Maria L. Evans

If there is one thing we natives of rural northeast Missouri know how to do, we know how to "do funeral." One of the greatest comforts in this...

One of the funny sidelights of owning a chiminea (and Facebooking about making fires in it on a frequent basis) is that I have kind of become the "Parish incinerator for holy objects." Things like slightly "off-smelling" chrism, leftover blessed palm fronds, or worn out corporals or altar linens seem to find their way into my chiminea to be burned. I think part of it is folks in my parish know I love to burn stuff, and they also know my fire-sitting spot is, at least to me, a holy space.

One of the problems with moving forward is that there are times that require looking back--and not with nostalgia. I was recently visiting with a friend who is a Vietnam veteran, describing "then" and "now." He described it like this: "When I came home, I sort of put all that stuff in a package. You know, when I was in country, we always said "When I get back to the world, I'm gonna...etc. etc." It was sort of like Vietnam was "another world."

In September 2010, four gay children died from bullying. Children are being bullied, tormented and abused for many different reasons, and there is a distinct upswing on bullying in our schools. Please take this to prayer with me.