Never Too Late to Learn
Posted by Arwen Mosher in News on Saturday, May 19, 2012
“The richness is in me, in my heart and head, not in my pockets.”
This story about a 52-year-old Albanian refugee who earned a bachelor’s degree from Columbia University - while working as a janitor there - gave me a smile and a lift today. Maybe it will do the same for you.
When You Can't Afford Diapers
Posted by Arwen Mosher in Health on Tuesday, April 05, 2011
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Wouldn’t it be awful if you couldn’t afford to change your baby’s diaper every time he needed it?
There are a lot of people who can’t. I imagine this article, from a New York news channel, gives only a tiny glimpse of the bigger problem.
Providing diapers to low-income families is an important mission, and this charity, The Diaper Bank, is tackling it. You can read more about them at their website.... READ MORE
The Broadcasting See
Posted by Arwen Mosher in News on Friday, February 18, 2011
Did you know that the Vatican has had its own radio program for 80 years?
Over the decades, Vatican Radio has - among other things - helped unite war refugees and their families after World War II, and broadcast to those behind the Iron Curtain during the years of European communism. Pretty cool!
I enjoyed reading the history. You can read it, as well as the Vatican’s plans for the radio’s future, at CatholicNews.com.
A Father's "Lamentations"
Posted by Arwen Mosher in Family on Monday, February 07, 2011
What would happen if a regular old dad wrote his household rules in the style of the laws of the Old Testament?
Apparently it would be pretty funny. Because someone did it, and it is.
This article at the Atlantic, which was published in 1997 but is no less witty for being fourteen years old, begins: “Of the beasts of the field, and of the fishes of the sea, and of all foods that are acceptable in my sight you may eat, but not in the living room.”
It just gets better from there. If you need a laugh, here it is: “Laws Concerning Food and Drink; Household Principles; Lamentations of the Father” by Ian Frazier.
Know the Real Enemy?
Posted by Arwen Mosher in Faith on Wednesday, January 26, 2011
It’s long, but if you read one thing today, let this be it: “The Winning Strategy” by Peter Kreeft.
I can’t summarize it as well as he wrote it, so don’t waste time here - go read now! Here’s a quote to draw you in:
“That’s what’s at stake in this war: not just whether America will become a banana republic, or whether we’ll forget Shakespeare, or even whether some nuclear terrorist will incinerate half of humanity, but whether our children and our children’s children will see God forever. That’s what’s at stake in ‘Hollywood versus America.’”
(Note: I’m pretty sure that the prayer of Pope Leo XIII to which Kreeft refers is the prayer to St. Michael the Archangel, found here. Know it! Love it! It’s a wonderful prayer.)
Pans Under the Tree?
Posted by Arwen Mosher in Marriage on Wednesday, December 22, 2010
My husband and I had been married for one Christmas, or maybe two, when some family friends gave us one of their tips for a happy marriage.
“No gifts that plug in!” the wife admonished Bryan laughingly, wagging a finger in the air.
Over the years I’ve often thought of that moment as I’ve opened gifts by the tree. Some of my favorites have broken that rule - like the year when my husband went way over... READ MORE
No Kids, Please?
Posted by Arwen Mosher in News on Tuesday, September 21, 2010
I read an article this afternoon. I can’t decide whether to recommend that you read it or not.
It’s interesting. It’s well-written. It’s eye-opening. But, if you’re anything like me, it will also make you want to tear your hair out.
This piece in the Weekly Standard is called “There Goes the Neighborhood,” and it’s about the child-free movement.
Have you heard about this? If not, you might not want... READ MORE
"Charity is Hard and Endures"
Posted by Arwen Mosher in Faith on Friday, August 06, 2010
In response to Anne Rice’s well-publicized resolve to “quit” Christianity, Rod Dreher quotes a letter by Flannery O’Connor.
Like all of O’Connor’s writing, it is well worth reading. And considering the current scandals going on the in the Church, I think it’s very applicable today.
Here’s my favorite thought from the letter:
“You don’t serve God by saying: the Church is ineffective, I’ll have none of it. Your pain at its lack of effectiveness is a sign of your nearness to God. We help overcome this lack of effectiveness simply by suffering on account of it.”
But you should read the whole article.
Freezing for Later?
Posted by Arwen Mosher in News on Wednesday, July 07, 2010
Here’s a new way to use tiny human beings: as “insurance against infertility.”
Those are the words of Gillian St. Lawrence, a Georgetown woman who did four in-vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles last year. She and her husband weren’t trying to get pregnant; they were just making embryos to freeze. They now have five embryos frozen, and they’ll transfer them a few years down the road, when they’re “ready... READ MORE
New Priest Hope
Posted by Arwen Mosher in News on Friday, May 14, 2010
“Fall in love with the Lord, and it will change everything. Fall out of love with Him, and it will change everything.”
That’s the advice given by Monsignor Steven Rohlfs, Rector of Mount St. Mary’s seminary, to his students during the last class before their ordination.
In a time when the Church is getting slammed by the media, this article in the Washington Post is a surprisingly positive interview... READ MORE
