R's rue

Are you there Washington D.C.? Come in please! This is England calling! Today, at Southwark Crown Court in London, the rapist and sexual predator Russell Brand was put away for ten and a half years having been found guilty of his crimes. It didn't matter that he was a rich media star, famous "comedian" and "writer". It didn't matter that he had settled down in recent years with a  loving wife and their three young children. It didn't matter that he had turned to God or that he wore a crucifix. Past crimes came back to haunt him and the women he had abused earlier this century at long last achieved some kind of justice. There are at least two other cases against Brand still pending. He may yet have more years added to his sentence. I began this blogpost in the way I did because I had Jeffrey Epstein and his associates in mind. Numerous other men - mostly wealthy and powerful - were involved in his predation and not one of them has been suitably punished. ...

 When I’m on vacation, one stop I must make is to a church, and NYC was no different. I told my best friend, if I did anything, I knew where I had to go. St.Patrick’s Cathedral didn’t disappoint. For all its outward beauty, it’s what I found inside that captured my attention. I got peace in the middle of chaos. Quiet surrounded by noise. My soul desired it. Craved it, as if I were a kid begging for candy. For all my travels, the churches and cathedrals hold my heart. Assisi, Montreal, and New York City are in good company. Spiritual quiet and holy silence. My body from head to toe demands it. And it got it.  The church provides me physical rest and spiritual refreshment. As I look up in awe once again, I’m reminded how He is the only balm to my weariness. Jesus, you give me what I can’t give myself. And that is a blessing and a miracle. I wonder how He continues to sustain me even when I doubt His ability to do it.  I’m grateful that You give me, and continue to do so the...