My wife and I visited California's Big Sur region only a few years back. Its hillsides are covered in rich succulents, red and yellow, green and purple. Sea lions and harbor seals swim and sun just off the coast. Cliffs above the Pacific line the sinuous highway on which you fly above clouds clinging to the ocean's surface, a surface reflecting blues of surreal beauty, the waves shimmering as they mirror patches of turquoise skies above. more

In 1995, marriage therapist Dr. Gary Chapman wrote a best-selling book and launched a theory that among men and women in relationship there are five preferred ways of expressing love. These five "love languages"—which include gifts, quality time, words of affirmation, acts of service and physical touch—are the ways each of us "hears" and responds best to the tangible expression that matches our distinctive emotional needs for love. more

The subject of death is not something we willingly talk about. It conjures up feelings of sadness, longing for loved ones, fear of our own passing and a realization that life as we currently are living it will not continue forever. more

This weekend's Gospel offers one of Jesus' final instructions to his disciples: "As I have loved you, so you also should love one another." Further, he explained, they would be known as his followers by their love for others. more

At a gathering of people from our old prayer group, I was standing with a friend who is legally blind when she began remarking on how blessed we are. Terry focused her comments on the ease of life, abundant food and other blessings that surround most of us. more

In the early 1990s, a popular book by author John Gray hit the best-seller list and stayed there for a long time. The book, entitled "Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus," rested on the premise that women and men think and communicate so differently from each other that they might as well have come from different planets. A classic example: I can bring up a particular problem and only want to talk it through; my husband instinctively goes into "solution mode." He thinks it's his job to resolve my dilemma, and I'm content for him to just listen. more

I run a summer service camp called Camp Fort Worth. It has made a significant impact on the lives of teens for about 15 years. Students from a local Catholic high school are regular participants in the camp, while some of their classmates attend another camp called Life Camp. more

December 11, Third Sunday of Advent Cycle B Readings: First Reading: Isaiah 61:1-2a, 10-11; Luke 1:46-50, 53-54 Second Reading: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 Gospel: John 1:6-8, 19-28 more

I know personally the meaning of the words of this week's Scripture from Proverbs: "When one finds a worthy wife, her value is far beyond pearls. Her husband, entrusting his heart to her, has an unfailing prize. She brings him good, and not evil, all the days of her life." more

As correspondent for my diocesan newspaper, I cover the western part of Virginia. That includes many, mostly rural communities in the Appalachian region. I've lived all my life in urban areas, but ever since my very first visit to a small Catholic parish in Clintwood, I can't seem to get enough of documenting the Gospel life among people in Appalachia. more