Born on December 28^th, I entered this world during the Christmas season.  Thankfully for that, I have always been able to celebrate Christmas as a season rather than just a day!  My birthday presents as a child were usually wrapped in Christmas paper, and many times I received “combo” gifts that marked both Christmas and my birthday. …

The mark of a new year is a curious phenomenon.  Our experience of time is seamless, yet by nature we segment it out as past, present, and future.  We complain about not having enough time and trying to “carve out” enough time.  …

 Although not a parent myself, I believe that it would be safe to say that there are certain “benchmarks” that parents celebrate as a child develops and learns.  One of the first would probably be the ability to walk unassisted.  I have seen the wondrous joy of both the child and the parents as they participate in this auspicious occasion – anticipation followed by bewilderment perhaps at the novelty of locomotion… and then delight, ending more than likely with a startling collapse in supposed achievement. …

Back in the early 1980’s, during my first year at the seminary of St Mary of the Barrens in Perryville, Missouri, I experienced a week-long directed retreat.  The fruits of that retreat have remained with me, ebbing and flowing in my spiritual memory, over the years; but, this particular time of year brings the experience into much clearer focus for me. …

Even without photographs, I can still see my grandmother’s Christmas tree.  The image is enfolded in a peaceful blanket of consolation and joy that is hard to describe.  Large colored lights on green that burn and blur in calmness as my heart’s eye watches them. …