 8 Year Old Boy

In the early summer of 1967 (when I was 10 years old), while holding onto the end of an old rubber garden hose, I climbed up the Weeping Willow Tree in the back yard of my parents’ home.  When I got about 20 feet up, I climbed out onto a thick branch and tied the end of the hose to the branch.  Since my intention was to use the hose to swing around like Tarzan, I made sure it was securely fastened to the tree limb.

February 19, 2011

A Change In Behavior To The Dark Side

I’ve only been to one high school reunion since graduating in May of 1975.  I never had the desire to attend one until I received a letter in 1995 inviting me to the 20 year reunion.  After I received the invitation, I tracked down my best friend from high school.  He was living in Chicago at the time, was married, and had two children.  Like me, he had not gone to any of the previous reunions.

July 24, 2010

A (Repaired) Heart Full of Gratitude

thank-youLast week I (Georgette) asked Harry if I could use the Adoration Letter to say “Thank You” to everyone for their prayers and support, and to share some of what I went through prior to my heart surgery.  He told me that he thought it would be a good idea, and encouraged me to write this week’s article.

June 19, 2010

A Hidden Miracle

SacredHeartLast week I told you about the heart surgery that was scheduled for Georgette.  Thanks to the prayers from an army of Christians, the surgery was successful and she is slowly recovering.  The surgery was performed at St. Mary’s Hospital in Rochester, Minnesota, by Dr. Hartzell Schaff, a heart surgeon who is considered by many to be the top surgeon in the world for the type of heart surgery Georgette needed to have.

February 13, 2010

An Invisible Barrier to the Exercise of Free Will

Free_WillOne of the fundamental concepts taught by the Catholic Church is that God gave each of us a “free will” to do whatever we choose to do and that He will not (and does not) force us to do anything.

January 2, 2010

Prayer In A Bottle

Pieta - Our Lady of SorrowsLast week, on Christmas Eve morning, David Myers, the 21 year old son of one of our weekly adorers, Ceil Myers, died as a result of an auto accident.  David was home from college for the holidays.  He was due to graduate from college this coming semester, and scheduled to begin medical school in the fall.

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