Viewpoints

In our contemporary culture we have become increasingly aware of the need to share with others our own uniqueness and particular dignity. This interest in sharing our truest identity with others is manifested in all the aspect of our lives, from our pop culture to our scientific endeavors.

Bleary-eyed, we arrived in Dublin at 5:15 a.m., and then took a four-hour bus ride to Ellen and Frank's wedding. It was a celebration of the joining of two lives and two cultures, as 75 of us from America joined the bride and groom and many native Irish residents for their beautiful wedding at the Chapel of Ease on the banks of the Lough Swilly in Buncrana.

I have been writing articles for Catholic newspapers for nearly 25 years. I've also written several books about stewardship. Earlier this year, I published my first novel, "Father Turiddu: Savior of the City," inspired by the life and ministry of an 82-year-old priest in the Archdiocese of St. Louis, Msgr. Sal Polizzi.

Some things make you feel just a little more alive.

Hearing a moving song. Helping someone in need. Reading words that make you cry. Seeing a sunset with breath-taking colors.

And the feeling is multiplied immeasurably if you are sharing those experiences with someone special.

Indeed, love completes us as human beings.

St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Jason Motte wasn't always comfortable talking about his faith, but after being around other faith-filled players on the team he has done an about-face.

Motte's attitude is shaped by his faith. Instead of ripping up the clubhouse after a bad game, he remains calm. And when he has a good game, he knows it isn't God putting zip on his fastball. "God isn't worried about whether the Cardinals won today. All I can try to do is get the next guy out no matter what has happened before," he told sportswriter Rob Rains.

In those final weeks of my father's life, Dad and I reminisced about our father-daughter dance at my wedding reception.

That's when he said it, though not as a complaint. Just a passing sadness.

"I don't know why your mother would never say yes to dancing with me."

A couple months later, my father passed away, and my mother grieved. She replayed their life together in her mind -- all the trips and pastorates and friends and life events. She sighed and said, "I wish I had told your dad that I would dance with him. I don't know why I never did."