Traveling
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Ireland and Connecting Our Kids With Their Story
This year we will make the last of our family pilgrimages before we reach the next stage of our lives: children in college and finding ourselves absolutely broke for the next twenty years. Ha, Ha. The truth is, we are likely broke now, but we’ve decided to ignore that reality and finish the “Trilogy” of family pilgrimages before our kids have grown too old to have the time or desire to travel with us anymore. We knew that Italy, Spain and Portugal, and Ireland had to make the top of that list — not because of their appeal to tourists, but because of their deeply Catholic roots. There are plenty…
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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…
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That Time We Went to Lisbon
I love to travel. I always have, and even as a child, I was always fascinated by the prospect of traveling to far off places. Fortunately, I met John — who also shares my love for travel — and we have passed that on to our kids as well. I hope that my kids will look back on all the adventures that we have had together as a family and smile about them — I sure do smile when I think back on our time together in Lisbon. Ah, Lisbon, we did not have long enough to explore it’s streets and neighborhoods. It was magical. Of all the places we…
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Entering Into the Triduum
“Why is tonight different from all other nights?” The phrase appears at the beginning of each line of The Four Questions, traditionally asked by the youngest child during the celebration of the Jewish Passover Seder. It’s a great question to ask ourselves as we enter into the Triduum. How was this night, over two thousand years ago, different than all other nights? Holy Thursday began with the celebration of the Jewish Passover. But Jesus didn’t take the traditional fourth cup and drink it on that night — He even asked if that cup might pass him by — because He knew what it meant. He knew that He would be…
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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…
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Quick Takes: Lenten Edition
So much life happening right now, so I thought this the perfect time for 7 Quick Takes: Lenten Edition. Let’s get to it! ~1~ 20 Year Reunion I meant to get on top of my life and write a post about our reunion, but with out of town visitors and all the catching up on life — it will have to wait until next week. There’s a takeaway for everybody about friendships and faith and how twenty years can go by and you can literally pick up from where you left off — I was expecting it to be fun, but I think the deep stuff surprised all of us.…
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Getting Ready for a 20 Year Reunion
Well, I mentioned it last week, but I’m getting ready to head off on a 20 year reunion with girlfriends from college. We chose Arizona because it happened to promise good weather and a central meeting place for most of us to reach. It also had girls we hoped to see living there already, so it was a perfect choice. Honestly, there were other people we would have liked to invite to join us, but it came down to the practical number of 5 — 5 people will fit in a rental car and we could likely squish 5 girls into a hotel room. So we kept it at five…
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That Time We Went to Sintra (Part 2)…Thinking on Heaven.
After reading Part 1 of “That Time We Went to Sintra”, you might be wondering why we put all the time, effort and money into making these epic family pilgrimages happen — afterall, they do tend to resemble Survivor far more than a relaxing family vacation. My simple answer is that those extreme conditions that we usually find ourselves in while on pilgrimage are actually quite good for us. They really are. They act as a great test for where we are in our spiritual lives. Those humble moments of realizing you are not behaving like the “best version of yourself” remind us that we could be a pretty awful person without…
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That Time We Went to Sintra (Part 1)…a.k.a Never, Ever Be Vulnerable With Your Kids
Well, it’s been an intense week, so I thought I’d lighten it up a bit with that time we went to Sintra, Portugal. Sintra is an Unesco World Heritage Site — and for good reason — when you step off the train to Sintra, you feel as if you’ve stepped into a fairy tale. That is, except for one minor itty-bitty detail — everybody else in the world seems to be trying to visit this magical place at the same time. It’s really crowded. We had planned to jump on the bus system that looped around to all the sites, but the wait to get onto one of the buses…
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Herculaneum, Memento Mori, and Striking Out Against the Darkness
Today is a somber day. It’s a day when we remember the 59 million babies aborted since Roe V. Wade. It’s also a day where we remember their mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers. It’s a sad day for many. Last year, I wrote this post about Why We March. If you want to know why we march, please read that post. There is no judgement here, only love. If you regret your abortion, please know God wants to heal you and bring you past that hurt. He loves you — always has and always will! For more information on healing, start here. Like I said, it’s a somber day,…
