I knew it was coming. I knew it. I straight up saw the confrontation on its way. As it was happening, I felt time pause for a moment. Praise God, too, because my normally quick tempered (and just as quickly spoken) self would have taken things from bad to worse, had it not been for…
Jesus Jams
We have had some really great worship music at Mass lately. There is something cool about the kids knowing the words and having a clear voice and simple accompaniment leading the way. Some of these songs have been played at church, but a few are just my recent favorites. All of them have been my…
How We Lent
In addition to giving something up and adding something new, here are 10 tried and true Lent devotions that we keep coming back to: 1. “Stations of the Cross” Tea Lights: I bought white tea lights and mod podged these images on the front and back. We light them all and snuff out the candles…
A Letter to My Priests
Thank you. I could leave it at that, but you deserve a bit more. For every middle of the night hospital call, Thank you. For every contentious conversation you navigate in hopes of moving forward, Thank you. For every holiday that ends exhausted and alone, Thank you. For every last-minute meeting, sometimes on your day…
I Choose Both/And
Is anyone else refusing to fall prey to polarization right now? Is anyone else wondering when will we acknowledge that well-being is being healthy AND free from disease AND with adequate food and housing AND educated AND spiritually fed AND employed AND a member of community? A one-sided solution will only lead to a generation…
How We Homeschool: Top Ten List
We may have changed a few things recently, but our homeschool routine is still working pretty well. Here are ten things that help us stay sane in a house of elementary school kids with a toddler. 1. Pace the year. I flip through our books to gauge about how many days of lessons we need…
Summer Reads That Didn’t Start Out Spiritual
Over the past year or two, I have picked up a few poolside reads that ended up being pretty spiritual, despite them not being strictly devotional. These books inspired a lot of gratitude and appreciation for freedom, for authentic friendship, and the protection that I enjoy on a daily basis. They are not family read-a-louds,…
Wartime Sacraments
There are many reasons to be angry with the Church. There are many people who have failed us in the Church. It does not take long to fill a complaint box and inventory of hurts from the infrastructure. But there is one reason to show up. Jesus in the Eucharist. Jesus did not give you…
25 Things I’m Thinking About
1. Racism is always evil. 2. If we really want change, we have to focus on what we agree on first. Racism is always evil. 3. The breakdown of civilized discourse is always bad. 4. Dialogue is necessary to being a civilized nation and a democracy. 5. Taking dialogue away is not democracy or civilized….
Tried and True: Recipe Links
Organized by difficulty, these are some of our regular recipes. I’ll add photos and more recipes, so check back! Easy: Halal Cart-Style Chicken and Rice with White Sauce Served Trader Joe’s Malabari Paratha Turkish Chicken Kebabs Served Trader Joe’s Malabari Paratha and the Rice from Here Buca di Beppo Chicken Rigatoni Copy So easy. So…
Too Busy to be Bored 