Most people know a hoarder, someone who does a lot more collecting than discarding, who keeps so much junk (outdated catalogs, plastic forks, soy sauce from Chinese take-out) that stuff oozes into every room of a house, sometimes filling the room (or at least the showers) to the point that the room can no longer...

“Bewitched, bothered, and bewildered am I” wrote US songwriter Lorenz Hart about the feeling of infatuation. It’s blissful and euphoric, as we all know. But it’s also addicting, messy and blinding. Without careful monitoring, its wild wind can rage through your life leaving you much like the lyrics of a country song: without a wife,...

A volume of studies in the last decade has indicated that sleep deprivation can lead to weight gain. Maybe all the running around you do in your dreams actually burns calories. I like that theory. Now new research by Brigham Young University indicates not only does the amount of sleep matter to weight maintenance, but...

“Do you ever think to yourself, Is this it? Is this all there is?” someone asked me on Easter. He and his wife had been going through a very difficult period managing their special-needs son. Both looked drained and exhausted. “Actually, no,” I responded. “The belief in an afterlife is what I cling to many...

I pray Thomas Merton’s prayer every day for discernment. In case you’re not familiar with it, I thought I’d share it here. My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahed of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really...