Gregory Patrick's Blog, page 4

The Fading of a Mad Man

There are beautiful things that happen in your life quickly, and other things that gradually take time to show themselves. Those slow moving moments are actually the better of the two, for you get a chance to reflect, you get the chance to breathe, take things in with ease….and enjoy the process. I was once […]

Lunch In Saigon With the Blessed Mother

I was doing my absolute best. My hands were clutching my rosary slung around my neck. From an observational point of view, I probably looked like someone choking themselves to death…. But, there I was…in a restaurant…for the first time in six years. We’re all aware of my agoraphobia. I no longer need to leave […]

Gruesome and Gorgeous

Somewhere around January the left side of my face drooped. I was feeling twitches and spasms on that side of my cheeks for weeks, then suddenly that side of my face dropped on me. My left cheek dropped below my jaw line, down towards my neck. I have a tendency to avoid mirrors. If I […]

The Day My Little Flowers Saved Me

The structure of this piece is pretty simple…anxiety turning into calm. As frantic and explosive as it is, the process was soothing, filling, soulful and worthwhile. Let’s back up a little bit. I have been making great strides with the cleaning up and renovation of Honeychurch. Everyday this little house looks better and better. The […]

Scribble and Doodle

My goodness, what a time I’m having. We have new windows at Honeychurch! The 80 year old casement windows are gone and we now have modern screened windows opened wide! With it being spring, the weather is a gorgeous 70ish during the day and Honeychurch is full of this gorgeous hint of orange blossom and […]

Darting Through the Darkness

A friend of mine suggested I say something, anything. “Hello? Are you there?” 🙂 I haven’t written a blog post in a while, for no other reason than it wasn’t where my inspiration was, just not for now. I have tons to still say, but I’ve been looking for other ways to say them. For […]

Thank you, God, for this Life

I want to thank all of you for one of the most magical birthdays ever. For weeks before the day I was riddled with strange anxieties many of us have when hitting a milestone. Questions of relevance and your impact on the world confiscate your mind….then you find yourself handling joy and regret like some […]

A Collection of my Crazies…

It’s midnight-ish. Phillip won’t be home for quite a few more hours. You’d think I’d go to sleep whenever I wanted, but no. I enjoy greeting him when he comes home, despite what the time may be. We’ll have a night cap, chit chat about the day, watch a little something to make us laugh, […]

I Won Christmas This Year!

My grandmother switched to drinking tea somewhere around the year 2000. She was so delighted with the whole process of brewing, steeping, presenting, then sipping. Because of that she developed this beautiful love for tea pots and began to collect them. It wasn’t often, but when a pretty pot crossed her path she snatched it […]

The First Step in a Profession

I was watching a youtube video of novice monks making their profession, to be a part of a community of brothers who wish to do nothing other than come into company and pray, not only with their silent observance, but of their combined work, as well. There were four novices, new to the monastic world, […]