(This post contains affiliate links.) I have a little book club of Catholic women, mostly moms, and we take turns choosing the books. The taking turns was a concession, because let’s be real. I started the book club so all my friends would read my favorite books and then we could yap about them over …
“Sometimes, at the dinner table, a man might get up and go outside and walk and walk, simply because there’s somewhere in the East a church.” (Rilke’s Book of Pilgrimage) My fourth child is a junior at Hillsdale majoring in politics. First of all, what? How am I old enough that my fourth born is …
Today is my birthday. I slept in and as my awareness slowly returned to me around 9am, there were tears in my eyes. I’m so grateful to be 46. I’m still here. Not only that, I’m happy. I like my life. That is the craziness thing I’ve ever heard, honestly and I never would have …
Chatting recently with my book club, someone dropped the name of a prominent Catholic teacher/writer/celebrity. I won’t mentioned his name here, because I don’t need that smoke. This name carries a lot of weight in most Catholic circles. For me, he’s…..meh. When I read his books I feel like I’m reading any twentieth century Protestant …
As previously discussed here and here and here, life is hard. And it takes nothing away from God’s absolute goodness to say that. But, also, there are so many beautiful things in life. So many smiles from the Lord. So much tenderness. So many tiny and innumerable reasons for joy. The world is far more …
I am the daughter of pastors. I am the granddaughter of pastors. I am the great granddaughter of pastors. When I got married I was a pastor’s wife. I was soon after ordained and became a pastor myself. And now I am a Catholic. How does this happen? Well, I have shared about it in …
It is not so early in the morning on Bright Monday, but my house is still completely still. There is a deep sleep in the air, the kind you wear like a winter coat. It’s heavy with contentment. I am sitting here drinking my coffee and reflecting on the weekend, the culmination of Lent, and …
I have a complicated relationship with alcohol. I didn’t grow up with it at all. Never even had a sip until after I was married. Being married to an alcoholic for 20 years, you would think I would despise it and never have it around. But, it’s not alcohol’s fault. And I am still a …
Today is the best day of the year. It’s not a holy day of obligation and some theologian or clergy needs to sufficiently explain to me why. Nevertheless, it is the best day of the year. It’s the day of the Annunciation. The very day the Word took on flesh in the womb of the …
Life hacks. Kitchen hacks. Studying hacks. Gardening hacks. Budgeting hacks. What’s with all the hacks? Are there really any shortcuts when doing anything meaningful? And even if there were hacks, would I actually take them? As previously established, life is inherently inconvenient, but it is precisely that which makes it beautiful. We are all called …
reconciling things 