nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp In a recent fit of downsizing I was sorting through a box of forgotten possessions in the garage I rsquo m not even sure which daughter had left behind this jumble of school supplies and adolescent accessories Determined to get rid of one more carton of unn

nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp ldquo If I ever lose my faith in you nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp There rsquo d be nothing left for me to do rdquo nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp

nbsp nbsp nbsp The plants in my house that are still alive thrive in an atmosphere of inattention High maintenance plants don rsquo t last long here My plants tend to be more hearty than beautiful They sit in their mismatched pots soaking in sunshine through the windows grateful for the occ

nbsp nbsp nbsp Turning 30 was so far the most traumatic birthday of my life My thirties were the hardest decade to enter even worse than my forties or fifties which really makes little sense Thirty seemed like the end of possibilities Once a person is 30 it seemed to me the path of life

The surprising rewards of detention ministry

nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp ldquo Grow old along with me nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp The best is yet to be nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp The last of life for which the first was made rdquo nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp

WHEN are we Catholics going to stop harping on slamming despising gay people During a recent Mass in the Diocese of Fresno I was asked to sign up for the Catholic Legislative Network I was in complete agreement with the pitch defense of the sanctity and dignity of life from conception to natural

My youngest of four daughters has moved out of the house She is now sharing an apartment with one of her sorority sisters only 50 miles from home She is halfway through her freshman year of college She is lovely witty compassionate intelligent thoughtful and completely ready to be out of th

What a beautiful Mass my husband and I attended in West Hollywood while visiting my cousin and his partner At a church with a vibrant outreach ministry in a mostly gay community this Mass on a sunny Sunday has possibly saved my Catholic faith As the mother of a lesbian daughter I continually st

I have surely written this before but I love the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress and I want to thank every person who has the smallest hand in bringing this gathering into being each year The workshops are enlightening and alternately challenging and affirming The liturgies and other c