CRC Blog

No amount of ability is of the slightest avail without honor.
–Thomas Carlyle

In Austin, Texas…hotel room has loud buzzing fridge. Probably get 3 hours sleep. Wake up still in my clothes, dry mouth, puffy on top of my unruffled bed. Lotsa of tech stuff from my computer bags all strewn about. My basic Bukowski travel routine.

BEN, one of the original followers of my personal blog, is a tough, but gracious cookie from Illinois–family comes first, everyone pitches in and, no matter what, don't mess with any member of her family…the lioness roars and takes care of business. Sorta reminds me of my 95 year old grandmother, the powerful matriarch of my mother's side of the family.

Did you know if you take a stick and tease a lemming as it it makes its way to the cliff to jump off and die, it gets so mad about the intrusion that it explodes like a firecracker. My Norwegian friends call it popping a lemming…they figure it’s going to die anyway so one should have a little fun while one can. There’s a lesson to be learned here…not sure
what exactly, but I know there is and we should all take heed.

Man is for woman made,
And the woman made for man;
As the spur is for the jade,
As the scabbard for the blade,
As for digging is the spade,
As for liquor is the can,
So man is for the woman made,
And the woman made for man.

As the sceptre’s to be swayed,
As for night’s the serenade,
As for pudding is the pan.
And to cool us is the fan,
So man is for the woman made
And the woman made for man.

Be she widow, wife, or maid,
Be she wanton, be she staid,
Be she well or ill-arrayed,
Whore, or bawd, or harridan,
Yet man is for the woman made
And the woman made for man.

–Peter Anthony Motteun

Darkness = Light, Despair = Hope

This is what California Yanqui has to say about his spontaneous work of art. “It’s the reason for black and white. The sunset was intense with black clouds reflecting red from the setting sun. The ugliness is my neighborhood. I am only one out of twelve homes that were built and the rest is weed infested empty lots. It’s rather a depressing sight. I live one mile from the White Tank mountains and the reason I bought this house was the view from my backyard and west facing yard.”

There’s a beauty everywhere and no matter how ugly or painful we are all tapped into it.

In which Christopher Coppola interviews Sister Nancy, a Franciscan Catholic Nun. Topics include:

• Spiritual Teaching
• The choice to become a nun
• Is there only one path to God?
• Nuns playing pool
• Listen for the gift at the end of the podcast

Useful Links:

subscribe to the podcast!

download the episode

Music in this podcast:

Prayer of St. Francis by Anne Marie David

Holy Sepulchre Church Psalms: Psalm 7 by Holy Sepulchre Church Franciscan Monks

An old lady and her car.

Memory is the greatest of artists, and effaces from your mind what is unnecessary.
–Maurice Baring