Talking
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Behind the Scenes of a Talk
Well, I’m finished! I was up against a tight deadline, but I finished the talk for the upcoming Catholic Mom’s summit and just sent it off! Hooray! Honestly, I don’t know how it is all going to come together, but I did my best — and now I leave the rest to God and the editors (they have their work cut out for them!) Let me just say, I am exhausted. I always feel like a shell of a person after giving a talk. I just feel like I have nothing left to give. Do you ever feel that way? Anyway, today is all about catching up with all the…
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Join Me For A Free Catholic Mom’s Summit!
Guys, I’m very excited to be able to invite you to a FREE event, happening in November, right from your own homes or together as a small group in your own neck of the woods. That’s right, calling all you moms out there to join me at the Catholic Moms Summit, where some really amazing Catholic authors and speakers are going to be sharing their wisdom about the real issues moms face every day and the practical steps to find the peace and balance we all want. Can I get an “Amen!”? I’m so excited to be part of this amazing weekend put together by Catholic moms for Catholic moms…
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How to Battle Sadness
“Sorrow can be alleviated by a good sleep, a bath and a glass of wine.” -Attributed to St. Thomas Aquinas- I thought today was a good day to share a little wisdom from one of my favorite Saints, Thomas Aquinas, especially for those days when you aren’t exactly feeling it. You will find some who will point out that St. Thomas Aquinas didn’t EXACTLY come up with this quote above — the man wasn’t known for his pithy statements — but one could say that his treatment of the remedies for sorrow in the Summa Theologicae definitely support the sentiment. That’s right: one of the world’s greatest philosophical minds (in…
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How a Meal Can Change Everything
Did you know that a single meal has the power to change everything — literally EVERYTHING! How else would you describe that Last Supper in which the priesthood was established, and the Savior of the world gave his last words of encouragement and instruction, before He would be ransomed for our sins? That one meal changed everything — and did you know that, in our participation in the Sacred Meal at every Mass, Jesus is still working to transform us. Which is why I think we greatly underestimate the power of a meal. Beyond that Sacred Meal, though, there is another type of transformation that happens when friends and family…
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Wisdom from Mother Teresa For the Times We Live in
I had plans for a different post, but so much life going on right now that I thought I would move my “the importance of the family meal” to next week and share a few words from one of my favorite modern-day Saints, Mother Teresa. Hard to believe that 4 years ago today, I sat in St. Peters Square — baking in the hot Italian sun — 6 kids in tow and watched one of my real-life heroes get canonized. On that day, we each seemed to receive a special grace, unique to our individual temperaments and personalities. It was such a beautiful day, and one we won’t soon forget.…
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Can A Catholic Vote for a Pro-Abortion Candidate?
Well, on top of a world-wide pandemic — election season is upon us — Hooray! (Please note sarcasm.) It’s led to a perfect storm of chaos and turmoil. Can we all agree this hasn’t been an easy time for most of us? But hey, who said life was meant to be easy — not Jesus and not the Saints! We must accept that difficulty is a part of life, and make the most of the time God has given to us. Let’s not waste our days in fear and anger and dread. Let’s live our lives for Christ and His Church and do our best to live lives that reflect…
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End Human Trafficking Now
Yesterday was Human Trafficking Awareness Day. Maybe you’re like me and are sickened by human trafficking — but don’t know where to begin. This post is for you. I just have to say this up front — especially to all the mamas out there — you do not have to go down the rabbit hole of all the sordid details involving human trafficking to make a huge difference in the fight against human trafficking. So know your heart. I know myself well enough to know that I can’t read too many details — especially when it comes to child trafficking — I know it’s an evil straight out of the…
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Why Are We All So Dang Angry, Anxious and Afraid?
Why are so many of us so dang angry, anxious and afraid? Oh, I don’t know — maybe it’s because we are all spending way too much time scrolling, and not enough time interacting with real people. Maybe it’s because we are focused on the things that anger us and frighten us — so much so, that we’ve forgotten about all the beautiful things in this life and the life to come. Or maybe some of us don’t believe in the next life — that this is all the life we’ve got — so we fight tooth and nail to control everybody around us so that our “quality of…
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The Problem of Silence
Let me start off by saying that I don’t think that silence is a bad thing — in fact, I think that silence is an essential part of establishing and maintaining a relationship with God. So, please don’t misunderstand the title of this post. I think silence is essential, and many of us are not getting enough of it in our own lives. In fact, if you don’t carve out silence in your day and find time to pray and read Gods word and listen to His voice — then I truly do not know how you will be able to navigate around the numerous dumpster fires burning right now…
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The Catholic Response to Racism
So much sadness going on right now in our country — and it’s a sadness that seems to be almost as old as time itself. It’s a sadness that was never meant to be — a sadness rooted in the original Fall of Adam and Eve. That Fall from grace had consequences for the rest of us. It left our hearts broken in different ways, and what was once “unthinkable” became possible in the hearts of man. Racism is a result of the Fall from grace. It has taken different forms — but racism, in any form, is evil. It is a sin against charity. It strikes out against the…
