Your eyes have seen my unformed substance… Psalm 139:16

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Working on Kindness Projects this summer, Mason and Zack asked if they could volunteer at the local nursing home last Tuesday. Of course I said, “Yes!” So off they went, on a beautiful summer day, to spend an hour-and-a-half helping the elderly in whatever way there were asked. I was so proud of them!

But summer days are long. During the course of the rest of the day, they did several things that frustrated me, blinding me to their earlier kindness and selflessness. It took until the next day to figure out I have a real vision problem. Continue reading →

I’m thrilled to announce that Amy Newmark, the editor of the Chicken Soup for the Soul books features my story, “No Compromise Date Nights,” in her July 8th/9th podcast “Keeping Love Fresh as the Years Go On.”  Continue reading →

Published on CatholicMom.com

The fervent prayer of a righteous person is very powerful. James 5:16

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My friend, Jess, gave me twinkle lights for my back deck for my birthday. She knows that’s my summer sanctuary. She wanted to add to its serenity.

The cool thing about the lights is: They’re solar powered. The only effort I had to invest was to wrap them around the deck posts, and then stake the little solar panel in a sunny spot.

As we sat having drinks with our neighbors that evening, the most magical thing happened: As night started to fall, surrounding us in darkness, those little bulbs started to glow, transforming the dark with little twinkles of light. Right when we would have had to end our time in my oasis, we were wrapped in just enough light to continue on.

It got me thinking… My mom is an awful lot like those twinkle lights. Continue reading →

Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Him and said to Him, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask of You.”  Mark 10:35

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I’ve been talking to my kids lately about how they ask for things. I explained that if they word their request in a certain way, they’re more likely to have success. I was clear that I wasn’t teaching them to be manipulative, just helping them to see that how they word things matters.

No matter what angle I used, they just weren’t getting it. I finally created a script for them to follow. Continue reading →

“You cannot serve God and mammon.” Mt. 6:24

When I looked up the word “mammon” on Wikipedia, the phrase “Associated with the greedy pursuit of gain” jumped right out at me. I’m a stay-at-home mom. So I know I’m not sacrificing my principles by working at a sleazy job just for the great salary. Nonetheless, something inside of me said I was still guilty of serving mammon. Continue reading →

Plant your roots in Christ and let Him be the foundation for your life.     Colossians 2:7

Prayer Path with a mole tunnel running underneath.

I spent a lot of time at the Prayer Path last month, spring cleaning after that crazy winter. We finally got it looking great when some moles started burrowing everywhere, creating tunnels underground that left raised soil meandering all through the labyrinth.

I was so frustrated! I was ready to drop dynamite down their holes like Bill Murray’s character in Caddy Shack. Then a friend pointed out the good the moles were doing. Continue reading →

And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body go into Gehenna.    Matthew 5:30

On April 26th, 2003, the outdoorsman, Aaron Ralston, had his right hand crushed and trapped under an 800 pound rock while hiking through the Bluejohn Canyon in Utah. He hadn’t told anyone where he was going; he wasn’t hopeful of being found. Continue reading →