By Michael Patrick O’Brien– Although my mother wanted nothing from life but marriage, children, and a home, circumstances beyond her control destroyed that white picket fence dream. She had to…

By Michael Patrick O’Brien– The dramatic Easter saga of crucifixion and resurrection includes some wonderful images—a cross, empty tomb, candle, paschal lamb, bunny with colored eggs, and white lily.  My…

By Michael Patrick O’Brien– A century ago, London sociologists suggested, “The purpose of liturgy is to quicken the mind, energise the body, awaken the soul.” Based on my own experience, they were describing…

By Gary Topping– Bandon, Oregon is a popular tourist destination on the southern coast at the mouth of the Coquille River.  When my grandfather, George P. Topping, arrived there in…

By Michael Patrick O’Brien– A vacation at the beach is not always, well, a vacation at the beach. In March 2023, I attended a continuing legal education (CLE) employment law…

By Michael Patrick O’Brien– The recurring motif in the Harry Potter books about the cursed Defense of the Dark Arts professor job at Hogwarts always fascinated me. The English teacher…

By Michael Patrick O’Brien– I love all the portraits of my two daughters, but one rises above the rest as my favorite. I took the photo a decade ago at…

By Susie Headlee (Guest Contributor)– We live in divided times, when people self-select themselves into siloes and seem uninterested in reaching out to others who may think differently. My friendship…

By Michael Patrick O’Brien– The old Huntsville Trappist monastery gave the surrounding community a number of unique and special gifts. One gift was the many interesting persons who visited the…

By Gary Topping– Many years ago my son gave me, as a birthday present or something, a copy of Charles Darwin’s Voyage of the Beagle, his diary of his five-year…