Rose’s Ridge – Page 5 – All Things Good

How Then Shall We Live?

Katharine Rose Rose's Ridge May 12, 2015April 5, 2017College of the Holy Cross, Holy Cross Contemplative Center, Holy Cross education, Holy Cross mission statement, jesuit colleges, Jesuit education, Liberal arts colleges, magis, Rev. Philip L. Boroughs, St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Ignatius Spiritual Exercises, Thomas P. Joyce Contemplative Center 1 Comment

“How Then Shall We Live?”

Posed to me nearly eight years ago as a freshman at the College of the Holy Cross – a Jesuit liberal arts school in Worcester, MA – this question has left an indelible mark, frequently echoing in my mind when undergoing times of trial and tribulation.

As the signature mantra of the “First Year Program” (an optional program for freshman that has since evolved into “Montserrat” – an intensive, yearlong seminar for all first-year students), it came to encompass what I found to be the trademark of a “Holy Cross education”: a steadfast dedication not only to the academic and intellectual development of students, but to the personal and spiritual formation of one’s self. Read more

Make Way For Mothers*

Katharine Rose Rose's Ridge May 6, 2015May 13, 2017Advice, Happy Mother's Day, Inspiration, leadership, Make Way for Ducklings, Mother's Day, Words of wisdom 2 Comments

If you had to choose one word to describe your mother, what would it be? How about one piece of advice she has given you that has always stuck with you or influenced you in some way?

These are the questions I recently posed to a large group of family and friends, in anticipation of writing a piece commemorating the Mother’s Day holiday – a day dedicated to honoring and respecting all mothers, celebrating motherhood and expressing gratitude and appreciation for all the things, both big and small, our mothers did, have done or continue to do for us throughout our life. Read more

There’s No Place Like a Full(er) House

Katharine Rose Rose's Ridge April 28, 2015April 5, 201790s tv shows, ABC television network, ABC tv shows, ABC's TGIF tv shows, best 90s sitcoms, Full House, Full House catchphrases, Full House reunion, Full House revival, Full House spinoff, Full House theme song, Fuller House, popular tv shows, TGIF, TGIF shows, Top TGIF sitcoms, TV shows 2 Comments

Fuller House premieres Friday, February 26th, 2016 on Netflix!

In celebration of the Full House “family” reunion, we’re featuring a delicious family meal to enjoy together “Around the Table”, along with some fun recipes “Just for Kids.” See also our reflection on children’s poetry.

When word came out last week that some of the characters from Full House may not be participating in its 13-episode spinoff scheduled for next year, I’m sure I’m not the only one who thought: “How rude!”

Having not watched the show in nearly 10 years, the ability to so readily recall one of the many catchphrases made popular by the show’s dynamic set of characters is a testimony to the impact and influence it had on me and countless others, of both older and younger generations. Read more

Exploring, Dreaming & Discovering in O’ahu, Hawai’i

Katharine Rose Rose's Ridge April 16, 2015October 24, 2017Hawaii, Hawaiian Islands, Honolulu, hotels oahu, Oahu, oahu travel tips, The 50th state, The Aloha Spirit, Traveling, vacation oahu, Waikiki Beach 0 Comment

“Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living.” –Miriam Beard

It’s an age-old adage: traveling broadens our perspective, transforming our sense of self in relation to the world at large, challenging us to see with new eyes and deepening our sense of gratitude and appreciation as we gain insight into the culture, customs and traditions of an unfamiliar place.

I was recently reminded of this after a visit to O’ahu, Hawai’i where I was bewildered each time I remembered that I wasn’t in a foreign land, but was, instead, still in the United States – albeit in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, nearly 2,500 miles away from the mainland.

Surrounded by a kaleidoscope of blue and turquoise waters, swaying palm trees, volcanic craters, green mountainous terrain and tourists from all over the world, it was hard to grasp that Hawai’i isn’t a nation of its own. Indeed, never before have I visited another U.S. state feeling utterly transported into a different “realm”, as if I was a foreigner navigating an unknown territory. Read more

Katharine Rose Rose's Ridge April 12, 2015April 15, 2015Diamond Head, Hawaii, Oahu, Waikiki Beach 0 Comment

Please note: ATG was “traveling” last week along “Rose’s Ridge” in another “realm” – we’ll be back at the “table” this week!

Until then, here’s a glimpse (and another one, and this, and one more) into our travels in the land of “hula honeys”…and a reflection on The Aloha Spirit.

Diamond Head Waikiki Beach Hawaii — Diamond Head, Waikiki Beach; Oahu, Hawaii

Why Tradition Matters

Katharine Rose Rose's Ridge April 2, 2015April 5, 2017Easter, Easter traditions, James F. Keenan, Moral Wisdom: Lessons and Texts From the Catholic Tradition, progressive movement, Tradition, traditionalists 2 Comments

Please note: this piece was also published in The Huffington Post.

Much like any other holiday or religious observance, Easter brings with it a variety of cultural and familial traditions. Whether it be participating in a neighborhood Easter egg hunt, painting Easter eggs with your family (and deliberately sabotaging them so yours turn out better), attending a sunrise service or decorating trees with Easter eggs, it is often these small traditions that create happy and lasting memories, holding a special place in our life as we grow older.

Yet, while we tend to welcome and value such traditions, the word “tradition”* or “traditional” – removed from a seasonal or celebratory context – tends not to be the most lauded term, particularly in a world that continues to “progress” at an unprecedented speed, with an abundant number of changes, upgrades and “improvements” impressed upon us daily.

It seems only natural, then, for questions to arise as to the point of or value of tradition:

What does “tradition” have to offer us if, by its very definition – “a way of thinking, behaving, or doing something that has been used by the people in a particular group, family, society, etc., for a long time” – it is rooted in the past?

‘Springing’ Into Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood

Katharine Rose Rose's Ridge March 19, 2015May 3, 20172014 Pittsburgher of the Year, child development, childhood development, children's television, Dr. Benjamin Spock, famous mister rogers quotes, Fred Rogers, Joanne Rogers, Life's Journey According to Mister Rogers, Mister Rogers Neighborhood, PBS, Spring season, The Fred Rogers Company 2 Comments

Please note: this piece was also published in The Huffington Post.

It seems rather fitting that the birthday of the late Fred McFeely Rogers (1928-2003) – the renowned, award-winning creator and host of the creative children’s television series Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood – falls on the first day of Spring each year, March 20.

I can hardly think of a better way to welcome our long lost “neighbor” – the much anticipated, desperately needed Spring season – than to recall the catchy tune Mister Rogers routinely sang with a warm and friendly demeanor during the beginning of each show:

“It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood,

a beautiful day for a neighbor.

Would you be mine?

Could you be mine?…

…Won’t you be my neighbor?” Read more

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Katharine Rose Rose's Ridge March 17, 2015March 18, 2015Irish American culture, Irish blessing, Irish movies, Irish music, Irish recipes, St. Paddy's Day, St. Patrick's Day, the fighting irish, The Luck of the Irish 0 Comment

We’ll be wrapping up our feature of “All Things Irish” this week…stay tuned for a few more Irish “treats”!

Your guide to “All Things Irish”:

What one Irish American thinks about St. Patrick’s Day

How we can use the “luck of the Irish” in our everyday lives

Why the Irish just can’t help their “fighting irish” instincts

What traditional Irish songs you’d likely hear in a bar in Dublin

Why you should watch the Irish movie “Some Mother’s Son“

Delicious Irish dishes you’ll want to try

Irish songs to sing, bake and riverdance to (with recipes)

A classic Irish american novel by Alice McDermott

And a little bit of that classic Irish humor…

Irish Pride, Catholic Guilt & Not “Particularly Huggy”

Katharine Rose Rose's Ridge March 9, 2015April 5, 2017Catholic church, Catholic guilt, Ireland, Irish American, Irish American Catholics, Irish American culture, Irish American History, Irish Catholics, Irish fatalism, Irish humility, Irish humor, Irish Need Not Apply, Irish pride, Irish stereotypes, Irish virtues, Second Vatican Council, St. Paddy's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Tammany Hall 5 Comments

In celebration of St. Patrick’s Day 2015, ATG is exploring “All Things Irish” for the next couple weeks. We begin with the below feature on Irish American culture. Stay tuned for more!

“It’s amateur hour”, Mr. Bryan O’Connor* says of St. Patrick’s Day. “I mean, I don’t have to display the fact that I’m Irish – leave that for the Italians”; and then added, “See, it’s the Irish sense of humor…we have our issues, but at least we have a sense of humor.”

And humor Mr. O’Connor certainly displayed during our interview, where I sought to debunk his “Irishness” and examine what it means for him to be an “Irish American.” Read more

Putin, Nemtsov & Democracy in Russia

Katharine Rose Rose's Ridge March 4, 2015April 5, 2017Boris Nemtsov, Democracy, Kremlin, Putin's Russia, Russia, Russian democracy, Russian history, Russian politics, Soviet Union, Vladimir Putin 1 Comment

If you’ve been following our blog, then you’re likely aware that we spent the month of February, in celebration of Valentine’s Day, dedicated to exploring “All Things Russia.”

While we had originally wrapped “things” up last week, the news of Boris Nemtsov’s murder and Putin’s prominence in the international media has inspired us to continue “exploring” Russia just a bit longer.

Naturally, questions have arisen as to the motives behind 55-year-old Nemtsov’s death. As a Russian democracy activist, he was an outspoken critic of the Kremlin and President Vladimir Putin, and served as a co-chair of the Republican Party of Russia-People’s Freedom Party. (He rose to national prominence in the 1990s during his six-year governship of the Nizhny Novgorod region and was once seen as a possible successor to former President Boris Yeltsin after being named first deputy prime minister in 1997-98).

Interestingly, Nemtsov didn’t receive much favor from the general Russian public and never built a substantial following; a 2013 poll found that only 6 percent of Russians approved his actions, while 48 percent disapproved and 46 percent claimed to know nothing about him.

The below essay may provide some insight into why the Russians didn’t approve of Nemtsov – and why Nemtsov’s “Western-style liberalism” failed to attract the support of the Russian populace. Read more