My journey choosing a retirement home shares similarities with mountain climbing: the doubts that puncture decisions, the fear of making a huge mistake. But Jesus told me not to be afraid, and so I kept climbing.
For one U.S. priest, returning home to Vietnam was more than a visit; it was a reminder to see with the soul's eye and treasure the places we know how to love and be loved without condition.
"When I see the crucifix hanging in the center of our parish, I appreciate the reminder of the suffering we acknowledge and the love to which it points," writes Alli Bobzien.
Could it be that this was what God was asking of me: to take stock in the simple, abundant gifts all around me, delight in them like a child and find myself delighting in the Holy One right in front of me?
My 82-year-old spiritual director, Sr. Connie Kramer, had an inoperable brain tumor in the shape of a butterfly. Her spiritual guidance was present until the end. Grief calls us to not fear death, but to befriend it.
