Larry Peterson's Blog, page 32
October 28, 2012
The Legend of the "Jack-O-Lantern" Halloween, 2012
The
"Jack-O'-Lantern" (one version)
Long ago in Ireland, the land
of shamrocks, leprechauns, soft winds and smiles, there lived a man named Jack.
Jack was quite lazy and did not like to work. But he had the gift of
"blarney" and could talk the peat off the moss. He would tell
wondrous tales about his adventures as a world traveler and the people in his
village would be held spellbound by his golden tongue; however, Jack outsmarted
himself when he stole money from the townsfolk. He thought that they were
not very smart and would never find out. But they did find out and began
chasing him down the streets of the village.
As Jack ran down the road as fast as he could he rounded a bend and ran smack
into the devil. The devil smiled at Jack and told him it was time for him to
die and that he was there to take his soul. Jack quickly convinced the devil
that if he would let him go and promise to never take his soul he would give
him all the souls of the folks who were chasing him. "And how do you plan
to do that, Jack?" the devil asked.
"Well now, all ye have ta do is turn ye-self into a pot of gold coins.
Then I will give the coins to the people and you will be in all of their
pockets. They will be yours."
Since many souls were better than only one, the devil readily agreed and turned
himself into a pot of gold coins. Jack gave the coins to all the people and
they went away smiling never realizing that they had given themselves to the
devil in return for money.
So Jack lived on, grew old and, like all mortal men, finally died. His life had
been so sinful on earth that he could not get into heaven and since the devil
could not take his soul, he could not get into hell. He had nowhere to go. He
asked the devil how he was supposed to see because he was in complete darkness.
The devil laughed and tossed Jack a burning ember from the fires of hell, an
ember that would never burn out.
Jack, using the ember to guide his way, found a pumpkin patch (some say it was
turnips) and carved out a pumpkin. He put the ember inside and began carrying
it around so he could see where he was going. To this day he wanders the earth
seeking a resting place. And that is why he is known as
"Jack-O'-Lantern" or "Jack of the Lantern".
"HAPPY HALLOWEEN"
October 26, 2012
Review from Reviews by Molly
A YA novel that is highly unique and extremely complex.
http://reviewsbymolly.com/tribute-books-blog-tour-review-the-priest-and-the-peaches-by-larry-peterson/
http://reviewsbymolly.com/tribute-books-blog-tour-review-the-priest-and-the-peaches-by-larry-peterson/
October 25, 2012
Review from Rainy Day Reviews
The kind where I need to get all errands and house work done before hand becasue once I pick it up it is near impossible to put down. This was one of those books. This sucks you in right from the start. Part of the pull of this book was that you just had to know what was going to happen next.
http://bookjunkiemom.blogspot.com/2012/03/priest-and-peaches-by-larry-peterson.html
http://bookjunkiemom.blogspot.com/2012/03/priest-and-peaches-by-larry-peterson.html
October 24, 2012
"A Guy Named Barney" Just a Doorkeeper
The election season has fried my brain. The pundits, the commentators, the campaign officials, the editorial writers and, of course the candidates. My God, MASSIVE EGOS--everywhere. They are all experts in everything you can think of and they villify each other, name call, besmirch each other and even attack their opponent's families. It had finally gotten to me. And then you hear this Machiavellian disclaimer, "Hey, that's politics". You know what, I have a different word for all of it, "DISGUSTING". To the Point-----
As a Catholic I decided to check the Catholic Hall of Fame for someone "egoless". You know them as saints but to me, they are the Catholic Hall of Famers. The best of the best, the creme de le creme. Let me tell you about one of them, a simple man who never aspired to be anything more than a simple priest. His name was Bernard Francis Casey and his family and friends called him Barney. There are many guys like Barney in our Catholic Hall of Fame and they, like Barney, probably never even knew what the word "ego"meant.
Barney was born in Oak Grove, Wisconsin back in 1870. He was the sixth of 16 kids of Irish immigrants. When Barney was a boy he contracted diptheria and it left him with a permanently raspy sounding voice. Barney would never have qualified for American Idol. Barney felt the call to the priesthood but his goal was detoured by jobs in Minnesota and Wisconsin as a lumberjack, a prison guard, a street car operator and a hospital orderly. Barney Casey always did whatever job he had to the best of his ability wanting to serve his God in all things. At the age of 21 he was able to enter St. Francis High School seminary in Milwaukee and spent five years there before being able to move on and join the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin. Upon his acceptance he took the name of Solanus after St. Francis Solanus, a 17th century missionary.
Solanus Casey was finally ordained a priest at the age of 33. He had to study extremely hard to reach that goal and when he was finally ordained he was given the title "Sacerdos Simplex" which means "simple priest"and he was not permitted to preach or to hear confessions. He never complained and took joy in being a "simple priest". Father Solanus Casey's main job at the monastery where he lived in Detroit was that of "doorkeeper". Father Casey was probably the finest doorkeeper that ever lived. He did this for well over 20 years and also became known for his service to the sick and the advice and consultations he would have with visitors. People began attributing cures and other blessings to his interaction with them or others.
So there it is. A man who opened and closed doors for people. A man who had no ego and was happy to serve God in the simplest of ways. He died in 1957. A man who, because miracles have been attributed to his intercession, was declared "Venerable" by Pope John Paul II in 1995. This is the first step toward canonization as a saint. He is the first man born in the USA to be on the road to full sainthood. And all he did was humbly and happily open doors for people and talk to them if they wanted. A Catholic Hall of Famer for sure and quite the contrast to the gaggle of egotists that bombard us daily with their "I think" wisdom. Solanus (Barney) Casey has re-charged me.
As a Catholic I decided to check the Catholic Hall of Fame for someone "egoless". You know them as saints but to me, they are the Catholic Hall of Famers. The best of the best, the creme de le creme. Let me tell you about one of them, a simple man who never aspired to be anything more than a simple priest. His name was Bernard Francis Casey and his family and friends called him Barney. There are many guys like Barney in our Catholic Hall of Fame and they, like Barney, probably never even knew what the word "ego"meant.
Barney was born in Oak Grove, Wisconsin back in 1870. He was the sixth of 16 kids of Irish immigrants. When Barney was a boy he contracted diptheria and it left him with a permanently raspy sounding voice. Barney would never have qualified for American Idol. Barney felt the call to the priesthood but his goal was detoured by jobs in Minnesota and Wisconsin as a lumberjack, a prison guard, a street car operator and a hospital orderly. Barney Casey always did whatever job he had to the best of his ability wanting to serve his God in all things. At the age of 21 he was able to enter St. Francis High School seminary in Milwaukee and spent five years there before being able to move on and join the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin. Upon his acceptance he took the name of Solanus after St. Francis Solanus, a 17th century missionary.
Solanus Casey was finally ordained a priest at the age of 33. He had to study extremely hard to reach that goal and when he was finally ordained he was given the title "Sacerdos Simplex" which means "simple priest"and he was not permitted to preach or to hear confessions. He never complained and took joy in being a "simple priest". Father Solanus Casey's main job at the monastery where he lived in Detroit was that of "doorkeeper". Father Casey was probably the finest doorkeeper that ever lived. He did this for well over 20 years and also became known for his service to the sick and the advice and consultations he would have with visitors. People began attributing cures and other blessings to his interaction with them or others.
So there it is. A man who opened and closed doors for people. A man who had no ego and was happy to serve God in the simplest of ways. He died in 1957. A man who, because miracles have been attributed to his intercession, was declared "Venerable" by Pope John Paul II in 1995. This is the first step toward canonization as a saint. He is the first man born in the USA to be on the road to full sainthood. And all he did was humbly and happily open doors for people and talk to them if they wanted. A Catholic Hall of Famer for sure and quite the contrast to the gaggle of egotists that bombard us daily with their "I think" wisdom. Solanus (Barney) Casey has re-charged me.
"A Guy Named Barney"
In my novel, "The Priest and the Peaches", a conversation takes place between Tommy Murray, a protestant cop and Father Tim Sullivan, a catholic priest (Ch 18). Tommy Murray wants to know why catholics pray to saints because the bible says there "should be no intercessor between God and man except God Himself".
Father Tim goes on to explain in his own unique way that we only "honor" the saints. That they are the catholic Hall of Fame, the best of the best, the creme de la creme. He tells Officer Tommy that they are like having a big brother or a big sister and, since we know they are in heaven with God, we simply ask them to put in a good word for us with Him. Father says, "Its a beautiful thing Tommy, a beautiful thing". I agree.
I don't know about you but I have found myself quite engaged with the politics of the presidential election. The past several weeks I have found myself becoming irritable, impatient and even a bit cranky. Look, I'm a 'happy go-lucky' guy and I do not sweat the small stuff. At least I try not to. Anyway, I had to step back and figure out what was happening to me. And then it hit me, hit me like a sack of potatoes dropped onto my head from a third floor window. It was EGO. Not my ego but rather, their ego. The pundits, the commentators, the campaign officials, the editorial writers and, of course the candidates. My God, MASSIVE EGOS--everywhere. They are all experts in everything you can think of and they villify each other, name call, besmirch each other and even attack their opponent's families. It had finally gotten to me. And then you hear this Machiavellian disclaimer, "Hey, that's politics". You know what, I have a different word for all of it, "DISGUSTING". To the Point-----
Getting back to the Catholic Hall of Fame. Let me tell you about a simple man who never aspired to be anything more than a simple priest. His name was Bernard Francis Casey and his family and friends called him Barney. There are many guys like Barney in our Catholic Hall of Fame and they, like Barney, probably never even knew what the word "ego"meant.
Barney was born in Oak Grove, Wisconsin back in 1870. He was the sixth of 16 kids of Irish immigrants. When Barney was a boy he contracted diptheria and it left him with a permanently raspy sounding voice. Barney would never have qualified for American Idol. Barney felt the call to the priesthood but his goal was detoured by jobs in Minnesota and Wisconsin as a lumberjack, a prison guard, a street car operator and a hospital orderly. Barney Casey always did whatever job he had to the best of his ability wanting to serve his God in all things. At the age of 21 he was able to enter St. Francis High School seminary in Milwaukee and spent five years there before being able to move on and join the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin. Upon his acceptance he took the name of Solanus after St. Francis Solanus, a 17th century missionary.
Solanus Casey was finally ordained a priest at the age of 33. He had to study extremely hard to reach that goal and when he was finally ordained he was given the title "Sacerdos Simplex" which means "simple priest"and he was not permitted to preach or to hear confessions. He never complained and took joy in being a "simple priest". Father Solanus Casey's main job at the monastery where he lived in Detroit was that of "doorkeeper". Father Casey was probably the finest doorkeeper that ever lived. He did this for well over 20 years and also became known for his service to the sick and the advice and consultations he would have with visitors. People began attributing cures and other blessings to his interaction with them or others.
So there it is. A man who opened and closed doors for people. A man who had no ego and was happy to serve God in the simplest of ways. He died in 1957. A man who, because miracles have been attributed to his intercession, was declared "Venerable" by Pope John Paul II in 1995. This is the first step toward canonization as a saint. He is the first man born in the USA to be on the road to full sainthood. And all he did was humbly and happily open doors for people and talk to them if they wanted. A Catholic Hall of Famer for sure.
Father Tim goes on to explain in his own unique way that we only "honor" the saints. That they are the catholic Hall of Fame, the best of the best, the creme de la creme. He tells Officer Tommy that they are like having a big brother or a big sister and, since we know they are in heaven with God, we simply ask them to put in a good word for us with Him. Father says, "Its a beautiful thing Tommy, a beautiful thing". I agree.
I don't know about you but I have found myself quite engaged with the politics of the presidential election. The past several weeks I have found myself becoming irritable, impatient and even a bit cranky. Look, I'm a 'happy go-lucky' guy and I do not sweat the small stuff. At least I try not to. Anyway, I had to step back and figure out what was happening to me. And then it hit me, hit me like a sack of potatoes dropped onto my head from a third floor window. It was EGO. Not my ego but rather, their ego. The pundits, the commentators, the campaign officials, the editorial writers and, of course the candidates. My God, MASSIVE EGOS--everywhere. They are all experts in everything you can think of and they villify each other, name call, besmirch each other and even attack their opponent's families. It had finally gotten to me. And then you hear this Machiavellian disclaimer, "Hey, that's politics". You know what, I have a different word for all of it, "DISGUSTING". To the Point-----
Getting back to the Catholic Hall of Fame. Let me tell you about a simple man who never aspired to be anything more than a simple priest. His name was Bernard Francis Casey and his family and friends called him Barney. There are many guys like Barney in our Catholic Hall of Fame and they, like Barney, probably never even knew what the word "ego"meant.
Barney was born in Oak Grove, Wisconsin back in 1870. He was the sixth of 16 kids of Irish immigrants. When Barney was a boy he contracted diptheria and it left him with a permanently raspy sounding voice. Barney would never have qualified for American Idol. Barney felt the call to the priesthood but his goal was detoured by jobs in Minnesota and Wisconsin as a lumberjack, a prison guard, a street car operator and a hospital orderly. Barney Casey always did whatever job he had to the best of his ability wanting to serve his God in all things. At the age of 21 he was able to enter St. Francis High School seminary in Milwaukee and spent five years there before being able to move on and join the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin. Upon his acceptance he took the name of Solanus after St. Francis Solanus, a 17th century missionary.
Solanus Casey was finally ordained a priest at the age of 33. He had to study extremely hard to reach that goal and when he was finally ordained he was given the title "Sacerdos Simplex" which means "simple priest"and he was not permitted to preach or to hear confessions. He never complained and took joy in being a "simple priest". Father Solanus Casey's main job at the monastery where he lived in Detroit was that of "doorkeeper". Father Casey was probably the finest doorkeeper that ever lived. He did this for well over 20 years and also became known for his service to the sick and the advice and consultations he would have with visitors. People began attributing cures and other blessings to his interaction with them or others.
So there it is. A man who opened and closed doors for people. A man who had no ego and was happy to serve God in the simplest of ways. He died in 1957. A man who, because miracles have been attributed to his intercession, was declared "Venerable" by Pope John Paul II in 1995. This is the first step toward canonization as a saint. He is the first man born in the USA to be on the road to full sainthood. And all he did was humbly and happily open doors for people and talk to them if they wanted. A Catholic Hall of Famer for sure.
Review from Lissette E. Manning
This was such a beautiful story. I enjoyed it immensely and recommend it to anyone for reading.
http://www.simplistik.org/lissetteemanning/review-the-priest-and-the-peaches-larry-peterson
http://www.simplistik.org/lissetteemanning/review-the-priest-and-the-peaches-larry-peterson
October 23, 2012
Review from aobibliosphere
I am an orphan myself and the eldest child too. I can relate well with Teddy, the eldest brother, as he gathers his wits about him now that he takes over his late father's role as head of the family.
http://aobibliosphere.blogspot.com/2012/03/03-tribute-books-review-priest-and.html
http://aobibliosphere.blogspot.com/2012/03/03-tribute-books-review-priest-and.html
October 22, 2012
Review from A Pocket Full of Books
The Priest and the Peaches is a different kind of book than I usually read and I very much enjoyed it! Sometimes branching out from your usual genres can be really worth it.
http://apocketfullofbooks.blogspot.com/2012/03/tour-stop-review-of-priest-and-peaches.html
http://apocketfullofbooks.blogspot.com/2012/03/tour-stop-review-of-priest-and-peaches.html
October 18, 2012
Win a copy of 'The Priest and the Peaches' during the 'Spectral' read-a-thon
Win a copy of 'The Priest and the Peaches' during the 'Spectral' Read-a-thon! A 15-day celebration of Shannon Duffy's book - as we re-read it together and focus on a couple of chapters every Monday through Friday from November 1st through November 21st. All you have to do to participate is purchase 'Spectral' and read along with us.We'd love for you to leave comments on our daily posts at the 'Spectral' blog, tweet us under the #Spectral hashtag, leave shout-outs to Shannon at @ShannonDuffyLit - and of course, we'll have giveaway surprises for those who follow along.
Sign up at the linky at:
http://spectralwitch.blogspot.com/2012/10/sign-up-for-spectral-november-read-along.html
Help us spread the word. If you don’t have a blog, use Facebook, Twitter or Goodreads. Having a blog is not required. Be sure to grab the button at the top of this post.
We are looking for prize donations if anyone would like to contribute. Authors, this is a great way to promote your book! Email info [at] tribute-books [dot] com
Let's hit the road with Jewel!
November 1: Chapters 1, 2 & 3
November 2: Chapters 4 & 5
November 5: Chapters 6 & 7
November 6: Chapters 8 & 9
November 7: Chapters 10 & 11
November 8: Chapters 12 & 13
November 9: Chapters 14 & 15
November 12: Chapters 16 & 17
November 13: Chapters 18 & 19
November 14: Chapters 20 & 21
November 15: Chapters 22 & 23
November 16: Chapters 24 & 25
November 19: Chapters 26 & 27
November 20: Chapters 28 & 29
November 21: Chapters 30, 31 & 32
October 17, 2012
Review from Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer
I recommend to fans of faith-based tales and human endurance. I think the tale is timeless and perfect for all ages.
http://www.caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/2012/03/priest-and-peaches-by-larry-peterson.html
http://www.caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/2012/03/priest-and-peaches-by-larry-peterson.html
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