The smell caught me…that distinct, absolutely divine scent that only comes in the fall, the smell of dead leaves. I think of Anne Shirley rhapsodizing over dead fir leaves, and her friends thinking it somehow unholy to think of things dead in Heaven. I think it’s just one of those “Yay God”-worthy moments, realizing that…
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Time, Talent, Pride
“The one who had received five talents came forward bringing the additional five. He said, ‘Master, you gave me five talents. See, I have made five more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your…
Read MoreSometimes, You Need
Sometimes, you need inspiration. Or motivation. Other times, you need a nice long chat with a friend. Sometimes, you need an hour or two in the middle of nowhere, with nothing to distract you from the quiet your soul is crying out for. Sometimes, you need to take a break, no matter how worthwhile the…
Read MoreA Dangerous Prayer
At 9:55 a.m. on a Sunday morning, we wrestled one unwilling girl and two boys along for the ride up the mauve-carpeted aisle to the empty front pew beside the music area. Christian put a protesting Julianna at the end by the teen ensemble, where she could have maximum exposure to the music. The community…
Read MoreHoly Places
This is the Eucharistic chapel at our local Newman Center. It sits outside the church proper, completely walled off, with a door that remains closed at all times, and many would say that for those reasons, it was designed “wrong.” And yet when I think of holy spaces—places where I find God, where His presence…
Read MoreReflections on the End of the World
If you knew this was your last day on earth, what would you do today? Usually when people ask this question, they’re trying to get us to think about our lives differently, to rearrange our priorities properly. It’s a rhetorical device used to make the point that a lot of what we spend our time…
Read MoreI Want to Love Jesus, But I Don’t Know How
I’ve been singing a lot of Carey Landry’s songs to Julianna lately. God hasn’t yet invented the kid who doesn’t like “and if the Devil doesn’t like it, he can sit on a tack—ouch!” But I save that for the tasks she really hates (like having her hair brushed) because the anticipation of that verse…
Read MoreIn Search of The Meaning of Life
I came across this exchange of emails recorded in my Journal when I was looking back at them while writing my infertility story a few weeks ago. It’s interesting to see what was on our minds four months before we got married, two weeks before I graduated with my Master’s degree. Especially since I still…
Read MoreGod In the Middle, Round 2
Every so often, I run across something that evokes such a visceral reaction in me that I think, Oh, man, I’ve finally crossed the line. I’m a liberal. But every time that happens, two hours later I encounter something that evokes an equally strong reaction in the opposite direction, and I think I must be…
Read MoreWho Needs What?
“Why are you here?” Monsignor asked us during his homily this morning…and then fell silent. I felt the ripple of discomfort ripple across the church, beginning in my chair. We’re used to hearing rhetorical questions from the pulpit, but somehow this one sounded like a real question. He let us stew for a couple of…
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Kathleen M. Basi 