Morning Star

"Sister, is that liquor?" I paused mid-step. The table of young people looked at me expectantly. "No, but I wish it was!" They burst into laughter and I smiled. We had just left church and were at Caravelle restaurant to celebrate Junior's Confirmation. Our sisters from Việt Nam had sent us beautiful white stone statues of Mary. This would be perfect for Junior, I thought. Who else would help him to grow spiritually then Mary, Temple of the Holy Spirit? I wrapped the tall long box in bright red paper and placed a silver bow on top. No wonder it looked like a liquor bottle. Confirmation is a sacrament of choice for Roman Catholics. Parents baptize their babies because they feel the gift of being a child of God is too good to wait to let their baby decide on their own. Does any parent ask their baby's opinion if milk is good for them? In Confirmation, the young adults choose for themselves if they want to receive a fresh outpouring and strengthening of the Sp...

"Oh Janine, it's for you!" I opened my eyes in surprise. Sr. Gwen Huyền was opening presents from her family. We were gathered around our Christmas tree in the convent living room. All of us had finished opening our presents. It was mostly cash since our families lived far away. Sr. Gwen's family lived in town and she still had a good size pile. "It's from Corinne." She and her husband had gotten a gift for Sr. Gwen and our community. And me? Corinne and I went to school together for ten years. We had our share of fights and talks. I became a nun. She got married. Friendships usually become acquaintances in these cases. "Old Friend from Far Away" by Natalie Goldberg The Practice of Writing Memoir An oil print of a person standing still in a serene winterscape is on the cover. Janine, I found this at a small bookstore and thought of you. Hope it gives you new ideas for writing. Old friend from far away my words stopped for so long to do homewor...