Morning Star

Her life-story turned movie, earned 7 Emmy Awards in 2010. That very same year, Time Magazine named her as one of the 100's World's Most Influential People. She's a world-wide lecturer and an author of 10 books. Author. Activist. Autistic. Yes, autistic. Those are the opening words to the movie's trailer. Temple Grandin's life was defined and continues to be defined by this complex developmental brain disorder. "People are always looking for the single magic bullet that will totally change everything. There is no single magic bullet." Perhaps her mom above all else understood these words. Temple was unable to speak until three and doctors recommended she be committed to the mental institution. Eustacia, instead, chose to embrace her daughter's unpredictable bursts of anger, normal symptoms of autistic children. She read to Temple daily, hired a caregiver to play with her constantly, and enrolled her in a speech therapy class. It was a lonely and lo...

"How do you like it?" Trúc asked me. "I like it. There's less friction," I answered with a smile. It also means it's going to be easier to fall, I thought to myself. The Galleria ice rink was still empty at 10am on Saturday. It was my first time ice skating and everyone has always told me that it was like rollerblading. With less friction. The oldest pair of skates date was found at the bottom of a lake in Switzerland. It was made from the leg bones of a large animal and holes were bored at each end of the bone. Leather straps were used to tie the skates on. The skates are from 3000 BC. "Don't get too near me. I like to fall," I warned a five-year-old as he coasted past me. "I know," he replied immediately. I had to smile at young children's ability to be frank and cherubic simultaneously. The rink is in the center ground level of the mall and all three levels of the mall faced into it. Many people stopped to watch us. I wo...

"Carlos, I saw a flower near our Lady of La Vang shrine. I've never seen anything like it. Would you know its name?" "Yes, I know what you're talking about... I just can't remember it. Give me a minute. Let's wait for Kirk to be done on the phone. He's our property manager," Carlos, the center's secretary replied. Circle Lake Retreat Center was a comfortable 4 1/2 hour drive from Irving. Quaint 11 mph signs lined its roads and small wooden bridges took us over the small lake. "Passion flower... it's quite common here in Texas. It has a whole story about it and all, how it is like Jesus' Passion," Kirk remarked as he looked at the purple petals. That morning, the flower had frightened me with its unusual shape. Five petals and five sepals represented the ten apostles, leaving out Judas the betrayer and Peter the denier. The three pistil stigmas are the nails, the five stamens represent the number of Jesus' wounds. ...

"If I had some time, I would race you to your car." They both smiled at each other. It was not second-graders teasing each other after school. It was after 5:30pm Mass at Holy Family Church. The aspirants and I had spent the morning painting and sealing our wooden fence. Fig bushes lined the parish's grounds. Who would've known figs were as happy to grow in Irving as in Jesus' homeland? Figs are one of the first fruits cultivated in Asia Minor. For a time, the Greek government forbade the export of figs to insure themselves of a good outcome at the Olympics. Dried figs are about 60% sugar and humans could probably live on figs alone. "You would race me?" he replied as sport-fully, his hunch-backed frame leaning on his cane. "Anytime," the first returned, his silver eyebrows raised slyly. They both hobbled in opposite directions. Perhaps figs did not help them to retain their health in these senior years. However, their spirits gave me a sugar...

"The security of this nation is very much in your hands." An audience of over 500 graduates, family, and friends listened, spellbound. Jon Fleming, commencement speaker was not speaking to West Point cadets. He was addressing University of Texas Arlington's College of Education graduates. "You are responsible for the welfare of this country as much as the soldiers, sailors, army, Navy, SEALS. You see, the Great Seal of the United States has a bald eagle, one talon is holding a bunch of arrows. The other is holding an olive branch. Education is in the realm of this olive branch. And today, this branch is wilting. Our society is in disarray. Our families are breaking apart. And our schools are hurting." Three months ago, I did not want to be part of this graduation ceremony. I did not attend my own college graduation and saw no sense in sitting through a formality. No one ever got their diploma the day of their graduation because grades weren't done a...

Most buildings don't have a 13th floor. "$700-$800 million dollars are lost every Friday the 13th because of people's refusal to travel, purchase major items or conduct business." Although the Thirteenth Club was established to dispel number 13's superstition and includes five U.S. presidents, triskaidekaphobia still abounds. Triskaidekaphobia. Fear of the number 13. In 1700 BC, Hammurabi had it because his code omits number 13. On the 13th in the month of Adar, approximately 480 BC, the Jews were scheduled for execution by the scheming Haman. Esther, the beautiful (and unknown Jewess) queen, urged her people to pray and fast. She herself put away her royal garments and perfume, prayed, and fasted. After three days, Esther put on her finest attire and approached the royal throne. No one was allowed to see King Xerxes without being invited. He was indignant but miraculously spared her life. She invited him and Haman to dinner that night. "Now what is my ...

"Sister, would you like for us to get you anything?" The couple had a bucket of popcorn between them. "Oh no, no... thank you! That is very thoughtful of you. I am fine," I murmured as the lights were dimmed in the theater. Good friends had bought us tickets for "There Be Dragons" last Friday evening. Dragons. One wonders how well the dragons were tamed in the show. And so, one does what Josemaria Escriva would've done. “My role is to hide and disappear, so that only Jesus shines forth.” Half of the movie was suppose to be about Josemaria. He got 25% the most. And he's the one that actually existed, from 1902 to 1976. Manolo, his antithesis in the movie, got 60% share of the movie. And is fake, a made-up character. And his dragons roam further than the movie screen. Anger, jealousy, obsession. “My role is to hide and disappear, so that only Jesus shines forth.” It seems as if Josemaria Escriva did disappear from the story line. Yet, he tamed his...