By Michael Patrick O’Brien– The Sonoran Desert—the hottest in North America—is home to sky islands, to thriving agave, palm, and cacti plants, and to the only jaguar population living in…
Posts published in February 2024
By Michael Patrick O’Brien During a recent 24-hour period, I prayed at a peaceful monastery, visited a raucous brewery honoring a brothel, and paid money to watch cowboys shoot at…
By Michael Patrick O’Brien– A rather simple word—love—is at the heart of St. Valentine’s Day. Yet, what’s most clear about the popular February holiday is that it’s complicated, both historically…
By Michael Patrick O-Brien– For winter, here is a cold weather excerpt from Monastery Mornings, my 2021 memoir about growing up at the now-closed Trappist monastery—Abbey of the Holy Trinity—in…
By Jathan Janove (Guest Contributor)– As I reflected on what my 2024 New Year’s resolutions should be, it struck me that I could be donating more money to nonprofits and…