Reflections | Michael T. Dolan

There’s an app for that

Man looks down in his hands and taps on his toy, checking the weather and reporting his findings. God already created an app for that, I think to myself. And I look toward the sky…

I am sitting, reading. My four-year-old son is likewise sitting, playing. He glances up and looks at the man on the cover, reflections of whose life are held within. “Why did Harry Kalas die, Dad?” he asks. I fumble over my reply, “Well, he was …

Visitors

It was a bad day for the worms. Frozen for weeks, the snow-covered ground thawed in one of those misleading warm February days that hint at spring. Mud replaced the snow, and the worms had nowhere to hide. Just before dusk, the birdfeeder freshly filled, the robins came …

Divine shadows

In the brightness of a snowy moonlit night, the shadow of the towering tree is cast upon the earth. Barren branches reach in every direction, and their shadows dance on the snow in their distorted way. I gaze out at the snowy canvas and envy …

Floating in a moonlit sky

Christmas day and a cold one at that. Toys and newly opened presents filled his grandparent’s home, but my son stumbled upon an old bottle of bubbles and was intent on breathing life into the soapy liquid. “That’s a summertime game,” I tried to explain, …

Sacramental snowfall

The heavens open up above today and the first snowfall of the year arrives. The children face the heavens and capture the falling flakes in their mouths, tasting heaven. The coolness drops on one’s tongue, vanishing all too quickly. It leaves you thirsting for more, …

Rebirth

Days dot the year when I strive for rebirth. New Years Day. Ash Wednesday. My birthday. Easter. In the heart of each day I hear a voice calling for rebirth . . . a rebirth from harmful habits, to follow my dreams, to be a …

Advent

Driving in the car, my four-year-old daughter gazes out the window in the backseat. Excitment for the arrival of Christmas is building with each passing day, and Molly has been vigilant in keeping track. “Is it 15 days until Christmas, Dad?” “Yes,” I assure her. To which she …

Do unto others

Thanksgiving morning came too early for me. I had gone to sleep much too late the night before, but my two-year-old son was ready to start the day at 6:30 A.M. So much for sleeping in. A few hours later I lay on the couch with …

Wings

It was a grey November afternoon, the air cold but not too cold, the sky dark but not too dark. I sat in my car at the traffic light and a flock of starlings caught my attention. Simultaneously, hundreds of them ascended from a barren …

Wawa

The local convenience stores have all installed fancy touch screen computers that allow customers to place their order without even uttering a word. Late at night, I am the only person standing in front of the deli and its technological testimony to efficiency. The young …

Autumn’s martyrs

Fiery leaves signal the dawn of all middles, a waning bell curve between the activity of summer and the dormancy of winter. Autumn – the midpoint of all that lives and all that dies. I stand in the sun’s light and feel the warmth of …

Walking

My children and I were on an evening walk in the neighborhood, their watchful eyes taking in all there was to see – basketball nets in driveways, a bunny rabbit or groundhog scurrying across a lawn, kids playing street hockey. A few blocks from home, …

Parable of the rocks

The rocks have stood there virtually unchanged for 20,000 years, giving visitors a present-day glimpse of a long-ago past. It’s known as Boulder Field, and its nearly 17 acres of sandstone and rock is an awe-inspiring site to anyone visiting Hickory Run State Park in …

Drawn to the light

The neighborhood has long since gone to sleep. A novel kept me up past the others, and so it is well into the morning when I call it a night. I face the mirror, toothbrush in hand. Tapping and buzzing on the window screen call …

Carpenter bees

My daughter and I stood on the back deck working on the never-ending honey-do list. I stood on the picnic table bench about to drill into the stucco back wall. A carpenter bee flew from underneath the picnic table. They’d found themselves a home in …

"Bye-bye. Love you."

My four-year-old daughter learns much from her mother, not the least of which is her fondness for talking on the telephone. One night, with yellow play cell phone in hand, she practised calling 911. She thought of all the possibilities that I could play victim …

Christmas

The crowds stream into the church on Christmas day. Still twenty minutes before Mass is to start and already the pews are filled. Quickly the aisles are filled with those forced to stand. Latecomers are forced to pile into the vestibule; still others are forced …

Listening to God

I sometimes think we forget to listen to God because we think his time is spent talking to the truly important people. The saints. The mystics. The prophets. We have it in our minds that God speaks our language and that if he wants to …

Seasons greetings

The mailbox is full today, as it has been often these days with the approaching holiday. Within the many Christmas greetings, though, there are always one or two annual family updates that spout off all the wonderful things the family accomplished in the last year. …