Good morning! Proverbs 22:6 tells us, “Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it.” As parents of teen and adult children, sometimes it’s hard to remember this Bible passage. We see our children making mistakes and choosing paths that we know are not healthy for their minds, bodies, or souls. We worry … Continue reading Prayer of the Day: A Prayer for Our Children
Good morning! Today I am praying for those of you who may feel like Job… challenged, tried, and judged. You may feel like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders and are being asked to carry heavy crosses. You are trying your best to stay faithful to God and yet you still encounter trial after trial-trials that make you feel that God … Continue reading Prayer of the Day: Hope In Suffering
Good morning! I feel like God has been whispering something in my ear recently. I felt this confirmed on Sunday and then again last night as we sang the hymn, “Here I Am, Lord” at Mass. If you are not familiar with the song, the refrain says, “Here I am, Lord. Is it I, Lord? I have heard you calling in the night. I will … Continue reading Prayer of the Day: Here I Am, Lord
It’s hard to believe that three years ago today I didn’t know if I or the baby I was carrying would live or die. I remember waking up and praying that God would be merciful and would spare us both. As we headed to the hospital and I kissed each of our other children goodbye, I prayed that whatever happened, God would also be merciful … Continue reading A Shared Day: The Ultimate Mother’s Day Gift
It’s January 1, 2016 and you may have resolutions on your mind. It’s a new year and time to create a new you. Right?! You want to be better, do better, and have more in life. It’s time to change who you are! But I don’t plan to change a single thing about myself this year. I know, it sounds pretty cocky doesn’t it? It’s … Continue reading Why I’m Not Changing Anything in 2016
A few years ago I was going through some boxes I had packed up and stored in the closet. They were filled with things I didn’t know what to do with. As I opened the boxes and went through them, I was overwhelmed at all the Christmas cards I had saved. Pictures of friends and their children smiled up at me. I read through old … Continue reading Spreading Christmas Blessings and Graces All Year Long
It has been 5 agonizing years since we lost William. There isn’t a day that goes by where my heart doesn’t long for him. I often feel guilty that out of the 14 children I have lost, he remains constant on my mind. I suppose it was the manner in which I lost him that makes it so hard to heal. It’s not that I … Continue reading The Pieces of My Heart
When I was growing up Advent was never a big deal. I went to Catholic school, but to be honest our Catholic education was lacking. I remember learning about Advent, but the beauty and necessity of readying our hearts and minds was never stressed to us. Our Catholic home was even worse. We prayed before we ate and we went to Mass each Sunday, but … Continue reading The Gift of Self: An Advent Tradition
With Advent just around the corner (less than a week away!), I thought this week I would share a few Advent traditions that we do at our house. It is important to me that during this time we make sure our children understand the true reasons we are preparing to celebrate Christmas. In a world where commercialism reigns, these little family traditions can help us … Continue reading An Advent Tradition: The Jesse Tree
We don’t live within city limits but instead live out in the county. While we love living outside of town, this means that we don’t have garbage pickup unless we hire someone to do it for us. Thankfully we have a wonderful couple that runs their own pickup service who has been gathering our garbage for 17 years now. On the occasion that we have … Continue reading To Joy Them Up
tales from the side of the tub 