Cursory readers of Basil & Butterflies may have some trouble categorizing its genre. Is this a writer’s blog? A religious blog? A “mommy blog”? A blog on natural living? Does it provide information or simply commentary? The seeming randomness here reflects my equally unexpected thought processes. But most regular readers may have put together the [...]
Category > engaging the world
Child Prophets
A faith that is based in incarnation (where God took on human form and walked among us), is one that is open to the possibility of divine moments in everyday life. If God authored creation and Jesus took on its flesh, then the entire world is sacred. And every aspect of creation offers insights to [...]
Mary’s Magnificat: A Guide for Kennedy, A Guide for Life
At Senator Ted Kennedy’s funeral this morning, his parish priest (Rev. Hession) mentioned that in his final days, Kennedy prayed and reflected on his life in light of Mary’s Magnificat. One of the most moving pieces of scripture, the Magnificat is Mary’s song in response to her cousin’s (Elizabeth’s) recognition that Mary will bear the [...]
To Our Health: Drinking Water from Bottles or Taps?
Recently, the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) published a new report on U.S. drinking water that showed excessive atrazine. Atrazine is a weed killer, used widely on crops and golf courses, and associated with, among other things, birth defects, menstrual problems, and low birth weights. On Sunday, The New York Times published an excellent, in-depth [...]
Moving Past Angry Rhetoric on Health Care Reform
I’ve had several conversations with people in the past few days (partly in response to my last post) where people have said something like, “I am fine with health care reform, I just don’t like what Obama is proposing.” Most often, their complaints include phrases like “socialized medicine,” “ruining my health insurance,” and (for one [...]
Five Everyday Reasons that We Need Health Care Reform
With health care nearly ubiquitous in media, it’s easy to find loads of information and commentary about how people are up in arms, misinformation is being spread, and the public relations battle on health care reform is being waged. Reforming health care is a call for parents, the religious faithful, and caring people all over [...]
A Faith that Thrives on Questions
Recently, Dr. Richard Beck wrote a provocative piece challenging Christians to stop focusing on their “relationship with God” and start focusing on being a better person. His post sparked a flurry of responses, most of which were respectful and thoughtful, whether in agreement or not. But one comment in particular stood out to me. In [...]
Politicking Over the Final Vote to the Supreme Court
Today the United States confirmed the first Hispanic person and Latina to the Supreme Court. Yay! The final vote to confirm Justice Sonia Sotomayor was 68-31 (with Kennedy unable to vote).
Justice Sotomayor brings more federal judicial experience than any other justice in the past 100 years. She is a liberal moderate who has been consistent [...]
Welcome to My New Blog!
After a few years of intention, I’ve started a blog. I hope to use it as a place to share coherent thoughts, less coherent ramblings, practical ideas, and impetuous dreams. This site will offer resources on mindful parenting, faith, conscious living, and ecological awareness. From observations, to reviews, to theological reflections, this will be a [...]
