Lent is approaching rapidly. Ash Wednesday is this week. I’ve avoided the questions of “what are you going to do for Lent,” but soon those questions will be in present tense rather than future tense and I won’t be able to dodge any longer. I actually love Lent and look forward to a mostly depressing […]
For Better or Worse (unless posting to Facebook)
Their marriage is ending. They’re a friend, an acquaintance, a family member. However they’re connected to you, their announcement is rattling. A divorce lawyer has been consulted, lives are being divvied, a family is falling apart at the marital seams that joined it. You went to their wedding. You remember their first date. You see […]
10 Years Old Again
I stood in her bedroom admiring all the things she had received for her birthday. Amber was beautiful, even at 10 years old. She was one of the most popular girls in elementary school and one of my best friends. This play date was scheduled so I could give her the present I picked out […]
Curing Insomnia With A Word
One of the oldest criticisms of Catholics is that we don’t read the Bible. This is both true and false. It’s false because we listen to several readings of the Bible every time we’re in Mass. It’s true because most Catholics do not actually pick up a Bible and read the physical tome. The Bible […]
Trading Shoes & Changing Perspective
I live in a town crisscrossed by railroad tracks that have very active routes. It’s impossible to traverse the two neighboring towns without having to wait at at least one railroad crossing. A line of cars can stretch blocks and take half an hour for traffic to clear. I feel immense responsibility crossing after a […]
Quail Eggs In Brine
The can of quail eggs in brine still sits on a shelf in our pantry. It’s been there now for more than five years. It serves as one of those reminders that haunts us. Soothes us. Humbles us. Reminds us. It was one of the worst winters of our lives together. My husband’s masonry business, […]
Trying to be like Mary is bullshit
Catholics hold the Virgin Mary, Mother of God, in the highest esteem. As a Catholic mother there is an unwritten expectation that we should be the kind of mother Mary was. A quick Google search will lead you to find articles like “5 Ways to Be More Like Mary” “Be More Like Mary” “How is […]