In these reflections, I aim to show how the gift of our bodies benefits everyone. Our bodies are meant for more than pleasure or pain. Even angels lack bodies; God gave us ours with purpose, making the visible reveal the invisible—much like a Sacrament, a visible sign...
Today was an unexpected joy. A dear friend was celebrating her birthday and had invited me to tag along with her sisters for a spa day. I need no excuse for a spa day, and was happy to join them. We were all around the same age and had an uncanny number of similar...
Today is the feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. The perfect family that sets the bar high, yet attainable for us regular folks, too. There were days when it felt like nothing was going right. Having never been a mother before, each day was a new...
It was a beautiful evening as we celebrated my husband’s birthday. In and out we went as we grilled fajitas and pushed grandkids on swings through the wide-open patio doors. My mother says I charge through life, which is not surprising, as I rushed back outside to get...
I remember one of our daughters sending me a photo that, at first glance, looked like a happy toddler in a car seat. Upon closer inspection, her daughter was covered in chartreuse vomit. She had colic as a baby, and her little tummy was still trying to figure out...
Every dad has them. My dad used to make statements that both baffled and challenged me. "Hold her Newt, she's heading for the barn." I spent years wondering who Newt was. When I finally rode a horse, I understood. If I apply that to myself in real life, it translates,...
We have been married over forty-five years and counting, and it wasn't all roses and rainbows. Yet, over the years, what constitutes a loving action has changed. Initially, when we were living overseas, I enjoyed the sparkly things I could put on my fingers. I loved...
Moms, the best thing we can do is avoid smothering our children and instead train them for battle.
Excitedly, she handed me a book entitled Five Little Monkeys to read out loud. Our three-year-old granddaughter then crawled into my lap. As I started reading, I realized I had never seen in print this familiar childhood tune about the monkeys who fell out of bed....
Have you ever wished you could talk to your younger self and share more ingenious ways of doing things? I've been thinking about this as I age. I've grown wiser. I fought with my neighbor when I was in sixth grade. We decided we should duke it out after school....
Over the years, I have opened my heart and shared many stories about my spiritual journey as a Catholic Christian and how God has allowed me to play a tiny part in His plans. I have given the reader an inside peek at our ever-evolving family and some goofy situations...
This time of year always brings back memories of Christmases past. I think of the cold Colorado Christmases when we received new pajamas every Christmas eve and the standard photos that followed by the tree. I remember simplicity, the basics and a comfortable...
WOW, I've made it this far, who could have guessed? With all my debacles I've really been blessed. For I've got scars older than most cars. It always seemed like such a big number, so far away, distant, encumbered. Thankfully, I still have lots of get up and go. I'm...
We had only been married a few months and lived in a third-world country under martial law. It was a great beginning for us to learn what we were made of, capable of, and willing to do for love. When the time arrived near our first Christmas, I wanted to bake...
We planned a mini staycation with several of our kids who lived locally. It seemed reasonable when we made the reservations months earlier. But that was before the out-of-state baptism was scheduled, and one week later, a triple baptism which included hosting the...
Every year we try and gather as a family to laugh, reconnect, and relax. Family members converged on our location in Utah. This was not our first choice of vacation destinations. Rather a drivable secondary option due to the original destination having quarantine...
For a few months now in the daily readings, I have noticed an overarching theme proclaimed through the prophets. Here are a few examples. “Return, O Israel, to the Lord, your God; you have collapsed through your guilt.” (Hosea 14:2) “Unless your faith is firm you...
It’s summertime again. Memories flood back to a time not so long ago, when all our children played ball. We were living in Illinois and baseball is what you did with your children in the summer. If they could lift a bat…they could play organized ball. For...
May 2010 After the generous spring rains here in Phoenix, we have been blessed with an array of beautiful wildflowers and a rare green hue covering the mountainsides. We also have been overwrought with an abundance of weeds. One must take the good with the bad as they...
Being a mom for thirty-six years has had an effect in every aspect of my life. I feel a real need at times, to mother the rest of humanity. Everywhere I look, I see ways to mother people. I cannot seem to help myself. The words just bubble up and I act without even...
Our third son married his beloved fiancee just over 5 years ago now. What a beautiful day it was. Everything was perfect. Family and friends were in town from both sides, and great jubilation saturated the air. The weeks leading up to the wedding were filled with...