Mama and Advent
We celebrated my mother’s 80th birthday yesterday. 80?! That just seems amazing to me. She’s amazing. Especially when you consider that, at this age, she’s still caring for me, her … Continue Reading Mama and Advent
Cradle Candle
The following poem of mine has been selected for an annual anthology called Harmonic Verse, featuring poetry for the holiday season. It’s based on the tradition that my family had … Continue Reading Cradle Candle
Awaiting a Birth
I’m a childless 50-year-old woman. Not by choice. It’s not that I have infertility problems — not precisely — nor that I never met the right guy. It’s also not … Continue Reading Awaiting a Birth
The Gift of Giving
Another Christmas has come and gone — but not entirely. Christmas only began on Christmas day. It continues for another eight days, or twelve days or forty days, depending on … Continue Reading The Gift of Giving
The Gift of Love
A bit o’ poetry… There are innumerable ways to write about love. Maybe because love is infinite? So for this final week of Advent, looking forward to Christmas, I had … Continue Reading The Gift of Love
The Gift of Joy
Faith, hope, joy, love: these are represented by each candle in the Advent wreath. You’d think that the pink candle representing joy, Gaudete Sunday, would come on the last Sunday … Continue Reading The Gift of Joy
The Gift of Hope
When I think about the terrible things happening in our world and in the familes of friends, I start to feel a hard, sinking sense of hopelessness. You too? But … Continue Reading The Gift of Hope
The Gift of Faith
Do you struggle with faith? Me too. Maybe, like me, you sometimes find yourself praying, “I do believe, help my unbelief!”[i] This seems not uncommon for a person of faith. … Continue Reading The Gift of Faith
Tiny
Sometimes, I feel so tiny that I could just blow away into nothingness. Weakened by disease, sickened by some ailment or another, my body feels thin and brittle, like I … Continue Reading Tiny
Advent Reminders
Sharing here some beautiful quotes from some holy people about the meaning of this Advent season. First a note: I’m posting this on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Don’t … Continue Reading Advent Reminders
My Christmas Gift
What’s the best Christmas gift that you can imagine for an eight-year-old girl? You’ll never guess what it was. I received it at the big Christmas party in the Manchester … Continue Reading My Christmas Gift
The Advent Wreath
Waxen pillars tipped with fire in a ring of evergreen; like our souls, the flames lift higher with our prayers to God unseen. Remember, remember in the bleak of December… Waiting … Continue Reading The Advent Wreath
Hope in the Midst of Despair
It’s rare to find hope in the midst of despair, especially as despair seems prevalent everywhere in our day. Teenagers committing suicide, doctors prescribing suicide, mass shootings, and terrorist attacks; … Continue Reading Hope in the Midst of Despair
Inside Out: Advent Week One
Do you ever feel like you’re inside out? Or like the world is? This Advent, I’d like to explore the theme of “light in the midst of darkness.” So I … Continue Reading Inside Out: Advent Week One
Be Not Afraid! Advent Week Four
Is fear keeping you and me from a sense of peace? We imagine that there was a great sense of peace in the Virgin Mary’s heart when she reflected upon … Continue Reading Be Not Afraid! Advent Week Four
That Means You. Advent Week Three
Do the following words from the Bible have only the prophet Isaiah as their subject? Are they prophetic words that apply to Jesus, the Christ — but to Jesus only? … Continue Reading That Means You. Advent Week Three
Christina Chase 