A few days after Christmas, some of my family came together again for a simple dinner.
My mom had asked Deirdre, my brother’s wife, to make this tart, which she found in The Tuscan Sun Cookbook by Frances Mayes. Dierdre did a superb job, and the tart tasted as good as it looks 🙂 I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as we did. Grazie mille, Deirdre!
Today, I had the chance to visit the nearby shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first canonized saint born in the United States.
About a twenty-minute drive from my house, I enjoy travelling down the country road to the sleepy town of Emmitsburg, where Mother Seton founded both a religious order and a girl’s school in the early 1800’s.
I love the fact that Mother Seton would have traveled on the same road I drove on all those years ago, except she was traveling in a carriage pulled by horses, and the road unpaved.
Well, 2012 has come to a close. Personally, it was a year of up’s and down’s, and I’m kind of glad to see it go.
On the flip side, I have a feeling that 2013 will be a great year, filled with new and exciting things.
I hope you and your family have a very blessed New Year. Let’s pray that we might have health, peace and happiness this year. For those who are unemployed, may they find meaningful work. For those who are sick, may God’s healing touch be on them. For those who are down, may they be lifted up. For those who are lonely, may they find new and long-lasting friendships. For those who have much, may they share with those who are less fortunate.
May God bless you with the joy that only He can give. Happy New Year!
So, here we are on the last weekend of the year. How has 2012 been for you? No matter how good, bad, complicated, exciting or disappointing it has been, I hope you’re planning to take stock over the next couple of days.
Over the last week, I’ve had the chance to spend some quality time with my family and a few old friends. How good it has been :). At the same time, there’s been challenges too, especially with some who are dealing with health issues. In the end, I’m looking forward to a wonderful 2013.
I just finished a huge project at work, and now I’m really ready to relax.
I was a bit worried that I wouldn’t get it done, but this afternoon, I hit the enter button and that was it.
Have you ever felt the pressure of a huge deadline? I’m sure most of us can relate.
It’s taken more than a couple of days to reflect on the tragic events last Friday in Newtown CT.
The talking heads on T.V. have been going non stop, and there has been much to discuss.
In the end, the families of those killed, along with our entire country, are left with an incomprehensible loss.
Last night, I went to a big celebration at my church honoring Our Lady of Guadalupe. This feast day comes from the Mexican culture, and over the years, I try to make at least one of the events surrounding December 12th.
One of the things I love most about this day is the joy that is so evident on many in the Hispanic culture.
I was in Chicago last week for a conference, and the wonderful weather just enhanced the visit.
On the way downtown, my taxi driver told me that there should be quite a bit of snow on the ground by now, chalking it up to global warming. No matter what the cause, I enjoyed the walk each night from my hotel to the lake.
Today is the first Sunday in Advent, a time of waiting and longing for our remembrance of Jesus’ birth at Christmas.
Traditionally, Advent wreaths have four candles, one lit each week as we get closer to Christmas. The four candles represent hope, peace, joy and love.
Wow, I’m really glad its Friday. It has been a whopper of a week, and I’m glad to be able to relax a bit.
Earlier this evening, I was laughing with a good friend about the fact that I keep holding on to unviewed Netflix dvds for so long that I’m having to return them unseen so I won’t get charged. I’m hoping things slow down in the not too distant future. In the meantime, I guess this is what my life will be like until the end of the year.