Confession

The Washington Post recently reported that 44 percent of Americans have switched or dropped their religious affiliations.

Methodist is my background but I am equally comfortable in the Catholic church, an Episcopalian church or a Lutheran church. The Baptists freak me out a bit but I understand we're all worshiping the same God.

I need to correct an earlier post. The Belle got annoyed with the Catholic church and joined an Episcopalian church. (I said Presbyterian; I was wrong.)

In high school, I ran around with kids from the neighborhood. Some were Catholic and sometimes I went to church with them. In college, most of my friends were Catholic. So, I used to go to confession and mass on Saturday night. (That way your soul was pure and you could still go to the party.) The priest understood that I was not a member but he still took my confessions and gave me the instructions to do better.

Eventually I married a FARC. (Fallen Away Roman Catholic.) My friend and mother of my goddaughters converted to Catholicism and I do my best to attend any service for them.

There is something about unloading your guilt and sins that is purifying and provides a deep breath of relief. I try to do this with Big Daddy but he refuses to put a screen between us and tell me how to handle it. I don't understand why he won't just play along.

The Belle and I used to discuss this. Her father was a Baptist minister and she converted to Catholicism to marry her love. Her boys went through parochial schools and once they were grown, she made a change. She became Episcopalian.

I will be a Methodist for the rest of my life but I do miss confession.