From Where I Stand -  There's a pall hanging over the country these days. And it's everywhere. It colors every news article, of course. So, should we just give in?

Paris Agreement - The U.S. withdrawal from global accord "disregards our basic human purpose on the planet to love and care for the garden and one another," says Franciscan Sr. Joan Brown, calling the decision "predictable, yet dark."

GSR Today - At the second alumnae gathering for graduates of the Collaborative Leadership Development Program, we were told that instead of asking, "Is there a future for religious life?" we should ask, "What is it we can do that nurtures whatever comes out of the present?"

One step in "Making a positive out of a negative," three communities of sisters gather at sites where violence has occurred and invite the larger community to a short vigil with simple elements — prayer, song, holy water — to show support to victims' families and bring awareness about violence in a city of 100,000 people. Take Back The Site began in 1999 and recently marked its 100th vigil.

"The community born out of Pentecost is a community of the forgiven who are commissioned to forgive. These are people who must never forget either their origin or their destiny: They are a gathering of the frail and failing called to strengthen one another."

On a visit to the farm, I saw the value of my cousins' lived reality. I believe in their goodness and trust their judgment. Likely, we don't agree on everything, but we are family, and nothing will change that.

See for Yourself - There are different ways to win amid a casino's sensory overload.

"Hope truly is like a sail. It gathers the wind of the Spirit and transforms it into a driving force that pushes the boat out to sea or to the shore, depending on circumstances."

From A Nun's Life podcasts - How does the world around you affect how you understand God? In this Random Nun Clip, Holy Cross Sr. Verónica Fajardo talks about experiencing God in other cultures.

St. Benedict taught that those living the monastic life should live by the work of their hands. That's just fine with "the Soap Sister" of the Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration in Missouri.