"Small Victories:" A Good Way to Celebrate Epiphany

I began reading essayist Anne Lamott's new book, Small Victories,  after  hearing her speak in November  at the Free Library of Philadelphia. My friend Shannon, an author and a  jail chaplain in Tacoma, suggested this would be a great book to read for Advent.

Well, even though it's under 300 pages, I just completed it today. Lamott's  is an authentic voice, one that does not sugar coat reality but which helps me find God in the smallest moments. Finishing the book is a good way to celebrate the Epiphany, that time when Jesus revealed himself to the world beyond his circumstances.

Lamott is a writer  we writers are supposed to love and one whose work I have not taken the time to read fully. While I have read bits and pieces of her illuminating work, this is the first full book of hers I have read from start to finish. She labels herself a "left wing" Christian and I suppose she is, but the label, as any political label does, reduces the value of her insights.

From Pittsburgh: A Cardinal's Cassock, an "Almost Famous" Sandwich, and Some Wise Words from the Ambo

We four returned this afternoon from Pittsburgh, where we toured the University of Pittsburgh campus for an admitted students' day, ate at Primanti Brothers, and attended Mass at the Newman Catholic Center. A few insights:

First, Pitt is a wonderful place. I had to stop myself from buying one of these sweatshirts; our oldest still is mulling his options for college and whether he prefers a large university to a small liberal arts college.

Second, I can handle a Primanti's sandwich. Either my tummy has gotten entirely too large  (a definite possibility) or the portions are not as outrageous as advertised.

How to Spend Fourteen Hours in Philly with the Hubster

I truly do not remember the last time my husband and I went away overnight without our sons. But when my husband realized that last night Gabriel would be on his way to London and Lucas would be at his best friend's house for a sleepover, he suggested a night in Center City, Philadelphia.

A friend who lives and works in Philadelphia suggested we stay at the luxurious Lowes Philadelphia Hotel, which is about a block from the Reading Terminal Market. The hotel is also known as the  Philadelphia Fund Society Building and it's a national historic landmark. It was my first visit to the market, a farmer's market  that has been in operation for more than a century. Greg was delighted to find corn that had been picked this morning!

Here are some snapshots from our getaway; it lasted just 14 hours because we had to leave early  to get Lucas to an 11 a.m. Mass and to prepare for a family gathering in our backyard to celebrate his finishing middle school. But we ordered room service for dinner and bought lots of produce this morning after breakfast at the Down Home Diner!

With a Bow and a Passport and the Prayers of St. Gabriel, Our Son Spreads His Wings

"As long as I have my bow and my passport, I'm good. Those are the important things." This is one of the last things our 16-year-old told me before we hugged him goodbye at the Philadelphia International Airport a few hours ago.

Tonight he and his orchestra are flying to Heathrow and then Brussels for a 10-day concert tour of Europe. He's never been off the North American continent. For our family, flying to Europe is a Very Big Deal, something my husband never has done and something I last did a quarter-century ago. This is why we showed up at Terminal A nearly five hours before his flight was scheduled to take off.

Unplugged in the Poconos

This is me Friday night at a condominium my family rented in the Poconos. It was a blessing for the four of us to spend three days away from the never-ending demands of school and work and basketball and cycling and orchestra and band and choir commitments. As an added benefit: the wifi didn't work at the resort where we stayed.