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SOA Vigil
It was that time of year again. Time for me to consider attending the School of the Americas (SOA) Vigil. It was always a busy time of year for me, and I wondered what difference would one person make anyway. I had attended the last three years, made financial...
Memory, Imagination and Prayer
It was the early seventies, and the MacNamara family was on the road to Feakle from their home in Tulla, two small towns in County Clare, Ireland. The father drove while his two teenagers chatted in the back seat. The van rattled as it climbed a steep hill while...
G.O.F.
In this age of acronyms and abbreviations, I hereby offer a set of initials that carries no patent, is not described in Wikipedia, is not explained away in Urban Legends and will not be found in any dictionary: G.O.F. for Gift of Faith. We do not need to think about...
Why do we serve?
When IVC volunteers serving in the greater Los Angeles area were asked why they joined IVC their answers were enlightening as well as inspiring. Here are some of their responses: “I have been blessed with a beautiful family, a full life with good health. It is...
Trees
Trees continually grow. When they stop growing, they die. Like trees, we also grow, as long as we live. We do not increase in height; we certainly do not put out additional appendages, such as arms or legs, but even physically our bodies continually grow new cells...
Reflections on Hospice Volunteering
During the last days of my husband’s life, God provided for us the blessing of Midwest Care Hospice Center. I call it a blessing because it was beyond expectations; I say God provided for us because their services and care were generously extended to our family. My...
Honesty
We can say of most of the people we know that they are honest. Depending upon the context, we expect that those we trust will say what they mean and will act justly. We value honesty in others. How important is honesty as a quality in our own lives, in its various...
Leadership
Selecting leaders is one of the most difficult challenges that every society or political entity or organization must confront. Hereditary succession, military victory in civil war, political machinations, democracy – all these means have been utilized as ways to...
Extending the Table
A fantastic blog post on April 30th by Vicky Risacher jumpstarted my thoughts around what it means to “come to the table” in terms of faith. Ms. Risacher’s story perfectly encapsulates the unexpected places and people who bring us hospitality in much the same way our...