Living
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Pax Et Bonum, Fr. Mike
No doubt, some of you have heard that Fr. Mike Scanlan died this past week. He spent 85 years doing good on this earth, and after an extended illness, he went to be with his Lord. Though my head is currently swimming with memories of this amazing man, I can’t let this week pass by without a few words — though greatly inadequate — about the man who made me want to be a Saint. He was one of the greatest influences of my late teens and early twenties — and I like to believe that those encounters have made me a better person and still remain with me to this day. I know I’m not alone…
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And…It’s a Wrap!
Happy Epiphany! (technically, it’s been moved to Sunday in the US — but for the rest of the world –Happy Epiphany!) How was your Christmas? Mine was just what it was supposed to be — sometimes quiet, sometimes loud, sometimes chaotic, sometimes peaceful — and I wouldn’t change one second of it. I know we’re still in the Christmas Season, but we’re slowly coming to the end, and all of us are beginning to look forward to a little more normalcy in our lives. Even last night, I returned home from a gathering with friends after midnight — and my baby was still up! So, though I love this time of year and…
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Small World, Big Dysfunctional Family
No doubt you’ve heard it said before, “Oh they’re a dysfunctional family”, and maybe you’re convinced that your own family is dysfunctional — you might even go so far as to think that you’re the only sane one in a big ol’ bag of nuts? If you’re the latter, I want to be at one of your family gatherings — crazy people are the best! However, I regret to inform you that you’re probably nuts yourself and just don’t know it yet 🙁 But you know what I have found myself pondering as of late — why do we expect any family to be anything but “dysfunctional”? I mean, we’re not…
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Perfect Holiday Cocktails – Gotta Try These!
Merry Christmas! Okay, I’m taking a break from my “break” to share a quick recipe for a delicious cranberry cocktail — you’re welcome! 🙂 These are just so perfect for this time of year that I had to share. And hey, the cranberry juice and whole organic cranberries make this drink pretty darn close to taking your vitamins — so go for it! We made a non-alcaholic version for the kiddos. So enjoy these with the people you love! Sparkling Cranberry Ginger Cocktails: 1 ½ cups vodka. 1 cup cranberry juice (we used Trader Joe’s unsweetened pure cranberry juice). 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice. 1 cup ginger beer or…
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Let’s Get Hygge With It
Okay, first a disclaimer: I didn’t sleep last night — at all — babies just being babies. Whoever came up with the phrase “I slept like a baby” clearly didn’t have any. Anyhow, I’m currently at the slap-happy stage of my day and will most likely crash mid-post, so please don’t hold it against me if this is the worst post you’ve ever read, okay? We are just 2 days away from Christmas — can you believe it? It’s been a challenging Advent, but a fitting one. I’ve actually seen the blessings amidst the chaos and challenges — and I know that is a grace from God. But I’m…
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Advent Has Me Like…
Wow, Advent has been like a mini Lent — exactly what the Church says it’s supposed to be — but I don’t really like to suffer and be inconvenienced so it has been a time of stretching. We’re not talking a pleasant yoga-type-stretching — it’s been more of a medieval being-stretched-on-a-rack type of stretching — not pleasant. 🙁 And just when I thought we were over the hump of little sufferings and inconveniences and making way for Christmas, we found ourselves in the midst of another entirely unexpected kind-of-big drama this week. We’re still in the midst of it and it’s sad for a whole bunch of reasons — but I’ll leave…
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Advent So Far
How is your Advent going? Not gonna lie, it has been an emotionally draining Advent, thus far. Honestly, I tried to write a post earlier in the week, and I was just too drained to get a coherent thought out of my head — that and the fact that my house is falling apart — which means I can just about manage to get a 7 Quick Takes post out for the week. Here goes: 1.We buried a beloved brother-in-law this week. He was definitely the peacemaker of the family, the one that never got too involved with family arguments and chose to build bridges instead. He never met a stranger —…
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7 Ways to Make Advent More Meaningful
It’s the most wonderful time of the year — or is it? I really, really love Christmas — and if you’re anything like me, you have really fond memories of Christmas trees, twinkling lights, and the building anticipation of wonderful things to come — but hold your horses, it’s not Christmas yet! I know, I know — it’s hard to not jump right from Thanksgiving to Christmas. It is especially hard because the days are getting shorter, the mornings are getting harder — I’m hitting snooze at least 3 times on most days — and we want a little Christmas cheer to get us through the darker days. But I’m going to suggest something that…
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The Problem of Santa Claus
This time of year brings with it all sorts of challenges — some serious and some not-so-much — but one question any family with kids has to decide this time of year is, “Will Santa be coming to our house?” You can get away with ignoring this question if it’s just you and your husband and possibly for the first few years after having a child. But if you have kids, eventually this question will become an important one, because it will influence what Christmas will look like in your house for many years to come. We’re talking important stuff here, and if you make the wrong decision, your children will be…
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Things To Be Thankful For
How was your Thanksgiving? I hope it was full of good food, family, friends, and all the things that make this time of year so special! There’s a lot of life going on right now, but I couldn’t let Thanksgiving Day go by without sharing a few things for which I am grateful. 1.I’m really grateful for all the men and women that sacrificed so that we could live in a democracy! Democrats, republicans, independents — and countless other men and women of all faiths and creeds died so that you and I could live freely in this country. They died for people who were very different from them, politically, but…
