Valerie Schultz

Oregon Coast

Columnist at The Bakersfield Californian

New book out now! "Till the Moon Be No More: The Grit and Grace of Growing Older" / Columnist @Bakersfieldcali & @americamag, married, she/her, #HarrisWalz 💙

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Articles

New pope, who dis?

4 weeks ago | bakersfield.com | Valerie Schultz

As you have no doubt heard, after the death of Pope Francis on April 21, the conclave of cardinals got to work and elected a new pope on May 8. He is an American who has chosen the name Leo XIV. That name carries weighty history in the church, as the first Pope Leo, known as Leo the Great, is officially a saint.
Talking plainly

4 weeks ago | americamagazine.org | Valerie Schultz

A Reflection for Monday of the Seventh Week of EasterFind today’s readings here. The disciples said to Jesus,“Now you are talking plainly, and not in any figure of speech. Now we realize that you know everythingand that you do not need to have anyone question you. Because of this we believe that you came from God.”Jesus answered them, “Do you believe now?”Enough with the parables and metaphors, the artistry and imagery, the disciples seem to be telling Jesus in today’s Gospel reading from John.
VALERIE SCHULTZ: Here's to us mothers

1 month ago | bakersfield.com | Valerie Schultz

State AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWashington D.C.West VirginiaWisconsinWyomingPuerto RicoUS Virgin IslandsArmed Forces AmericasArmed...
God does not ration

1 month ago | americamagazine.org | Valerie Schultz

Loading... Click here if you don’t see subscription optionsA Reflection for Thursday of the Second Week of EasterFind today’s readings here. Today’s readings offer a pertinent progression of lessons:1. Stand up. 2. God hears you. 3. You are enough. As they build on each other, they build us up. They are exactly what we need to hear in these turbulent times—when we feel overwhelmed, when we aren’t sure of the right course, and when we are sure our puny efforts will fail.
VALERIE SCHULTZ: We're having work done

2 months ago | bakersfield.com | Valerie Schultz

State AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWashington D.C.West VirginiaWisconsinWyomingPuerto RicoUS Virgin IslandsArmed Forces AmericasArmed...
VALERIE SCHULTZ: The grandmother clock comes home

2 months ago | bakersfield.com | Valerie Schultz

The grandmother clock is working again. Finally. I can trace my family's ownership of this particular clock to the early 1970s. The clock ticked through my teenage years, my college years, my new bride years, my young mother years, until my folks invested in a newer, grander, grandfather clock. We called the first clock the grandfather clock, although my dad would remind us that its smaller size made it officially a grandmother.
Letters for Lent: What I learned writing and mailing 40 notes

2 months ago | americamagazine.org | Valerie Schultz

My friend’s church has initiated a novel Lenten practice, which is to write a letter every day in Lent and mail it: 40 letters in 40 days. The idea is to write something positive to someone important to you—friend or family, mentor or co-worker, or even someone you admire but have never met. Halfway through Lent, I have written to my children, my siblings, old friends, relatives and some folks I admire. I had to buy more stamps. Old-school letter-writing is up my alley.
VALERIE SCHULTZ: Christians must all do their part

Mar 29, 2025 | bakersfield.com | Valerie Schultz

"Pity the nation whose breath is moneyAnd sleeps the sleep of the too well fed."— Lawrence Ferlinghetti, 2007One of the main things about Christianity is that caring for the poor is not optional. If you follow Jesus, this is your Gospel truth: you are called to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, shelter the unhoused, clothe the naked, visit the prisoner, and heal the sick.
Water’s power to make us well

Mar 28, 2025 | americamagazine.org | Valerie Schultz

A Reflection for Tuesday of the Fourth Week of LentFind today’s readings here. “The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears, or the sea.” -Isak DinesenI am graced to spend my elder years on the edge of the continent, where northwest Oregon meets the Pacific Ocean. The sight and sound of the waves are ever present, testifying to God’s glorious creation. The beach changes shape with storms and tides, but I feel I know this shore intimately.
VALERIE SCHULTZ: This is what the simple folk so

Mar 8, 2025 | bakersfield.com | Valerie Schultz

"What do the simple folk do / To help them escape when they're blue?"— Queen Guenevere to King Arthur in "Camelot"I come from simple folk, as do most Americans. My great-grandparents did not come to the United States because things were going well for them in Ireland and Germany. They were desperate. They fled potato famines and wars. My forerunners found themselves off the boat in New Jersey, and figured out how to make a go of their lives on foreign soil.