AuthorChristina Chase

Although crippled by disease, I'm fully alive in love. I write about the terrible beauty and sacred wonder of life, while living with physical disability and severe dependency. A revert to the Catholic faith through atheism, I'm not afraid to ask life's big questions. I explore what it means to be fully human through my weekly blog and have written a book: It's Good to Be Here, published by Sophia Institute Press.

The silhouette of a woman in an architectural setting

Posted 3 days ago1 Comment biographical

Who Is Donna DeGuglielmo?

I hadn’t expected her passing to affect me as much as it has. After all, we never met in person. It was her need for me, or what I perceived … Continue Reading Who Is Donna DeGuglielmo?

Posted 3 weeks ago7 Comments life and death

Pictures of My Mother

I’m a writer, so I should be able to express everything that I think and feel and have experienced in written words. Right? Wrong. Over the years, I have written … Continue Reading Pictures of My Mother

Posted 1 month ago holy days

Happy Easter

Happy Easter! No, I’m not late. Because we celebrate an octave of Easter in the Catholic Church, it’s still Easter for us. In a way, I could really wish everyone … Continue Reading Happy Easter

Posted 1 month ago2 Comments in the world

Fruit Is Born: Prayer

What do I do? I get irritated. I get mean. I fall into self-pity. I get scared. I worry a lot. I don’t want these feelings or experiences. This is … Continue Reading Fruit Is Born: Prayer

chains linked in the form of a cross with a black background

Posted 2 months ago4 Comments art, literature, music

Without Mercy: Flash Fiction

“There’s been a misunderstanding,” he told the officials, trying to explain himself without flying into a rage or falling apart. But they dismissed his entreaties as though disgusted, none of … Continue Reading Without Mercy: Flash Fiction

Posted 2 months ago3 Comments biographical

Writing Progress on My Memoir

This might actually happen. For decades, I have been trying to write the story of my life in book form. So many starts have been made that I could fill … Continue Reading Writing Progress on My Memoir

Posted 2 months ago8 Comments biographical

Hope Blossoms: Prayer

My problem is trust. I can no longer be transferred from wheelchair to bed and bed to wheelchair in my usual way. With progressive motorneuron disease, adaptations are always occurring, … Continue Reading Hope Blossoms: Prayer

a river flowing outward between for trees

Posted 2 months ago life and death

Crosses Carry: Prayer

I feel hesitant and awkward about this quote from Saint John Vianney: “Why not love our crosses, and make use of them to carry us to heaven?” I don’t really … Continue Reading Crosses Carry: Prayer

Posted 2 months ago2 Comments in the world

Sorrows Melt: Prayer

While conversing with a family member (via text messaging), she sent me two quotes that she likes. I confess, the first one embodies everything that I find difficult and challenging … Continue Reading Sorrows Melt: Prayer

Posted 3 months ago4 Comments in the world

Really, What Is Prayer?

My prayer life is… well… it could use some improving. I recently made a video called “When Prayer Is Boring” reflecting on some of the challenges of daily prayer. During … Continue Reading Really, What Is Prayer?

Posted February 17, 20227 Comments poetry

In the Depths of Winter

Ice crystals of fear at the edges of my heart, a cold chill blows through me; the heavy burden of sorrow snows down, thick, relentless, numbed and blinded by storm … Continue Reading In the Depths of Winter

Posted February 3, 20225 Comments biographical

Too Late for Me

I wonder … is this genocide? No, of course it isn’t, I tell myself. Genocide is the brutal, bloody business of exterminating an entire group of people based on a … Continue Reading Too Late for Me

Posted January 20, 20223 Comments art, literature, music

Flash Fiction: Obsolescence

Now for something completely different… I’m sharing a very, very short story written for a writer’s group that I joined last year. Each month, we’re given a prompt upon which … Continue Reading Flash Fiction: Obsolescence

Posted January 13, 20225 Comments biographical

Oops

Did I forget to mention? In last week’s reflection, I neglected to tell you, dear reader, that I will be posting every other week in order to find time to … Continue Reading Oops

blank book with a pencil that's been sharpened for writing

Posted January 6, 20225 Comments biographical

Promise of a New Year

Happy New Year! Another new year. I am grateful that they keep coming, but also aware that there is a limited supply. For me, perhaps a more limited supply than … Continue Reading Promise of a New Year

New Year's Eve celebration with sparklers

Posted December 30, 20211 Comment poetry

December 31, 1999

I thought it might be fun to ring in this new year with a poem that I wrote on the eve of the new millennium. No partying like it was … Continue Reading December 31, 1999