There is No Rule Book in Parenting
On the day you were born, God gave your parents a rule book. It gave them all the instruction necessary for raising their specific child. Ever thoughtful, He replaced it...
The Father's Love: Felt, Seen, and Believed
Every year on Father’s Day I get a little sentimental. I can’t help it. You see, I am a daddy’s girl, through and through. I know what it is to...
Why You Should Travel with Your Spouse (and How to Make It Happen)
Ask any mom and she will be able to tell you that there is a very definite distinction between a trip and a vacation. I have four kids. Going away...
Mothering the Skeptic
Every once in a while you get lucky, as a parent, to encounter a teacher who completely understands your child. My daughter’s third grade teacher was a wonderful angel in...
A Mother's Prayer for Summer
I’m sure I am not alone in thinking that the winter of 2017/2018 will go down in history as the longest winter ever. Well into April, freezing temperatures and snowfall...
How I Organize My Week
My husband often jokes that our life revolves around my planner. He's completely right. Like most of you, our lives are full of good things like family, work, appointments and...
Waiting in Faith
Waiting, waiting, waiting. It seems like we are always waiting for something. Waiting for the red light to change, waiting in the checkout line, waiting for Lent to end, waiting...
Spiritual Advice for the First-Time Mom
I became a mom nearly a year ago. I still remember, vividly, the moment the doctor pulled my son out of me. His fair skin, small arms, a head full...
Believing in Beauty
After I buried my daughter, I walked into my mother’s kitchen and beheld a granite island clothed in a rainbow of fruits and vegetables for guests at the funeral reception....
From Counting Shortcomings to Counting Blessings
I’ve been running around the house the last few days like a drill sergeant with a severe case of OCD. “What?!” I shriek at my lovable toddler as he tracks...
Our Family Secret: Addiction and Shame
One Wednesday night, my husband and I attended a class that Catholic Charities hosted at our parish about family stress. We sat in a partially-filled room as the topic of...
Books on the Saints for Kids
If there's one thing I'm pretty passionate about, it's the importance of filling my home with books. When I was growing up, there wasn't a lot of extra money at...
