exploring the Saints

November is just around the corner! I’m excited to be part of Ave Explores the Saints, a terrific multimedia series that explores many topics — in this case: The Saints!

Check out this wonderful series at the links above and for more topics at Ave Explores.

I’m delighted to share a little bit about my family’s connection to St. Teresa of Avila and how she ultimately became my patron saint.

You can listen by following this link to your preferred podcast platform.

And I hope you’ll check out Ave Explores Mary — I had the pleasure of writing about Mary and one of my favorite films, An Affair to Remember.

hanging with the pelicans

There is a pole about 10 feet off the end of our pier that attracts pelicans. It seems to be a popular resting spot for them as they fly along the coast, fishing and doing whatever it is that pelicans do.

I understand the attraction. I, too, often post myself at the end of the pier. It’s a quiet place, even with the occasional loud sea gull. There’s something about the sun warming me and the wind blowing across the water, cooling me, that calls me there time and again.

I often go out there to write or pray, and I usually accomplish what I set out to do, albeit with a million distractions.

The mullet jump out of the water, fleeing from predators. It reminds me of skipping stones when I was a kid. One. Two. Three! Four!! I always hope they manage to escape.

Sometimes I’ll bait the crab trap in the shade under the pier. I always release the crabs, delighting in their mad dash out of the trap and into the water.

The chairs were moved into the garage during the last hurricane, so these days I sit on the end with my feet dangling just over the water. I’m more aware of the boards from that angle. The wood grain fascinates me with the swirls and color variations. The starkness of the dark knots contrast with the sleek lines that swirl around them, adding beauty and continuity to the interruption. These imperfections, weathered and aged, remind me of my own imperfections and the swirling graces that turn the ugly into beauty.

I’m grateful for the pelicans, the mullet, the crabs, and the knots that keep me company and inspire me to stop and rest when I need it. To persevere when it’s important. To get myself out of a pickle when I need to.

And the reminder to ask for the grace to overcome my imperfections.

Month of the Rosary

The month of October is the Month of the Rosary. Although this month is no different from others, as I pray the Rosary every day with few exceptions, it is a marvelous opportunity to share my love of this devotion.

The newly designed CatholicMom.com featured my story in a moving series called My Rosary Story. Here’s the opening to my piece with a link to the full post at the end:

I hold the Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary close to my heart, literally and figuratively. At first I was attracted to the beauty of the beads, from the simple well-worn wooden beads that my father had, or shiny mother of pearl I played with as a child when their owner, my mother, wasn’t looking. I would be an adult before the mysteries came alive for me. Since then, I’ve said the prayers in Spanish and English, and even entertained the idea of learning to recite them in Latin.

I’ve prayed the Rosary in bed late at night while falling asleep and early in the morning at first light. I’ve prayed in the car to and from work and on long road trips….

I’ve prayed the Rosary every day with very few exceptions for almost two decades, and sporadically before that. What is it about this devotion that endures?

FOLLOW THIS LINK FOR THE FULL POST

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