The Soulful Catholic was feeling especially beloved by God on Oct. 1, the feast of St. Therese of Lisieux. Ever since reading the children’s version of the saint’s biography at the tender age of 8, there was a kinship with this Doctor of the Church, a French Catholic nun who was unknown to the world until after her death at age 24.
The sheaf of papers in a bulky envelope from the health care system our family belongs to arrived in the mail. Along with all the instructions for the procedure I was to have done was a document with one short paragraph. After filling in my name, I was expected to sign it before a witness.
The 12 sets of eyes staring back at me pondered the question: What would happen if at your next soccer game, there were no rules? You could pick up the ball with your hands if you wanted to, even if you weren’t the goalie. There’d be no out-of-bounds at all. And, the score would be whatever you wanted it to be.
My husband and I were sound asleep that morning, oblivious to the nightmare unfolding in New York City on September 11, 2001. Pounding on the front door sent us stumbling from our bed to find a neighbor, a World War II combat veteran, looking extremely agitated.
“We’re under attack!” he shouted. “Turn on the TV!” With that, he hurried back across the street.
A likable woman who’s running for local office was lamenting the fact that knocking on doors in neighborhoods to share her message with voters just wasn’t working out as well as in previous races.