Talking
-
What’s So Bad About Catholic Guilt? A.K.A. God Doesn’t Want Us to Stay in our Shame
Apparently, Catholic Guilt is a thing — at least, it’s a thing in a lot of circles and as often as I’ve heard it referred to, it always seem to be in a negative light. Perhaps it’s because people tend to confuse guilt with shame, and hence the bad wrap for Catholic guilt — but I’m here to say Catholic guilt can be a good thing — and before you write this post off as cray-cray, please hear me out. In my opinion, guilt is to the soul what pain is to the nervous system — it’s lets us know that somethings is not quite right and we need to change it.…
-
How to Deal With Turkeys
I love getting outdoors — with all the fresh air, lovely scents and amazing beauty — honestly, there are few things as restorative as time outdoors surrounded by the beauty one encounters in nature. But anybody who has spent any time outdoors, also has to acknowledge that the rewards of getting outdoors, has mixed in with it the hazards of stinging insects, biting animals, sunburn, dehydration — I could go on, but I won’t. The point is, it’s not always going to be a pleasant experience and I’ve learned to accept that these nuisances serve as great reminders that we’re not in Paradise, yet. I guess you could say I…
-
Why It’s Important to Just Be
Two years ago I wrote about a hilarious mishap that happened to our family while taking a hike before sunrise. Sure, the backdrop was Florence, which is pretty extraordinary, but the point of the post was that quality time can happen anywhere — absolutely anywhere — and you don’t need to go off to far off places to make those moments happen. In fact, I think that it’s imperative that you go out of your way to find little family adventures in your own neck of the woods. And these moments don’t require exotic, “insta-worthy” locations or piles of money to make it happen. Any backyard barbecue or fire pit can…
-
Why, Yes, We Do Know What Causes That. An Honest Look at NFP (Part 1)
I’ll never forget the moment that I first was asked that question, “Don’t you know what causes that!?” It was at the Chelsea Flower Show in London — and it stands out in my mind because it was one of those rare trips without our kids in tow. We had even managed to secure tickets to the Chelsea Flower Show on the opening day. Believe me, this was not an easy feat. This was no ordinary flower show. It was extra fancy. I mean, look at the fancy people walking through these gardens. The Queen of England even showed up with different members of the royal family — so believe…
-
Fun Fact: Sometimes John and I Fight a Lot
When I decided to begin a blog, one of the goals was to be honest about my life — not because anybody would necessary care about my life — but because I think it’s nice to know you are not alone. It’s nice to know that other people struggle like you do. Not nice like, “Hah! So happy she’s actually miserable”, but more like, “Wow, we all have our struggles, and if she can overcome them — then so can I”. That’s the kind of nice I was hoping to bring to the blogosphere. Sometimes, people will look at me and think I have things together because I can write…
-
Why Friendship Matters
Just getting back to life after a 20 year reunion in Phoenix. The long and the short of it is, it did not disappoint. I had expected it to be fun, but I didn’t expect it to be so blessed. It was healing, restorative, and an authentic experience of true friendship. It was so much more than I imagined it would be. Twenty years had passed since most of us had seen each other — and we picked up exactly where we had left off. How does that happen? Needless to say, it was a special time. Here’s a quick peek at my time with these amazing ladies. Fortunately, I…
-
Lessons Learned from Getting Outdoors
Sometimes we can grow too comfortable with being comfortable. We live in a world that offers us so many artificial comforts, and if we’re not careful we just might choose comfort over real life. As much as possible, we need to pull ourselves away from the artificial and reconnect with the real — real people, real terrain, real life — and getting outdoors is a great way to do that. Getting outside isn’t just good for our body, our souls benefits from time spent outdoors as well. Whenever I feel like my prayer life is becoming really dry, just get me outdoors and all of a sudden it’s like my…
-
Discovering our Gifts and Being a Blessing to Others
Merry Christmas! How’s your Christmas going? We’re currently getting ready for a family ski trip. Getting excited! All the preparation has reminded me of the blessings that one couple’s generosity has provided to so many families throughout the years. Every year, this particular couple spends their time negotiating pricing and seeing to all the details so that other families will be able to go on an affordable ski trip, packed with fun. It’s become a tradition for us — and one we look forward to during the bleak winter months. It brings light and joy to the darkest days of the year. Most of the families in attendance on these…
-
Dealing With Difficult People
Well, it’s that time of year — chocked full of family gatherings and recitals and work parties galore. Sometimes, what is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year, can end up becoming quite stressful — ’tis the season for encounters with difficult people. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love this time of year. I love the opportunity to spend more time with the people I love and to get to know better the family, friends, and familiar faces that I don’t see so often — but there’s no guarantee that every encounter is going to be a pleasant one, am I right? I wrote this post…
-
Fr. Solanus Casey’s Beatification and Asking for the Things We Need
Faith is a funny thing. When you’re a child, it often has no bounds. As you grow older, though, faith can begin to grow cold — almost without our noticing it. We can grow skeptical, jaded, and even weary of our prayers. Which is why we need a man like Fr. Solanus Casey to remind us of the place of faith and miracles in our lives, even today. It’s why we decided to trek to Detroit with people from around the country to celebrate the Beatification of Fr. Solanus Casey this past November. These are big deals in the life of the Church and we wanted to have a celebration…
