As a little girl, I was always a little apprehensive about Halloween. I liked dressing up and feasting on candy, but some neighbors down the street created this haunted house experience in their front yard, and I wanted nothing to do with it. I don’t know if I just didn’t like feeling scared or if I actually sensed a type of evil in their decorations. What I do know is that it caused Halloween to be one of my least…
The invitation is real. His eyes dance with delight as He beckons me to join Him. “On a playground, Lord?” I ask. And all He does is laugh and extend His hand. The magnetic pull is strong. It’s as if one part of the magnet is Jesus’ heart, and the other is my heart. They are not meant to be separate but together. He is asking for my yes, my fiat. And He really hopes I don’t keep Him waiting…
Well, I started writing this Open Book post in September, but life happened, and I never got around to publishing it. As I turned the calendar to the new month of October, I was bound and determined to join Carolyn Astfalk and friends for this month’s Open Book feature on CatholicMom.com. And here I am! Do you find that your reading patterns change with the seasons? Summer seems to be the perfect time to read a little romance. They are easy, quick reads that…
I love being Catholic, and the Holy Mass is one of the main reasons why. It is the most miraculous events of the week. To meditate on what is actually happening at every Mass could leave my head spinning for days. Think about it: God Himself enters our space and time. He comes to dwell among us—and within us. He becomes just as present to us on the altar in the form of bread and wine as He was in…
I am preparing for my annual silent retreat weekend, and I have been thinking about my past retreat experiences. Sometimes I doubt that they are doing any good. Have I really grown spiritually in the past 2, 4, 6 years? I know that discouragement can be normal in the spiritual life, which is why I’m trying not to pay too much attention to the nagging voice. Still, as I reflect back on the post I wrote for CatholicMom.com three years…
When I was a little girl, I loved the mail. I heard the mail truck, with its distinct clunky noises, much sooner than I saw it, and when it finally came into view, I waited by the window until the mailman drove to our mailbox to deliver the mail. Then, I rushed out the front door to collect it. I am not sure what it was about the mail that I loved. Most days, it was nothing but bills and…
So, the summer is flying by for me and my family. June was a whirlwind of activities with three sleepover camps, VBS, typing class, tutoring, and a couple trips to the pool. The Fourth of July was spent grilling out, watching fireworks, and spending time with good friends. As I gear up to take a beach vacation with my family, I am taking a break from my planning to join Carolyn Astfalk’s Open Book feature on CatholicMom.com. Here is a sampling…
Have you heard the Christmas song “Grown-Up Christmas List”? Many singers have recorded it, but the version I am most familiar with is on Amy Grant’s Home for Christmas album. The lyrics reflect back on childhood when Christmas included writing out a wish list and sending it to Santa Claus. As children, we hope for the magical appearance of presents underneath the tree on Christmas morning. However, as we grow up, our Christmas wishes change. We realize that we care…
Less than one month after I was born, my parents brought me to our local parish and asked the Catholic Church for a gift on my behalf. They asked that I receive the sacramental grace of Baptism, to become a daughter of God and a member of the Catholic family. Growing up, I loved Jesus. I was one of those kids who enjoyed Mass and Sunday school. Church was a familiar, comfortable place. Looking back, I didn’t attend a particularly…
It is 8 AM. I walk into my quiet house, and I stand in the kitchen. Breakfast dishes are piled next to the sink, waiting to be loaded into the dishwasher. The stools around the kitchen island are pushed out, a reminder of the people sitting on them an hour ago. I can hear the hum of the refrigerator; I can hear my own footsteps. When is my house ever this still? With no one around, I wonder what I…