Valerie Schultz
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VALERIE SCHULTZ: Blisters on my lip -- call it a cold sore-spot
Here's a brief diary of one of the more horrible cycles of life:
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VALERIE SCHULTZ: Catholic Mass offers the mystery of faith
In the new translation of the Mass, which Catholics have used since the first Sunday of Advent (the liturgical New Year's Day), a particular change has struck me. During the Eucharistic prayer, the priest no longer says to the congregation, "Let us proclaim the mystery of faith." Instead, he simply says, "The mystery of faith." He says this rather expectantly, as though the phrase were followed by a colon. (It is not: a period punctuates in the text.) We then proclaim the designated response.
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VALERIE SCHULTZ: All the news that's fit -- for our narrow minds
When my children were youngsters, I developed a theory of what I thought of as "conscious parenting," meaning that everything I did as a mother had potential long-term and life-changing effects on my daughters, and I wasn't ever going to know which of my words or actions was going to stick in a way that lasted into adulthood. Everything mattered.
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VALERIE SCHULTZ: First Amendment protects speech, not taste
Recently I was struck by a couple of comments written by fellow columnists in The Californian: "I would like to thank many readers who have sent emails regarding my 2011 columns. And I thank others who have stopped me ... in the most unexpected places to share your opinion ... I am still not used to the attention and always slightly embarrassed. But please, don't stop. It scores big-time points with my wife," wrote columnist Steve Flores, reflecting on the delightful occurrence of being recognized in public by a reader of the paper.
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VALERIE SCHULTZ: Life is what happens when we're busy making plans
"If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans.
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VALERIE SCHULTZ: Believers, nonbelievers - death is the great equalizer
What is the respectful way to mark the passing of an atheist? The usual words of condolence or remembrance are tinged with the divine, with comforting references to an afterlife that are offensive to one who does not believe in God. Still, I feel I would be remiss not to wish Godspeed to Christopher Hitchens, a brilliant writer and the civilized world's most celebrated atheist, who recently succumbed to esophageal cancer at the age of 62.
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Christ was born one of us
"Th e Lord is near to the brokenhearted ..." (Psalm 34:18)Christmas, as much overindulgent fun and delight as it is for children, can be a tough time of year, especially if you've recently lost someone to death, or if you've lost in love, or even if you've lost a friendship in a falling-out. If you have little money, or no job, or a home in foreclosure, or seemingly bleak prospects for the coming year, the holidays can increase the stress that already pervades your every normal waking hour. The early darkness of December days can be a cold reminder of defeat. The festive Christmas feeling in the air, the joy and laughter of others, can actually work like a depressant for someone who is already sad.
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VALERIE SCHULTZ: Sent with love - via the U.S. Postal Service - from the Schultz family
The first Christmas card of the season usually arrives in the mail at the beginning of December, announcing its difference from the rest of the mail with a Christmas stamp, or a red envelope, or maybe a handwritten address. We savor every card we get. Christmas cards are delicious little slices of life that we serve each other, as delectable as peppermint mochas and sugarplums, filling us with anticipation as the mailbox is checked each countdown day until Christmas.
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VALERIE SCHULTZ: Defense of Marriage Act indefensible, Mr. McCarthy
Imagine for a moment that your spouse died. Of course that is a terrible way to start the morning, but sometimes playing the "What if?" game in your mind brings useful insight. So imagine: Your spouse has died, you are grieving, and your vision of the future is upside down as you face life without your soul mate.
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VALERIE SCHULTZ: Why don't we 'occupy' Thanksgiving
The inspiration for a Thanksgiving column came from my co-workers, who, at the beginning of November, started playing Christmas music on our office CD player. This is obviously the national trend: Ornaments and house decorations started appearing in stores at about the same time, and my daughter's retail workplace had put on its Christmas face even before Halloween.
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Being thankful for the harvest
In our modern times, when strawberries and grapes are available at any grocery store in January, and asparagus can be purchased in August, when watermelon is a year-round food staple, it can be difficult for our children to appreciate the seasonal importance of the harvest at the time of Jesus.
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VALERIE SCHULTZ: Mr. Wyman, please give our mountain back
Tehachapi Peak rises as a source of pride for us Tehachapi residents. At 7,986 feet, it is the highest point in the Tehachapi Mountains. The peak is a favorite destination of hikers, runners, visitors and others who thrive on altitude. For locals, reaching the peak marks a beginner's major accomplishment, a child's rite of passage, a serious athlete's training goal, and a casual hiker's affirmation of faith in a fantastically creative God.
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VALERIE SCHULTZ: Pro-life for all
Thanks to Sister Marie Francis Schroepfer, assistant director of the Diocesan Social Justice Ministry for the southern part of the Catholic Diocese of Fresno, Bakersfield is now home to an established chapter of California People of Faith Working Against the Death Penalty. Since Jesus himself was a victim of the death penalty, it makes sense that people who follow the teachings of Christ would stand against capital punishment. But personally speaking, some of the most vocal advocates of the death penalty I know are folks who consider themselves people of faith.
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VALERIE SCHULTZ: Strange, blessed detachment of menopause
Motherhood is the most rewarding, most demanding role a woman can play. You have to give more of yourself than you have ever given to anybody, including your spouse. The task of infancy, of course, is constant vigilance, and the teen years are a source of constant worry. The middle years of childhood are a time of parental self-doubt, as you weigh the pros and cons of the thousand decisions you make every day. Being a mother is overwhelming, impossible and somehow wonderful.
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VALERIE SCHULTZ: You can't go home, but reunions come close
My oldest daughter recently attended the 10-year reunion of her graduating class from Tehachapi High. My first thought was one of dismay: How can I possibly be old enough to have a 28-year-old daughter? Just the invitation made me feel ancient, but in a good way. My daughter is a successful, delightful adult, and the reunion was a happy reason to have her home from San Diego for a whole weekend.
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VALERIE SCHULTZ: You can never go home, but reunions come close
My oldest daughter recently attended the 10-year reunion of her graduating class from Tehachapi High. My first thought was one of dismay: How can I possibly be old enough to have a 28-year-old daughter? Just the invitation made me feel ancient, but in a good way. My daughter is a successful, delightful adult, and the reunion was a happy reason to have her home from San Diego for a whole weekend.
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VALERIE SCHULTZ: Yom Kippur has meaning for all
" F or on this day, atonement shall be made for you, to cleanse you; from all your sins you shall be clean before the Lord ... This shall be an everlasting statute for you, to make atonement for the people of Israel once in the year for all their sins. And Moses did as the Lord had commanded him." (Leviticus 16:30,34)
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VALERIE SCHULTZ: Thank you, firefighters, for keeping us safe
Whenever I hear a siren, I do as my grandmother taught me long ago: say a silent prayer for both the people needing help and the people racing to help. Lately, I do something else automatically: I sniff the air for smoke.
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VALERIE SCHULTZ: Marking a change in the times
One of the many fascinating things about language is how words evolve over time. Words can immigrate into common usage from other languages, or take on new meanings, or -- alas -- become outdated on their way to obsolescence.
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VALERIE SCHULTZ: Kindness, love, compassion &softReturn;are byproducts of nurturing
Our small town has only one Catholic parish. It is, however, home to more than thirty Christian churches, many of which sponsor children's programs that emphasize the memorization of Bible verses. The students are rewarded with badges and prizes for the correct recitation of chapter-and-verse passages. Over the years, my children were invited to attend these programs, by friends who would earn points by bringing in fresh, ready-to-be-converted youngsters. I never let them attend. There was no way any child of mine was going to become a catch for these fishers of ex-Catholics. (Yes, I was being a Catholic snob, and in retrospect guilty of both narrow-mindedness and overprotectiveness.) But the invitations made my children wonder why their religious education teachers did not make them memorize Psalm 23 or John 3:16.
