Author: tomstellawebsite

Awaken, you buried seeds asleep in your earthen tombs. Rise up with joy to break forth the hard coffins of your shells. Your Easter time has come; the song of the dove is heard over the softening land. Winter has hidden, and spring now dances on your graves to waken the dead. Awaken, seeds of … Continue reading Easter – History and Mystery

Things to Do on an Elevator *Crack open your briefcase or purse, and while peering inside, ask, “Got enough air in there?” Meow occasionally.Wear a puppet on one of your hands and use it to talk to the other passengers.Listen to the elevator walls with a stethoscope.Say “ding” at each floor.Make noises like an explosion … Continue reading Holy Fools

     Here’s a fact of life: Nobody gets away scot-free. In every life, we are destined to find some disappointment, dissatisfaction, pain, and illness. We are bound to feel confused, insecure, and anxious.     Regularly contemplating the travails of our journey helps us to stay realistic about what life is and isn’t… Every dip and rise, … Continue reading Airbrushed-Airheads

     There is a great deal of lore surrounding the day when we traditionally acknowledge those we love with flowers, cards, candy, and the like. It is not the mythological Cupid who is the central figure of this occasion, but St. Valentine about whom little is known, but much is speculated.      One story claims … Continue reading Valentine’s Day

Take the whole kit with the caboodle Experience life don’t deplore it Shake hands with time don’t kill it Open a lookout Dance on a brink Run with your wildfire You are closer to glory Leaping an abyss than upholstering a rut      Poet James Broughton encourages us to take the whole kit with the … Continue reading Take the Whole Kit

We are all just a car crash, a diagnosis, an unexpected phone call, a newfound love or a broken heart away from becoming a completely different person. How beautifully fragile are we that so many things can take but a moment to alter who we are for forever.      We don’t like to think about it, … Continue reading Beautifully Fragile

“And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year: give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown. And he replied, Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a … Continue reading The Gate of the Year

GLORY TO GOD IN THE LOWEST “Now at this time Caesar Augustus issued a decree for a census of the whole world to be taken… So Joseph set out from the town of Nazareth in Galilee and traveled up to Judaea, to the town of David called Bethlehem…in order to be registered together with Mary, … Continue reading Glory to God in the Lowest

     When something is important to us we do what is necessary to prepare for it. If we have an exam and want to get a good grade, we study. If we have a performance, we rehearse. If we have a game, we practice. If we have a report to write or a presentation to … Continue reading Advent, a Time to Ponder

“Familiarity need not breed contempt, but it can breed a complacency that encourages us to take things for granted. Too often, we fail to appreciate the people and experiences that enrich our daily lives. Their proximity to us dulls our sensitivity to their beauty and uniqueness, and they start to come across as unremarkable landmarks … Continue reading Thankful is Not Grateful