by Susan Mattern | Dec 15, 2018 | Convent, Human Connection, Power of Music
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...
by Susan Mattern | | Diet, Life
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),...
by Susan Mattern | | Atheist, Life, Religion, Values
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...
by Susan Mattern | Nov 11, 2018 | Happiness, Money
Twenty years ago, an elderly friend died and left us $5,000. It was a complete surprise –– he had never once mentioned it –– and the thing I regretted most was that I wasn’t able to thank him for the gift. A few days after we received the check, I wondered how I...
by Susan Mattern | | Car, Life
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....
