Happy Birthday, Professor!

Today is the birthday of Professor John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (1892-1973), Professor at the University of Oxford and Author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

The Tolkien Society invites us to raise a glass today and toast the Professor!

Please click here for more info from The Tolkien Society.

Put It In Writing!

The beginning of the new year seems like a good time to re-establish my goals - and I figure, maybe if I put them in writing where the whole world can read them, I'll try harder to reach those goals. On the other hand, there are probably a grand total of four people (including myself) who read this blog with any regularity... but the three of you are free to encourage me every now and then to stay on track! I'd be grateful for that!

Here they are:

- to complete my final paper for my final course, and write my comprehensive exams;
- to follow my diet and exercise regularly;
- to pay off my credit card debt

Thanks in advance for your prayers and encouragement! Please feel free to share your goals too, if you so desire!

God grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
the Courage to change the things I can,
and the Wisdom to know the difference.

New York memory

It's 11:00 p.m. and I have a craving for some really delicious hot chocolate on this cold winter night - which takes me back to my years in New York City, where I enjoyed the second best hot chocolate in the world at City Bakery on West 18th Street, near Union Square. If you're ever in the area, treat yourself - you won't regret it!

(There were a couple of places in Rome where I drank the best hot chocolate I'd had anywhere, but I don't remember the names of the places...)

For Unto Us A Son Is Born!

Merry Christmas everyone! Christ is born, and that means there's HOPE, no matter what's going on in our lives!

God bless you all, today and always!

Almost There!

I watched "A Charlie Brown Christmas" today, thanks to a dear friend who sent me the DVD. I also found the following clip on YouTube, which makes it possible for me to share the most important part:

We'll miss you, Peter!

On Friday night, December 14th, a dear friend and counsellor, Peter Rudegeair died in a car accident. Peter was a faithful, practicing Catholic. He was a Clinical Psychologist and a loyal friend & supporter of the Courage ministry. Peter integrated spirituality and psychology in his counselling and was a great blessing to thousands of people. Please pray for the repose of Peter's soul and especially for his wife and four children. Please pray too for his other relatives, friends, colleagues, and especially his clients. He will be greatly, greatly missed...

Enjoying the sunshine!

I'm so grateful for the sunshine this morning! For those who might be interested, here's a link to an article which shows the benefits of sunshine:
http://www.tcfnm.com/sunshine.htm

Happy Feast Day of the Immaculate Conception!

Adventures in animation

A dark short film! (not really by Ingmar Bergman)

http://s3.amazonaws.com/dv_assets/plot_template.swf?movie_id=87096

Remembering you especially today, Dad

Thinking about you and praying for you, Dad. Thanks for looking out for us and praying for us too!

Eternal rest grant to him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

Hello!

Hi. This is my first time setting up a weblog and I'm not even sure how to use it. Anyway, I'm hoping it will provide me with a creative outlet and a chance to share my thoughts and interests with others. Thanks for reading!