In my mind today I'm bufuzzled. I ran across this verse last week, "Who are you?" My brain wants to add o's and sing it like the band The Who does. Just when you think you have it all figured out, you do or say something and think did that come from my mouth? It's so tough to be the person that you are called to be...

In my mind today, I'm thinking that Christmas is practically here!!! The second week of Advent flew by and now we are on the cusp of the final week of Advent. Christmas is just around the corner! Christmas is a time for little miracles. They happen with gifts of love from our families and friends. ...

Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side. Psalm 23:4 In my mind today I am thinking about evil. Evil exists. Psalm 23 reminds us never to fear even in death. This is the darkest time of year here in my little burg. We get less sunshine than any other season. It just so happens that it is our first week of Advent. Happy New Liturgical Year!...

In my mind lately, I've been on a respite. The Autumn March for ALS consumes me for about four months and then poof! We are finished and amazed at how everything fell together. The last words I spoke to my committee the night before the race was, "Whom shall we fear?" God is always for us. Really He is...

In my mind today, I am thinking about treasures. It's been a crazy, hectic, and amazing October. I have been frantically zipping all over my little burg advocating the Autumn March for ALS. Meetings, designing shirts, collecting donations, and praying for a beautiful event day have had Sal the Autumn March Gal busy as a bee, literally! Am I exhausted and on the brink of mutiny? Of course, but I love it! As long as I can roll in my scooter and breathe, I will advocate for a cure for ALS, establish scholarships for my local school systems, and give to local non-profits. ...

Take nothing for the journey. Luke 9:3 I read these words over and over in my mind this morning. Each day I wake I lose something to ALS. It's not until I try to use a muscle that I realize the disease has creeped further into my neurological system and taken something else. ...

Recently, my life has been filled with recovery time. August is a busy time for parents and teachers. School starting and renewing routines take a lot out of us. August also happens to be the month that I begin searching for sponsors for the annual Autumn March for ALS. ...

Every day I try to learn a new word or expose myself to a random word. I started doing this a very long time ago. I remember reading a biography of Eleanor Roosevelt as a child. One of the things Eleanor did everyday was to pick up a dictionary and randomly shuffle through it and put her finger on a word. ...

Reflecting today on my readings, I realize that I have become a Mary. I watch the flurry of social media posting about back to school and I visit the season before ALS. I was such a Martha. I enjoyed every busy moment of every busy teaching day from inservices preparing our minds for another year of teaching to the bone-tired days of May. ...

Today I am thinking about fruit. Summers in the South give us lots of wonderful fruit: watermelon, cantaloupes, honeydew, peaches, grapes, strawberries, blackberries, and blueberries. Each summer my heart leaps when I see the roadside stands full of fresh produce. ...

Happy birthday America and to my mother! Only a mere 243 years ago our nation was born. As an American history teacher, it is our job to educate our students of all the milestones of America. We are such a young country. July 4th 1776 is a huge deal for us as Americans. ...

Losing our Religion Happy summer students! Even though it's summer I am still reading and studying. Each day I read about what's going on in the world today and my devotionals. Yesterday I came across that article that talked about the Post-Christian Era specifically in the United States. ...

Life has been pretty relaxed at the Alley Casa. We Catholic Christians officially finished up Easter two Sundays ago. Our last day of Easter is called Pentecost Sunday. Living in the deep South when you hear the word Pentecost you think of the Penecostal denomination. ...

Happy week six of Easter. This week I hit a milestone. I turned 50. Crazy! I made it to half a century. Today I read about Paul leaving some of his converts. They knew they would never see him again. He told them to hold on to the faith, to build up each other, and to keep a relationship with their heavenly Father. ...

Happy 6th week of Easter! Today's reading was about the visitation of Mary to her cousin Elizabeth. Luke 1 39:56 And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? The baby that Elizabeth carried leaped when Mary spoke to her. ...

Today we Catholics are marching into the 5th week of Easter. Today, I read about Paul being rejected and stoned. He was cast outside of the gate to the city and left for dead. The people thought he would die. He did not; he rose, dusted himself off, and headed to the next city to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus. ...

Good morning students! The sun is shining; it is going to be a beautiful day. Believe it or not we Catholics are still celebrating Easter. This is our fourth week of celebrating. Today I read in the Gospel of John when Jesus told the disciples, "I have called you friends." Friends are such a vital part of a happy life. They are the people that cry with you in sad times, pray with you in bad times, and celebrate with you in the best times. Friends are truly gifts from above...

40 days with Sal It is day 30 students! Where do I begin? Since I last wrote I have had a liver biopsy, a baptismal reception for my littlest grandson, severe pain, a stay in the hospital, visiting with a dear friend contemplating what this life is all about, and a hibernation at home to try to recuperate. ...

40 days with Sal Day 29 Students, I really don't know where to begin. I have had so much turmoil the past week that it was hard to focus on anything. Do you have weeks like that? I'm sure you do. Sometimes we call it getting on the pity pot. ...

We are in the middle of our octave of Easter. This is the eight days following Easter Sunday. It is celebrated in the Catholic Church. Today's readings were about the crippled man by the beautiful gate. He had been crippled from birth. He sat there every day of his life begging for help. ...