In junior high and high school, my favorite poem was “Renascence,” by Edna St. Vincent Millay. Millay wrote “Renascence” when she was only nineteen years old, which might explain why I found it so appealing when I was also in my teens. Something in its emotiveness spoke to my adolescent […]
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Vaccine Envy . . . No More
I wrote in early February that I was eagerly awaiting my COVID-19 vaccine, but at the time I thought it was still a few months away. I turned sixty-five this past Monday, which made me eligible under Missouri’s rules. I always expected that my birthday would give me little preference […]
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Vaccines Then and Now
As of early February 2021, the news is full of stories about vaccines against COVID-19, the pandemic that hit the United States early in 2020. For almost a year now, we have restricted our activities on almost every front. Working from home. Limited church services. No restaurants. Buying as much […]
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When Errands Become Outings
One change in the last six months of pandemic sheltering is that annoying errands have become major logistical challenges. A trip to the grocery store requires more than just grabbing the list on the refrigerator door. I carefully peruse my list, add everything I can think of that we might […]
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Back to School . . . Or Not . . . That Is the Question
Today is Labor Day, the traditional last day of summer vacation. Though in recent years, as school seemed to begin earlier and earlier in August, the significance of Labor Day has diminished. We all have “back to school” memories. Maybe of our own first days of school—kindergarten, junior high, high […]
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Guilt in the Time of Pandemic
In this crazy year, I feel guilty for the things I’m doing and also for the things I’m not doing. Guilt, of course, is a good Catholic emotion. Though my non-Catholic friends tell me it’s part of their tradition as well. These days, we’re made to feel blameworthy about everything. […]
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My Strength is “Input,” But Enough Already
Many years ago, my work group and I took the Gallup StrengthFinders survey. The theory behind this survey was that employees who get to do what they do best at work every day are more engaged and more productive in their jobs. The survey’s purpose was to identify what people […]
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You Know Your Kids Are Grown, Part VII (Pandemic Edition)
It’s been over a year since I posted on this topic. In this time of the pandemic, I can’t visit my two adult children who live on opposite coasts, nor can they come visit me. In fact, they canceled a trip they had scheduled to Kansas City when the stay […]
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A Childhood Epizootic
In these days of the coronavirus, every cough and every ache or pain makes us fearful. At least, that’s how I’m feeling these days. Spring is coming regardless of the pandemic, and I try to take solace in the warmer days, the brilliant sunshine, the greening of trees and lawns. But […]
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A Random List of Things That Are Going Well
The world is a crazy place in this era of the pandemic. “Social distancing” remains the phrase of the day, in many places accompanied by “shelter in place” or a variation thereof. Since Saturday, March 14, I have taken a few walks in our neighborhood, but otherwise I have barely […]
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