Growing Up Catholic in a Small Texas Town

“Are You Kidding Me?”

Odd things rarely happen to me. I’ve never encountered anything out of the ordinary. I’ve never been abducted by aliens or seen ghosts in the historic hotels I write about, not even in high school when my friends and I would drive to the cemetery or park and wait for ghosts to show up. They never did. Until recently, my only strange experience was years ago when I lived in Austin. One Sunday night, I conjured up an angry family of dwarfs behind my fence in the backyard, but I’ll save that story for another time. Then came the incident that happened at 5:02 am on March 3.

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

I was deeply engaged in my morning prayer and meditation routine, asking the Holy Father to speak to me. He usually doesn’t say much, if anything, and at times, I find myself feeling frustrated with Him. When that happens, I realize my mind is too chaotic for Him to get a word in. So, I practice some deep breathing exercises and ask the Holy Spirit to intervene. I’ve always envisioned the Holy Spirit as a delicate white dove that, when it arrives, gently flutters over my right shoulder, bringing an overwhelming sense of joy. During one of our priest’s homilies, he mentioned that the Holy Spirit can often feel like a powerful force.