Morning Briefings

Scary Halloween for retailers: Operators of local outlets are spooked by a drop in sales this season; theft has been more prevalent this year.

– Lou Ponsi
Orange County Register

Rosh Hashanah means, literally, ‘first of the year.’ No work is permitted on Rosh Hashanah. Much of the day is spent in synagogue, where the regular daily liturgy is somewhat expanded.

– Judaism 101: Rosh Hashanah

Vacation for Your Health, And Your Job Productivity: Your continued health and productivity may depend upon getting away from work periodically, and employers grappling with rapidly rising health-care costs are starting to embrace the idea as well.

– Kristen Gerencher
The Wall Street Journal, May 27, 2008

From The Talmud: Know from where you came, where you are going, and before whom you will have to give an account of your life.

– Naomi H. Rosenblatt’s
Wrestling with Angels

It seems to me that the season of Lent and the celebration of Easter fall at the perfect time of year in the Northern Hemisphere. Easter and spring arrive together. The church asks us to imitate nature and make sure that we are giving birth to new life at Easter. No matter how old we are, there is still new life in all of us.

– Reverend James O’Leary
I Think I Am Happier Than I Think I Am

When I was a child, I would complain to my mother about various things that had gone wrong, and she would say, very matter-of-factly, ‘Offer it up.’  My reaction was, ‘I’m always offering it up, and no good seems to come from it.’ It occurred to me years later that the offering was not intended to be a direct benefit to me, but rather a benefit to the world.

– Fr. Robert J. Spitzer, S.J.
Five Pillars of the Spiritual Life: A Practical Guide to Prayer for Active People

There are times when I believe God welcomes the circus into our lives to give us an opportunity to show that there is another way to live and respond to things.

– Tony Dungy
Quiet Strength Men’s Study Bible

‘It was the best times. It was the worst of times.’ So begins The Tale of Two Cities, Dickens great novel. If this were the best of times, would I know it? We are in the midst of the most family-oriented holidays, and I think families have a ‘golden age,’ a time when everyone is at the right age to appreciate the holidays and enjoy each other. I do not think that I ever was aware when Christmas was for me at its best. Is your family at such a ‘golden age?’ I hope you are aware of that wonderful fact.

– Reverend James O’Leary
I Think I Am Happier Than I Think I Am