Moments of boredom and moments of action—and worry— fill a morning and an afternoon By George Valadie Jan. 14, 2020, 9:30 a.m.—The premise for this column has been my belief that life throws occasional craziness at us, and often our response is even crazier. So rethinking our perspective—or praying for …
Holding on to Christmas
Wouldn’t it be nice if that special feeling stayed with us all year long? Stop reading. Look up. Over there in the corner. Is your Christmas tree still there? Lights glimmering, ornaments shining, star on top brightening your home? Or is it long gone? Tossed out or packed away with …
Are miracles the key to sainthood?
The human factor can go a long way toward determining who’s included in the book By George Valadie Perhaps this would have been a better topic for November’s issue, but I ask you to think back to your favorite saint. The one you most admire from having read that book. …
What are the odds?
Supporting Catholic schools is a good way to close the separation gap By George Valadie They call it “six degrees of separation.” I don’t know if it’s actually true, nor do I care to spend any time testing the theory, but I like the idea. It makes me feel better …
Chilling words: ‘You know neither the day nor the hour’
Some Sundays the Gospel can be terrifying, such as when Christ reminds us to be ready for our own death By George Valadie I can’t speak for everyone, but I’m willing to bet that—for at least a few of us—what we know about the words of Christ has come to …
Ain’t life ‘grand’
Parenting never grows old, especially when you add the titles ‘Grumpy’ and ‘BB’ to the job description By George Valadie It doesn’t happen all that often. It certainly hasn’t been typical for our family. But remarkably, one of our longed-for dreams has come true. Katy, our oldest, her husband, Clint, …
Trip to Honduras ‘leaves a lot of emotional bridges’
A daughter’s mission trip to a foreign country brings home the same lessons as her father once brought home By George Valadie I’ve lost track, but I know it’s been well over 20 summers since I had the opportunity to visit Saltillo, Mexico. Though “visit” might not be the best …
Praying for perspective: A journey of a hundred years begins with a few missteps
By George Valadie By the time you read this, another Father’s Day celebration will have come and gone. Believe it or not, I’m actually hoping for some socks. I could hardly believe it after doing the math. This will make 42 Sundays I’ve gotten to celebrate as a dad. Didn’t …
Praying for perspective: Senior-class motto could be ‘Oh, the places you’ll go’
Graduates can never appreciate what that means until later, ‘a later that is still to come’ By George Valadie For a school principal such as myself, it’s impossible to ignore the opportunity to write about this season of graduations. It’s why we teachers do what we do. Be it the …
Praying for perspective: Thanking God that we’re not Him
He welcomes us all at Easter, which is why you get there early and squeeze toward the middle By George Valadie Sure enough, it happened again. Seems to be the same every year. And I’ve been wanting to get it off my chest. But first, let me just say I …
Praying for perspective: A longer-than-40-day wandering in the desert
A 17-year-old student found himself ‘on a path no one should be forced to walk’ By George Valadie In the interest of full disclosure, I’ve been a whole lot better at keeping my Lenten promise this year. So much better than last year, that’s for sure. Yes, I know, whatever …
Praying for perspective: The shape of things to come
It’s up to us to harness all the technological advances and use them for good—and for God. By George Valadie It’s probably trite to even offer this thought, but do you ever notice anymore how dramatically and rapidly our lives are changing? The whole idea jumped out at me the …