Talking
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Letting Go of “Perfect”
“Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good”. This quote by Voltaire seems to be thrown around quite a bit as of late. The truth be known, Voltaire was actually rather anti-religion in his sentiment, but I’m guessing that if this mother of six kids sat down with Voltaire, the youngest of five, there would be much we could agree upon when it comes to perfectionism. Just the other day, I was reminded of the changes that have happened in my life in my own battle against perfectionism. I was in the middle of cleaning windows (one of my Advent resolutions) and came upon this scene: The old me…
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7 Ways to Live a More Intentional Advent
Advent is upon us. This year, it happens to be the shortest Advent we can possibly have — with the 4th Sunday of Advent also being Christmas Eve — so it’s more important than ever to be intentional about living out Advent. Trying to live a more intentional Advent can help us to keep the really important things a priority and to let go of the small things which don’t really matter in the end. We put a lot of pressure on ourselves to make Christmas special for the people around us, am I right? So it’s time to take a step back and ask ourselves what this season is really…
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7 Things That Make Me Grateful
I literally am surrounded by clothes that need to be packed and food that needs to be made before I can leave my house to spend time with my amazing family in Chicago. I have an hour and a half before I need to get out of my door. Sounds like a perfect time to write a post, am I right? 🙁 I just couldn’t let Thanksgiving go by without writing my annual “7 Things that Make Me Grateful” posts, and I know that it would be more grammatically correct to say, “7 Things For Which I am Grateful” — but it just sounded too formal to me. So, please…
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Why My Kids Aren’t On Facebook, Instagram, or Other Major Social Media Outlets
It was inevitable. Last summer, my oldest daughter asked about getting on Instagram and Facebook. Many of her friends were slowly getting on board, so it seemed like the logical next step. So John and I weighed the pro’s and con’s, and we concluded we just had to say “no” — at least for now. I know that she’ll most likely be getting these accounts when she goes off to college — and I’m okay with that — but for now, I have no doubt that this is the best choice for our daughter and our family. I’m not here to say what you should be doing with your own kids,…
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Close Calls, Liam Neeson & The Danger of Busy
On our recent pilgrimage to Spain, “close calls” seemed to be one of the themes of the trip. We began our trip with a close call with a terrorist attack in Barcelona. We moved on to a close call with a firecracker. There we were, watching an amazing display of fireworks in San Sebastián. I was literally turning to put my baby into our stroller when this blazing ember flew past us, hit the stroller, and proceeded to fall directly in the seat and burn a few serious holes in it! Could have done without that excitement. Then there was our last day in San Sebastián. We decided to hike up…
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Beach Struggles, Hugh Hefner, and Teaching Our Kids to Navigate a Sex-Saturated World
This past week, Hugh Hefner, founder of the Playboy enterprise, died. May God have mercy on his soul and on all the souls who have been hurt by his legacy. Though I don’t dare suggest I know Hugh Hefner’s motives, I found it surprising that some people have tried to raise this man up as a sort of hero. Are you kidding me? Please somebody tell me any good that has come from Hugh Hefner and the pornography industry? Porn isn’t about helping people — it’s about enslaving people for selfish gain. Men, women, and children are being bought and sold as commodities to feed the insatiable thirst it creates…
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What Happens in Japan, Stays in Japan
It’s been getting kind of serious around here, so it’s time to write about something that is absolutely ridiculous. Consider this a PSA. I’m here to help. Japan Syndrome: It’s for real, and it’s not pretty. 🙁 If this post can spare even one person from a similar fate, than I can say that all the effort was worth it. Let me set the scene for you. You are in a far off place — exotic, perfumed breezes, not a care in the world. You are feeling good about life. You’re on top of the world. And then you see it: that item that encapsulates everything you are feeling in…
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A Catholic Perspective on Suicide and Depression
A few weeks ago, I attended a funeral. It was the funeral of a young woman, loved by so many, who had come to the conclusion that her life wasn’t worth living. It was a tragedy. Her uncle, who also happened to be the priest presiding at her funeral, said it best, “It wasn’t supposed to be like this”. He was absolutely right. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. That’s not how her life was meant to end. She was loved by so many. Her life had infinite value. There was so much good left to do. And the question remains, How did she not know how loved she…
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Beauty Will Save the World
“Beauty will save the world.” F. DOSTOYEVSKY, The Idiot Recently I found myself sitting in a faculty concert of some amazing musicians — it was such a gift. I just sat there and was transported to another place — a beautiful place. I found myself being overwhelmed by beauty — in a good way. It was a good moment — a series of good moments, really. It restored my mind and soul after a hectic week. It reminded me of the importance of beauty. Beauty — it’s important. It can lift a soul out of the depths of despair. It can satisfy our deepest desires in this life. It’s a foretaste of Heaven, and…
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Video Games and Guardian Angels
Video Games. Don’t you just hate them — or maybe you love them — whatever the case may be, video games are something every parents needs to think about at least once in their life. More likely than not, if you have a few kids, the subject will come up regularly — so might as well take a moment to think about it now — because this is important stuff, people! Recently our son went on a mandatory two week hiatus from video games. A funny thing happens when you let your kids “get bored” — they actually find lots of creative things to do with all that free time. At first he complained about it, but eventually…
