Some time ago, I posted a brief bit about one of my favorite passages, “Create in me a clean heart, O God”. That has multiple meanings for me. In 1996, when I was but 32, I had drifted far from any observance of Christianity. I was pulled back by a series of heart attacks. (There’s a family history and I’ve got the intense, irascible personality that’s most prone to early heart trouble.)

On Tuesday, September 3 (the commemoration of St. Gregory the Great – someone with whom I’d never be confused!), I’ll be going in for angioplasty with roto-ablasion and, possibly, stent emplacement. In layman’s terms, that means they’ll roto-rooter one of the major coronary blood vessels and they may, depending on circumstances, put a small spring in the vessel to prop it open better. All of you who would be kind enough to pray for me have my gratitude.