- By Melannie Svoboda SND
In his book, Insane for the Light, Father Ronald Rolheiser tells of surviving cancer–only to have the cancer return several years later. His oncologist told him he would probably have only thirty months to live. That news, he says, “rocked me to my roots. I sat in prayer in a
- By Melannie Svoboda SND
In September, I attended the celebration of a sister’s Golden Jubilee. Sister Maureen Burke, President of St. John School in Ashtabula, OH, was celebrating 50 years as a Sister of Notre Dame. And what a celebration it was! It began Sunday afternoon with a wonderful Mass in a parish church.
- By Melannie Svoboda SND
Recently I had to have some dental work done: a new crown. My dentist, Dr. Nick, is young, amiable, skilled, and even fun! When there was a pause in his work, I glanced out the October window and said, “I love fall! Do you?” Immediately he said, “Yes, I love
- By Melannie Svoboda SND
I had a priest friend, Tom, whose personal email address began with this: as4me. It aroused my curiosity but, unfortunately, I never asked him why he chose those words for his address. He is deceased now, but I think I know where he got these “words” and maybe even why
- By Melannie Svoboda SND
The American philosopher/psychologist William James (1842-1910) wrote, “The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitude.” I first came across these words as a young college student, and I have never forgotten them. My life-long experience (or I should say
- By Melannie Svoboda SND
Today’s reflection focuses on caregivers–especially those individuals who are unpaid for providing care for loved ones with serious medical issues. In order to appreciate these caregivers, we need to look at a few statistics. In the US alone, there are 63 million families (1 in 4 adults) serving as caregivers
- By Melannie Svoboda SND
I was thinking about promises recently. Here are a few thoughts on the question, “Why do we make promises?” The dictionary says a promise is “an agreement to do or not to do something.” Generally speaking, there are good promises and bad ones. In short, a good promise (to care
- By Melannie Svoboda SND
By chance, I came across the Fall 2026 issue of Nature Conservancy Magazine. The cover proclaimed, “Celebrating 75 Years.” I thought, certainly this milestone deserves a post on my blog, a blog that regularly promotes and celebrates various aspects of nature such as: water, trees, seeds, flowers, the sun, the
- By Melannie Svoboda SND
September 8th is the feast of “The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.” In other words, it’s Mary’s birthday. This day, commemorated by the Catholic, Anglican, and Eastern Churches, dates back to the 5th and 6th Centuries. Of course, we don’t know the actual date of Mary’s birthday. It could
- By Melannie Svoboda SND
Today’s reflection is for anyone who needs a smile right now–or a little laugh. Here are some amusing items I’ve come across within the past few months. I, for one, believe that laughter is one of God’s greatest gifts to us. Laughter is not only good for our cardiovascular system,
