The very first church I remember belonging to was so new we smelled the paint on the walls. It had yet to build classrooms, so we had little to no resources for formal faith formation. “It’s the job of the parents,” the pastor said. The same pastor to usher in my first communion, ‘penance’, confirmation, and even marriage. At this parish, we celebrated First Communion before Reconciliation, and the parents decided when their child was ready. The pastor gave my mother a book o

“ "Winter is too long in New York City.” My daughter’s text is short but says a lot. I understand, living in Minnesota until I was 27 years old. January and February dragged on and on. Georgia’s winter, in comparison, is short and sweet. Some days offer the bluster of winter, and other days we go out in shorts and t-shirts. Today I’m in Houston, with my other daughter and two grandsons. It’s winter here, and days of rain have forced two adult women, one infant, one toddler, a