by Barbara Lishko | May 5, 2024
“It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.” (Jn 15:16) Each time I’ve heard this passage over my lifetime, I assumed it referred...
by Barbara Lishko | Apr 28, 2024
Dawn was breaking as the young man stealthily crawled out of the front bedroom window of our neighbor’s home. Their daughter assisted him and waved goodbye. My friend and I were walking by at that moment decades ago. We knew her father was a single dad; rumor had it...
by Barbara | Apr 15, 2024
If I am not mistaken, these are the exact words shepherds use to call sheep. Or maybe not. The closest I've ever gotten to a sheep was on a dinner plate in France. "Can I get this cooked more, s’il vous plaît!" I've heard today's gospel (Jn 10:11-18) countless...
by Barbara Lishko | Mar 31, 2024
Easter morning, and it is pouring rain in Phoenix, which sounds like a mythical fairytale. Down here in the Southwest, we take it when we get it, even when the water balloon hunt I planned may never come to pass. I know you people in other parts of the country deal...
by Barbara Lishko | Mar 22, 2024
Identifying one of my persistent faults over time has exposed my habit of expectations. I place them on myself, other people, and even God-foolish me. Like you, I have had many pleasant and unfortunate unplanned events in my life. Over the years with various jobs,...
by Barbara Lishko | Mar 10, 2024
I can’t tell you how many times I heard the word help when the kids were growing up. Help! “He’s (insert any descriptor here, looking, laughing, touching, or staring) at me.” Help! “I don’t understand the math assignment.” You’re alone...
by Barbara | Mar 6, 2024
Jesus spoke to his disciples, saying, “Do not think I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.” In fulfilling the law, Jesus is taking the external law and bringing it to completion in Himself and through his actions....
by Barbara | Mar 1, 2024
How is your Lent going? We have almost completed week two. Did you commit to giving up, taking up, and detaching? I started strong and then began to get busy and fizzled out a little bit. Not entirely, mind you, just step-by-step lazy and distracted. I am a continuous...
by Barbara | Feb 14, 2024
Yeah, it’s that time again. Wait! Wasn’t Christmas just last week? Lent begins today, despite being St. Valentine’s Day, and NO, there is no need for a dispensation. I mean, how do we expect to grow stronger and battle-ready by looking for excuses to opt...
by Barbara | Feb 4, 2024
Yesterday, I had the opportunity to watch one of our granddaughters at her swimming lesson. When it was complete, and time for her to change from her wet clothes, I naturally started to assist her. "I can do it myself, grandma." Well, okay then! I'll wait out here....
by Barbara | Jan 9, 2024
Each day brings with it new challenges and struggles. It is easy to get overwhelmed, anxious and exhausted just thinking of how to cope. Why does it have to be so hard at times? A friend told me recently she didn't know that in her retirement she would deal with so...
by Barbara | Jan 1, 2024
I sat there in the first pew staring at the nativity scene before me. What does one give the King of Kings that he doesn't already have? Oh that's easy, said the voice in my head. Give him yourself, your love, your surrender. I already have, piped another voice in my...
by Barbara | Dec 24, 2023
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...
by Barbara | Dec 22, 2023
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...
by Barbara | Dec 3, 2023
It's ludicrous to think that each year I go through the same routine, with the same outcome and yet, grow no smarter. My story goes something like this. I want to get candles for the following year, so I take advantage of the after Christmas sales. I place them in a...
by Barbara | Nov 24, 2023
I've read many accounts of how a wife was chosen in Scripture. It's clear, God guided the servants who were tasked to find that special someone, often an integral part of salvation history. Let's take for instance Eliezer who was sent by Abraham to find Issac a bride....
by Barbara | Nov 11, 2023
It's easy to distinguish when a child is happy or unhappy because they give clear signs which indicate their feelings. There are times when we could misread their emotions and cause further distress. Hence, the guessing game begins. Are you hungry? Does your tummy...
by Barbara | Oct 30, 2023
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...
by Barbara | Oct 17, 2023
I love it when I discover years later, the gift wrapped inside the trappings of something painful from my past. I did not always look deeper into life’s more distressing experiences. Instead, I asked, why me? Why this? When is it over? Others received answered...
by Barbara | Sep 30, 2023
We just returned from our France pilgrimage and are still working through the jet lag. This means early bedtimes and wide-awake pockets in the night. When this happens, I say a Chaplet of Divine Mercy. As I leaned over to grab my rosary, I sadly remembered losing...
by Barbara | Sep 25, 2023
Merci to anyone who came along this virtual pilgrimage. The time has passed so quickly, yet it is also time to head home. Time marches on, with or without our permission🤪 Our day began with a quickie look at the Louvre. I say quickie, because it is reported to take 2...