Today, I am reposting my friend Deacon Walter Johnson’s eulogy that I had the honor of writing and delivering at his Requiem Mass two years ago. This is in honor of his passing and also of his birthday, which was yesterday. Walter was a good friend of mine through St. Thomas the Apostle, and I…
Tag: god
What My Brother Taught Me About Grace
I was thinking today about how my brother George faced one of the greatest adversities of his life shortly after he got sober. His life changed abruptly after a small, non-healing sore in his mouth was diagnosed as cancer, and two weeks later he was at M.D. Anderson preparing to have his jaw and the…
From History to Fiction: The Priest Who Inspired Father Briggs in Hope in a Time of Dying
Father Briggs, the priest in Hope in a Time of Dying, draws inspiration from the life and ministry of the Rev. Carroll Barbour, longtime rector of St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Hollywood. In the 1980s and 1990s, when fear and stigma around HIV and AIDS ran high, Father Barbour opened the doors of St….
The Road to Normal: Worth Repeating
I wrote this piece a while back, but it still rings true. I decided to share it with you tonight. Here’s to normal, however you may define that word in your particular, unique, and wonderful life. Len My husband said to me today, “Thank you for being so normal.” I replied, “Thank you back.” Not…
On Forgiveness For Our Misdoings
If you look back far enough, you can see that we’ve all been scoundrels a few times in our lives. We’ve fibbed to cover up something we weren’t proud we did or downright lied when confronted but were afraid of the consequences. We’ve omitted information that could evoke a negative response or gotten too angry…