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...
by Barbara | Sep 24, 2023
One of the many favorite and visually impactful events is the candlelight rosary procession that happens every night at Lourdes. Thousands and even ten thousands all process around the grounds saying the rosary. Every language can be heard but together after every...
by Barbara | Sep 23, 2023
Forty years ago, we came to Lourdes for the first time. We were living in England and Mark was flying for the U.S. Air Force serving at RAF Upper Heyford. We had lost our first child to miscarriage three years prior while living in South Korea. Adding heartbreak to...
by Barbara | Sep 22, 2023
Here we find the story of the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It is here where Jesus appeared to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque. As a child she dedicated herself to the Blessed Virgin. As she grew older, her mother encouraged her to be more social hoping she would...
by Barbara | Sep 21, 2023
This beautiful Gothic style church on the outskirts of Normandy is about 93 miles west of Paris. It is the sole shrine in the world dedicated to praying for the dead. Fr. Paul Joseph Buguet (1843-1918), a humble rural parish priest, is the founder of the shrine...
by Barbara | Sep 20, 2023
This is one of France's most spectacular sites. Mont St. Michel lies one kilometer out to sea off the Normandy coast of northern France. This Benedictine Abbey is perched on a rocky inlet. The tides move over 45 feet throughout a 24-hour period. Today it felt like we...
by Barbara | Sep 19, 2023
We continued north today to the Convent of Carmel where Therese entered religious life at fifteen years old. We viewed some of Therese's personal items and toured the family home with many original items still in place. St. Therese's body was not incorrupt. She was 24...
by Barbara | Sep 18, 2023
As we departed the busyness of Paris we stopped by for a few quick pictures at the Eiffel Tower. This iconic reminder of France was constructed for the 1889 Exposition Universelle. This date also marked the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. Some thought it...
by Barbara | Sep 17, 2023
Thanks for joining us on this pilgrimage in France to some of the most beautiful and holy sites. Today we arrived on the Rue de Bac, to visit the Shrine of the Miraculous Medal. It is here that we see the incorrupt body of St Catherine Laboure. You can read more about...