Author Archives: Don Follis

After Ebenezer Scrooge’s powerful, spiritual encounters with the spirits of Christmas past, present and yet-to-come, he was overcome with joy having realized that his life had been spared. Laughing with the playfulness of a 3-year-old, Scrooge says: “I don’t know what day of the month it is. I don’t know how long I have beenContinueContinue reading “Start giggling now! … For Christmas week, put on the heart of child!”

Saturday morning’s I normally take a 6-mile walk.  I leave a little after 7 and am back around 9.  I walk and and listen. I pray and observe and think.  During the first 30 minutes or so I do the Daily Examen, especially trying to give time to review my week.As I quiet myself andContinueContinue reading “Being searched by the Master on a cold December morning…”

One of my favorite young writers is Sarah TheBarge.  Her memoir The Invisible Girls was a terrific read.  I love her post today (12/18/2015) as she talks about her annual cancer check-up and what she has been through over the last 10 years.  She’s an amazing woman full of grit!  She’s also a beautiful snowflake –ContinueContinue reading “Beautiful snowflakes are really just pieces of dust!”

Yesterday at the mall I saw a little boy about 4 or 5 years-old with curly blonde hair waiting in line to talk with Santa.  Several times Santa momentarily diverted his attention from a little 2-year-old on his lap. He looked over and waved to the little boy. That did it.  The little boy startedContinueContinue reading “How about some deep belly laughing this Christmas?”

In Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol, the three ghosts (spirits) of Christmas — the ghost of Christmas past, the ghost of Christmas present and the ghost of Christmas yet to come — appear and show Ebenezer Scrooge Christmas 3 periods in the course of his life.  After the final spirit — the ghost of Christmas-yet-to-comeContinueContinue reading “During Advent we do live in the past, the present & the future”

If you know Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol,  you know that Ebenezer Scrooge is not the sort of person you’d like to be. Dickens calls Scrooge was “a tight-fisted hand at the grind-stone … a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner! Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire;ContinueContinue reading “Stop to think about it, Ebenezer Scrooge and Zacchaeus the Jewish tax-collector do have some rather distinct similarities…”

Yes, I realize that in many ways, Christmas cards and letters are a thing of the past. Some say they don’t really even like the ones they do get because people just brag on their children and their grandchildren. Oh come on now, friends.  What’s wrong with that once a year?  They aren’t the firstContinueContinue reading “Keep those Christmas letters coming, folks!!”

You have heard of Ebenezer Scrooge, the miserly character in Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.” Scrooge has no no need for Christmas. He found the whole Christmas season utterly disgusting.Before I ever heard of Ebenezer Scrooge and Dicken’s “A Christmas Carol,” I heard my mom walking around the house singing the old hymn “Come ThouContinueContinue reading “During Christmas you can be someone’s Ebenezer!”