Larry Peterson Isabel Cristina Mrad Campos was born in Brazil, in the ancient city of  Barbacena, on July 29, 1962. A few weeks later, on the feast of the Virgin Mary's Assumption, her parents had her baptized in the parish church of Nostra Signora della Pieta in Barbacena. At the age of seven, she received her First Holy Communion at the school of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul. Isabel grew up in a devout Catholic family and led an everyday life for a young woman of that era. She studied hard, dated and attended socials, participated in Church activities, and wa ..read more

IT MAKES SENSE TO ME By Larry Peterson This is posted every year for Halloween. Fun to read to the kids. The Legend of the Jack-O- Lantern Jack-O-Lantern      en.wikipediacommons.org By Larry Peterson Long ago in Ireland, the land of shamrocks, leprechauns, soft winds and smiles, there lived a man named  Jack. Jack was quite lazy and did not like to work. But he had the gift of "blarney" and could talk the peat off the moss.  He would tell wondrous tales about his adventures as a world traveler and the people in his village would be held spellboun ..read more

 Influenza epidemic in United States. St. Louis, Missouri, Red Cross Motor Corps on duty, October 1918. (National Archives) By Larry Peterson I have learned that loneliness has no boundaries. It reaches out for everyone and captures many of the unsuspecting, including the seemingly happy, satisfied, and successful. Yes, loneliness is capable of dragging the lonely into a world of hidden misery and often depression. It can attack anyone at any time, and it has become a social condition of almost epidemic proportions. I have been widowed twice and know full well how loneliness ..read more

--Looking into her eyes, he said, “There is Victory over Death.”                                                     Pineterest.com IT MAKES SENSE TO ME By Larry Peterson I recently attended a funeral Mass and during the few minutes before the Mass started, something extraordinary happened. I believe God sent a messenger to share with all those in attendance an affirmation of what we proclaim to believe; that there is Life after Death.  It all happ ..read more

public domain IT MAKES SENSE TO ME By Larry Peterson We have all heard of Roe vs. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that, to date, has LEGALLY allowed for the termination of more than 60,000,000 children in utero. But many of us are not aware that on the very same day that decision was handed down, the very same court by the very same vote also handed down a decision called Doe vs. Bolton. The Doe vs. Bolton ruling created the proverbial “double whammy” to the abortion issue. If Roe vs. Wade ever failed or was overturned, Doe vs. Bolton could immediately take its place. In fact, it ..read more

There were no strings attached---He simply loved his neighbor Good Samaritan                       public domain  IT MAKES SENSE TO ME  By Larry Peterson One of the most famous Gospel readings is the one we all know as the Parable of the Good Samaritan. What follows is about someone who may be among the greatest Good Samaritans of all time, a man we know almost nothing about. Servant of God and Stigmatic, Anna Louise Lateau, passed away at the age of thirty-three. What is extremely interesting is t ..read more

IT MAKES SENSE TO ME  By Larry Peterson Caroline Chisholm                                                  public domain      Women settlers in Australia faced a life of prostitution, but Venerable Caroline was able to save many of them. She was called “the Savior of Living Cargoes” Caroline Chisholm was born in Northampton, England, in 1808. She was the daughter of William Jones, a wealthy farmer, who had been married four times. Three o ..read more

IT MAKES SENSE TO ME by Larry Peterson I wrote this blog several years ago and except for a few minor changes, I have posted it every year since.   The reason is simple. I believe in Santa Claus and I am sick of hearing these elitist-know-it-all-uppity-ups declaring that "lying" to your children about Santa Claus is wrong and traumatic and teaches the wrong lesson and blah-blah-blah. That is NONSENSE. Okay, this is  for Christmas, 2019. Christmas with  Jesus and Santa (yes, they are tied together) is not about a day in time. No, it is about a seasonal spiri ..read more

The Last Christmas Tree A Short Story by Larry Peterson Copyright©Larry Peterson 2019 Christmas Tree             commons.wikimedia.com Inspired by a true story: It was 6:00 A.M., and she was exhausted. She stood there, unblinking, looking into the mirror at the person staring back at her. Running her hands through her tousled, just-got-out-of-bed hair, she sighed deeply. She leaned forward, stared some more, and said to herself, “Oh my God, Sharon, you look just awful.” She had to leave by 6:30, so she hurriedly washed her face, brushed her tee ..read more

We thought Mom was dead, but she opened her eyes and said, “Come here and give me a hug.”  Believe in Miracles                                                                    en.wikipedia.org IT MAKES SENSE TO ME By Larry Peterson During the Christmas season, I believe God’s loving hand sweeps down and touches many of us with a little extra something when we might need it most. Haven’t you ever, after hav ..read more