By Deacon John Degano
It’s officially cold and flu season in our home.
We managed to survive two third year confirmation retreat weekends with nary a sniffle but now, two or three weeks later, I’m battling a stuffy head, sinus drip and a raspy (but not sexy) voice.
The good news is, I’m not ‘death warmed over’… not yet, at least.
By Deacon John Degano
Recently, I had reason to wonder if the Magi felt they were chasing shadows as they made their circuitous journey in search of the new born king of the Jews?
Our 1,300 mile journey began with Christmas with my wife Cheryl’s family in Greensboro, North Carolina. We then drove to Cincinnati, Ohio (to visit an aunt who had broken a leg) and then east to Reagan National Airport in Washington D.C. for our flight home.
By Deacon John Degano
The temperature outside was in the high 90s to low 100s. The water temperature was 87 – 89 degrees. And my friend with the pool was at Kmart attempting to buy chlorine.
She walked quickly past the aisle with the Halloween costumes and another one with fake Christmas trees and room décor but when she arrived where the pool products were kept, she was informed that it was a ‘seasonal’ item and they no longer had it in stock.
By Deacon John Degano
It’s not Christmas until Jesus lies in the Manger
Several years ago Cheryl and I had the opportunity to be on the campus of the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana during Advent. We had come to a social justice conference and were being shown about by our friend and diaconate formation director, Father Bob Nogosek, CSC, when we realized that there were Nativity scenes in every building and in some cases, multiple scenes.
By Deacon John Degano
I stumbled across a listing for my old college ceramics instructor the other day while surfing the Internet for an obituary I wanted to make reference to during the graveside service I would be celebrating at Riverside National Cemetery.
My teacher had not died (I am happy to report) but was alive and well and following his muse around the world and here in the Los Angeles basin.
