Two weeks ago, my family and I were supposed to go on a beach vacation. We had been looking forward to it for months, and had eagerly laid out plans for a wonderful time.
Because of illness, the trip got cancelled, and it was a letdown for all of us. I decided to still take the week off, but do some things around the house, work on my website, and develop a new project that I’ll be telling you about in the next couple of weeks 🙂
This morning, I was reading that a big part of Maryland is in drought conditions. Bad news for the farmers, who have a tough time making a living anyway.
It got me thinking about times of spiritual drought. We all go through them. Times where we just don’t feel like our prayers are going anywhere. We keep praying, asking God to help, and nothing seems to be happening. It gets frustrating, doesn’t it?
When Mother Theresa’s journals were published after her death, many people, including myself were amazed that she spent decades in a spiritual drought. Well, if she could do what she did while at the same time feeling so distant from God, then maybe there’s some hope for you and me. 🙂
In Catholic churches this weekend, the gospel reading came from Mark 4:1-20, known as the Parable of the Sower.
The imagery is simple. A sower goes about planting his seed. Some fell on good soil, some on bad. Seeds sprang up, and some survived, others didn’t.
Hope you’re having a great start to your weekend. Today’s pasta sauce comes from Naples, and you can use either fresh or canned tomatoes.
My brother gave me a couple of earthbox containers a few years ago, and that’s where I plant my tomatoes. Although they grow a bit smaller, the tomatoes have great flavor and I’ve been harvesting for about three weeks now. I had to supplement my crop with some from my local Farmer’s Market for this recipe, but I’m sure we’ll enjoy every drop of this tasty sauce.
I just got back from a little church service, and the deacon gave a talk on passion, disillusionment and joy. He did a great job.
Have you noticed how much change is occurring all around us? At times, it can seem a bit overwhelming.
Today is the last day at a grocery store down the street from me. I have a lot of options as far as stores go, but this one was the closest, and after 23 years, the parent company bankrupt, it was done. I went there yesterday to see if there were any bargains, and it was like picking over a carcass. Sad. But I did my part by spending $30. Who could resist 70% off? How will this store’s closing change the lives of the many people who worked there?
Two of my fondest memories of living on the East Coast involve the 4th of July. Moving from California to Maryland to attend Johns Hopkins in the crazy hot month of August, I came too late that first year. But when July came around again, one of my friends had the idea that we should all head to Washington D.C. to see the fireworks.
Sitting on the Mall that night, I had no idea what I was in for. When the first fireworks were sent up, they were pretty good, especially with the Washington Monument and the Capital as the backdrop. But these fireworks went on and on and on, getting bigger and bigger and bigger. Never in my life had I seen such a display. It was awe-inspiring.
I usually make it out to the Loyola Press website every day to check out their wonderful three-minute retreat. But the last week has been rather tumultuous, and even though I needed to be praying more than ever, in hindsight I missed plenty of opportunities, which included taking just three minutes to use this devotional. I’m sure you can relate.
Today, I went to Loyola’s site and learned that they had come up with a really great way to get immersed in Ignatian Spirituality. They’re calling it 31 Days of St. Ignatius, and even though today (Sunday) marks the third day, you can easily catch up.
Hope you’re having a good weekend. I’m cheating a little today. I’ve got the ingredients for this potato salad, but I haven’t made it yet. I’m saving it for Monday. But, I figure, how can it turn out badly?
So, for this recipe, which is an updated version of the higher calorie classic, I hoping we can all test it out together. Feel free to post a comment or two, letting everyone know how it turned out.
I had to go to the nearby town of Emmitsburg yesterday, and whenever I’m in that area, I always try and stop by the Catoctin Mountain Orchard. They have some of the best local produce around, and I picked up some great stuff yesterday, including a quart of fresh English peas.
I had wanted to make a pasta dish for some friends, and seeing the peas, I remembered I had a recipe for Pasta Piselli, a classic Italian favorite. This is a simple dish, and the ingredients are few: Fresh peas, tomatoes, herbs and onions. That’s about it. If you can’t find fresh peas, frozen are o.k. But try and find fresh.