Have You Been Erased? Do You Erase Others?

I came across an article on substack by a divorced dad who described himself as "being erased" by his spouse. Actually, several divorced men I know have experienced that situation with their children turned against them by their bitter ex wives. Of course, I'm getting a one-sided picture of the situation, but, knowing these men, it's hard to believe they deserved the total annihilation of their role as dads. 

Of Jargon, the Jabberwocky, and New Year's Resolutions

 I was thinking about jargon today. There's a lot of it floating around in the ether, and in the cloud, and on social media, and on college campuses. In fact, jargon is everywhere. 

Now the word jargon has a couple of different meanings:

The specialized language of a trade, profession, or similar group, especially when viewed as difficult to understand by outsiders.

That definition is rather reasonable and not pejorative. A computer geek may use language about his work that is Greek to me. But then Greek is Greek to me as well, though it's perfectly comprehensible to someone raised in Greece. I don't understand Russian or Gaelic either. In fact, the only language I speak fluently is English. I have a smattering of French and Spanish, but not enough to converse, and that's about it. 

Sunday Meditation: I Choose Happiness and Gratitude!

If you're a regular reader, you know how much I like The Epoch Times. I think it's the best and most reliable newspaper on the market. I particularly like the Life and Tradition section. Two articles from the Jan 29-Feb 4th issue were not only worth reading, but worth passing on.

The first was "The Key to a Happy Life: Gratitude very quickly leads to joy." It began with the story of man with a medical condition that required a long stay in a nursing facility. When he was shown to his tiny, rather drab and cheerless room, very like a monk's cell, he didn't succumb to gloom but turned to the nurse and said, "I love it!" He chose happiness.

 The other article was Why We Still Need Mister Rogers. I think Fred Rogers was one of the happiest men to ever live. I have his quote about kindness (above) hanging in our family room, a gift from one of our children. Change the word "success" to "happiness" and you have an important part of the equation: gratitude + kindness = happiness!

Guest Post: Christmas and Easter Cicadas

Christmas and Easter Cicadas

by Thomas Walsh

A Christmas Cicada: note the red bulb eyes

The life cycle of cicadas is still a mystery. They live dormant underground, hidden from view, only to emerge en masse by the millions every 13 or 17 years. After a short period of activity they disappear back underground, where the long process begins again.

Similarly, this is the semi-annual season for the emergence of that strange class of Christians - Catholic and Protestant alike - known as C&E’ers. Twice each year – Christmas and Easter – they invade Churches everywhere for a single service then vanish back to the golf greens and shopping malls from whence they came.

Really, Some People Just Can't Read!

I read a blog post the other day that raked Msgr. Charles Pope over the coals because of an article titled "Kindness is not the same as love." After I read Msgr. Pope's article I wondered if the blogger knew how to read. The monsignor was making the point that "Love should not be reduced to mere kindness." It's much more. He specifically said that "Kindness is certainly a good thing and has an important place in our relationships" and "Kindness is an aspect of love." But, Monsignor Pope goes on, "it is necessarily distinct from it, for it sometimes happens that love, which wills what is best for the other, may deem it best not to remove all suffering." And then he writes about parents disciplining their children, etc.

Sunday Inspiration: Compassion is an art!