Many people get creeped-out by the ubiquitous little Elf on the Shelf who, in colorful leotards and a facial smirk, keeps watch over children around the world in their homes from Thanksgiving until Christmas, scoping out naughty and nice behaviors to report to Santa Claus.  The arctic minion even appears in classrooms to help teachers […]

As families across the nation gather for the annual Thanksgiving feast, Kacey Musgraves song, Family Is Family, will resonate on some level—even if only a surface level.  “They’re there for your first year and they’ll slip you your first beer…they own too much wicker and drink too much liquor…they may smoke like chimneys but’ll give […]

Pope Francis sometimes reminds us that Jesus’ religion was one of accompaniment.  Though Jewish, He didn’t view Judaism as a set of rules, rubrics, customs, or costumes, nor merely the observance of dogma and doctrine.  Rather, He viewed religion as a way of life that helps people find a path from their current messy situation […]