My Silent Night Connection
Two hundred years ago, a parish priest in Germany struggled to write a musical accompaniment to a Christmas poem he had written. He had worked on it for a few years but wasn't satisfied with it. On the morning of December 24th, he asked the music director at his...
Great Expectations
I started a diet a few weeks ago. The doctor wanted my husband to lose a little weight because of his back problems, and I saw it as an opportunity to be altruistic and selfish all at the same time. I would help him out by going on the same diet (the altruistic part),...
If Jesus Were President
I know, I know, I'm an atheist, and I don't believe Jesus was the Son of God because I don't believe in a God. But having been a Catholic for 38 years, and a nun for 6 of them, I do know something about Jesus. Or at least the values that Jesus represents. Let's see,...
Life Is a Highway
I wrote a blog last week about the two things I wanted in a new car: cup holders and it had to be red! Well, we bought our new car. First of all, it wasn't a red Ferrari, which I'm very glad about. Their mileage is terrible, and the price tag is $242,000. Not to...
Am I Sexist? Yes!
My husband noticed a Ferrari in front of us the other day. It turned into the McDonald's drive-thru right in front of us. I laughed. "Fast food! Maybe that's how he was able to buy the Ferrari." It was actually my husband who noticed that the car going to...
Ed Harper
[Photo: Ed Harper next to his plane in World War II] I've been privileged to know many amazing and wonderful people in my life. One of them was my brother-in-law, Ed Harper. Ed died four years ago at age 93. He was the second-to-last survivor of the original Black...
Why I Blog
I started writing blogs so that I could tell people about my book, “Out of the Lion's Den." I created a Facebook author page, which is @susanmatternauthor and went on Instagram (as mattern.susan) for the same reason. My blogs have actually been so much fun to write...
Haggis and Neeps and Tatties
I have loved every moment of my visits to Scotland, and now that we have an adopted set of relatives there courtesy of my daughter-in-law's mother, it's even more special. Even though I'm Irish and German, I felt an immediate affinity for Scotland. The land is wild...
I Love My Shirt (with apologies to Donovan)
There are many ways to gain confidence. I've belonged to Toastmasters for years, and I've gradually gotten to be a better speaker just by getting up in front of people and conquering the fear of public speaking. Everyone in Toastmasters is like me – people who want to...
Shamrocks and Henna
I was a guest at a wonderful wedding recently. A long-time Pakistani friend, the bride, got married to a young man of Irish Catholic heritage. The wedding took place here in Orange County. What a delightful blend of cultures. The bride wore a traditional Pakistani...
