Author Archives: joyocala

In most places in the world, there are rules and regulations for almost everything. In Nebraska, if a child burps during a church service, the parents might be arrested.  It is unlawful in Arizona to have a sleeping donkey in … Continue reading →

I love sharing this memory and do so every year. It was such a meaningful event in my life that I want to share it with everyone, every year. So here it is again. This blog originally appeared on November … Continue reading →

Today is St. Andrew’s Day. What! You didn’t send your St. Andrew’s Day cards yet. Shame. I’m not joking. You really can buy St. Andrew’s Day cards. It’s a big holiday in Scotland, but somehow hasn’t caught on in the … Continue reading →

            Recently I was reading and listening to music in the background, when the tune “Ashokan Farewell” came on; you may know it as the theme music to Ken Burns’ series on the Civil War.  It was so beautiful, that … Continue reading →

Statistics and calculations intrigue and fascinate me in a way that algebra never did. They tell us so much about life and the world. Being a sociology major in college (not music, as many who know me might have guessed), … Continue reading →

Yesterday the liturgical year came to an end.  Next Sunday we begin anew with the first Sunday in Advent.  Once more we have made a full trip around the liturgical calendar.  How many times have you made this journey?  There’s … Continue reading →

In our calendar year, speaking for Americans, the fourth Thursday of every November is Thanksgiving.  At this point, after the parades, the family gatherings, the phone calls to loved ones, most are stuffed from their feast of THANKS. Within days, Advent, … Continue reading →

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, or should I say it’s continuing to look a lot like Christmas since it has been growing up around us since before Halloween as I mentioned  in an earlier blog.  The squares … Continue reading →

It is a good spiritual practice to recall and acknowledge with gratitude the gifts which we have in our lives. I want to do this in a way that doesn’t sound like bragging because the reality is that I have … Continue reading →

I think of Thanksgiving as the quintessential American holiday. Somehow, my Grandma Szlavik, born and raised in the old country, learned to cook a Thanksgiving feast. No mac and cheese or green bean casserole, but they didn’t have those at … Continue reading →