I was a junior in college, going about my normal attend-class-take-notes duties when I got the word that Martin Luther King, Jr. had been assassinated. That was fifty years ago today.            Having been in high school when John Kennedy was shot, I was somewhat aware of the depth of the tragedy that had just taken ...

 My colleague and friend, Fr. Ric, died on Palm Sunday. He was 69 and had taken ‘senior status’ just last summer, mostly due to health issues.            Many knew Ric as the ‘blind’ priest. About 16 years ago, Ric nearly died during cancer surgery, was in an extended coma, and awoke unable to see. His family and friends were happy he survived. Besides ...

People often purchase poinsettias for Christmas. The red blooms, along with deep green leaves, seem perfect for the season. When it comes to Easter, people are more inclined to pots of tulips, hyacinths, daffodils or lilies.            But my Christmas poinsettia is blooming better now than it did at Christmas time. Because of its perseverance and longevity, I ...

   I don’t know the entire process involved, but I appreciate the end result. Someone in the parish gave me a small jar of this year’s maple syrup, cooked down from what he collected from trees on his own land.            I picture trees being tapped with little buckets collecting the sap. According to my understanding, it is a forty-to-one ratio. That ...

            I was having coffee and reading at Panera’s when a young couple took the table next to mine. The man was eating a sandwich while the woman checked her text messages, occasionally sharing with the man some item she found.            Although I was interested in my book, I was suddenly jolted when the woman held up her ...

After a week of rain last week I was not surprised to see the high water level of the Maumee River as I crossed the Waterville Bridge. To be honest, it was frightening to look at the raging and rushing river as I crossed a bridge that is soon to be replaced!            By river standards, the Maumee River is not exceedingly long. It begins in Fort Wayne, Indiana ...