Their fruit is used for food, and their leaves for healing. Ezekiel 47:12
Jocelyn broke down crying one day, a few weeks ago. An outsider would have seen that there was no specific event that triggered it. They would have presumed she were crying for no reason. I knew better. Continue reading
Fools take no delight in understanding, but only in displaying what they think. Proverbs 18:2
I chaperoned Jocelyn’s field trip to Beaver Brook Association a few weeks ago. The guide assigned to our group was wonderful. As she taught the kids about how Native Americans lived hundreds of years ago, she used fantastic techniques to get and keep their attention. Watching the dynamic between her and the kids, I was reminded of a lesson I learn, and then forget, a hundred times over. Continue reading
“When the time for dinner came, he dispatched his servant to say to those invited, ‘Come, everything is now ready.’ But one by one, they all began to excuse themselves.” Luke 14:17-18
We’ve all done it: left an event early to beat the traffic, only to learn later we missed the best part. The finale at the fireworks show turned out to be twice as good as ever before. Our losing sports team made a last minute play that made sports history, securing a win at the bottom of the ninth. The band we went to see did an unprecedented encore, playing the song we waited all night to hear.
The next day, when we hear the news, we kick ourselves. We were there! Why did we leave? If only we hadn’t prioritized getting on the road, over what brought us there in the first place. Realizing our mistake, we’d gladly spend two hours in traffic for the chance to experience what we missed. Continue reading
A great wind-storm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. But He was in the stern, asleep on the cushion… Mark 4:37-38
Photo courtesy of rgbstock.com.
September is extreme chaos for all moms with school-aged children. Getting our kids and ourselves adjusted to the new schedule, and finding the right routine that gets everyone where they’re supposed to be is overwhelming. It takes the entire month to hammer things out and get into a rhythm.
Having been through countless Septembers, I know how bone-weary I feel by the end of the month. So I go off on a weekend retreat to rest and rejuvenate. Out of pity for my husband (who has to hold down the fort while I’m away), I scheduled it this year for mid-October, when the craziness had died down a bit. Or so I thought. Continue reading
Published on CatholicMom.com
Despite trying to be moderate in the amount of activities I allow my kids to sign up for, now that my young daughter has a life, her activities have tipped the scale. I’m struggling to keep up. Toss in some medical issues I’m worried about, and my fuse is very short.
So when one of my kids is moving slowly, and I know the extreme ripple effect that’s going to have on the intricately timed taxi service I’m running, I loose my cool. Although it’s not okay for my kids to go off into la-la land when there’s someplace we need to be, it’s also not okay for me to blow up when they do. So begins the “I’m a terrible mother” spiral. Continue reading
“But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers.” Matthew 23:8
My cousin’s granddaughter was diagnosed with Leukemia the day after she turned two. Although my kids and I had never met Little Olivia, the story pulled at our heart strings, especially Jocelyn’s.
For the two years that Liv went through treatments, Jocelyn talked about her non-stop. She made her little crafts and gifts all the time. Although Jocelyn begged me, on a weekly basis, to go meet and visit Little Olivia, I knew Liv’s family had enough going on. They didn’t need us dropping in on their difficult and busy world.
So when the invitation came for Liv’s victory party last month, Jocelyn was over the moon! She told all her teachers she was going. She told them that although she had wanted to meet her cousin while she was going through her treatments, it was way better to meet her now that she had beaten cancer.
On the day of the party, Jocelyn was so excited! As we drove down to Massachusetts, she chattered on and on about FINALLY getting to meet Little Olivia. I don’t think she was prepared for what happened. Continue reading
“Blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may be clean.” Matthew 23:26
I had several melt downs this summer over my kids’ ingratitude. Despite planning fun adventures and play dates for them, they were greedy instead of grateful. Almost regularly, I’d hit my limit, and then scream and yell at them for it. That would work for a week or two; but, inevitably, they’d end up ungrateful again.
It took until the last week of summer to finally figure out a way to open their eyes to my perspective. Continue reading
“This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah.” Luke 11:29
Kids always ask “why.” We moms know to adapt our answer based on each child’s age and learning style. Accordingly, we make particular word choices, vary the length of the explanation, and maybe add a story or two to illustrate our point. When we get the combination correct, it’s like unlocking a vault: our lesson or request goes straight to our child’s heart.
However, that process can be exhausting; and everyone has her limit. After a sleepless night, or a too-full calendar, our well of patience can run dry. On those days, when we hear the inevitable “why,” we refuse the request to explain. “Because I said so, ” comes tumbling out of our mouth instead. Continue reading
But they did not understand this saying; its meaning was hidden from them so that they should not understand it, and they were afraid to ask Him about this saying. Luke 9:45
You know you’re in a tough stretch of motherhood when you catch your kids lying several times in the same week. The things my kids did weren’t all that bad: just your usual pushing-the-boundary actions. I even had to pretend I was upset to maintain those boundaries.
Where I didn’t have to pretend was when they lied about what they did. Each time I caught them it was like a blow to my heart. I began to take it personally: like each lie was a betrayal of the time, love and energy I’ve spent teaching them right from wrong. By the third lie, the blow felt more like a knife; and it cut me wide open.
I thought I went into this motherhood thing with my eyes wide open. I thought I had learned so much from watching my siblings raise their kids. I thought I was more prepared than I find I really am. Continue reading
Thus says the Lord of hosts: Reflect on your experience! Haggai 1:7
Jocelyn has a tendency to replay negative experiences over and over again. Out of the blue, she’ll bring up a bad memory from years ago. She won’t just cry about it; she’ll downright sob. It breaks my heart that she puts herself in these tailspins, for no apparent reason.
I’ve been trying to teach her that she can have power over her thoughts. I explain that when a painful memory pops into her head, she can choose to focus on it, or push it aside.
I know that trying NOT to think about something is actually thinking about it. So I help her replace the thought: together we remember good things that she can think about instead. This technique always works with my boys. Unfortunately, it only works half the time with Jocelyn.
But just the other morning, by complete accident, Jocelyn gave me a whole new approach that I think is the answer to her problem. Continue reading
Shifting My Perspective 