Inspired by Scholastica

He set another man before them, saying, "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a grain of  mustard seed , which a man took, and sowed in his field; which indeed is smaller than all  seeds . But when it is grown, it is greater than the herbs, and becomes a  tree , so that the birds of the air come and lodge in its branches." (Matt. 13:3132) A couple weeks ago I read the parable about the mustard seed. I thought of this tiny seed buried in the darkness and not expecting anything to happen when gradually it begins sprouting beneath the soil. It eventually breaks through the ground and sees sunlight and feels rain. With the nurturing of the gardener it begins growing taller and taller. It extends its branches and turns a luxuriant green. Birds build nests and raise their nestlings on its limbs. I had not thought too much about my "seedness" before, but it spoke to me this time.We all start out as minuscule seeds.We are inert until we go through darkness and brea...

It was shocking to see the pictures of small children crying for their parents who had been taken into custody for crossing our southern border. Some of them were under five and put in holding "cages" or sent away with strangers. The parents had no idea where their children were or if they would ever see them again. This was all due to the "zero tolerance" policy decreed by our president  and carried out by ICE agents. This week due to pressure from the public the separation from parents was reversed. Now theycan stay with the parents while they are kept in detention centers. There will be no attempt made to reunite with their parents the  2,300 children who had already been sent away. This is cruel and immoral treatment of families, many of whom are fleeing violence and abusive situations in their own countries. They have fled to make a better life for their children. Many came through dangerous, fearful passages with little more than the clothes on their back....

When all the women were gone, she came to fetch water to avoid the gossip, surprised to find a Jewish man asking her, a foreigner, for a drink. When he told her he had living water   she wondered where his bucket was, puzzled by his words, amazed he knew all about her. Is this the Prophet people have been waiting for? Leaving her water jug behind, she ran to the town proclaiming she had found   the Messiah who   had living water and they came to believe her. She thirsted for the water Jesus promised as do we, often unaware that it gushes within to fill our need for refreshment and   cleansing, to replenish our weary bodies and heavy hearts. We can leave our water jars full of stagnant water behind and drink from the spring flowing within, the God-well that never runs dry.

Kate Spade The news of Kate Spade's suicide was shocking. She was a successful, creative, beautiful woman with everything to live for it seemed. But her sister said she was not surprised. She said Kate suffered from depression and anxiety, but would not seek hospitalization for fear the publicity would damage her fashion designer business. Her husband said she was the kindest, most loving woman he had ever known and although they were separated, they kept in touch every day. She also leaves a thirteen-year-old daughter. It is unfortunate that there is still such a stigma attached to mental illness. It ought to be treated like every other illness with understanding and medical attention. People do not choose to be depressed or bipolar or schizophrenic, just as they do not choose to have cancer or other physical illnesses. With the advances in psychotherapy, most mental illnesses can be controlled through therapy or medication. Fear or shame should not keep one from getting tre...

The discrepancy between an average teacher's pay and an actor or baseball player's salary is indecent. High school teachers earn an average of $60,000; actors receive between $5 to $20 million, and baseball players' average is $4 million. I like movies and baseball, but who has the bigger impact on our children?  Without teachers, our children would lack the necessary foundation for succeeding in a world that is growing more competitive and challenging every day. They are the backbone of our society and their impact is enormous. They not only teach skills, but enforce discipline, build character and try to keep our children safe. Good teachers are priceless, yet they are among the lowest paid professions in our country.  Teachers also require a lot more education than actors or baseball players. As learning patterns change, they need to update their skills and become more innovative. This requires expenditures on addtiional education. Many are also raising familie...