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Four Ways to Cultivate a Spirit of Thanksgiving All Month Long

Four Ways to Cultivate a Spirit of Thanksgiving All Month Long

A wave of discouragement rushed over me, as I walked out of the doctor’s office. News of another health issue left me down and discouraged. I felt tired of following the breadcrumb trail. I wanted to be done with diagnoses, recommendations, feeling fatigued and in pain. The sadness lingered as I pulled myself out of bed the next morning. It was business as usual for this mom. The children needed me, whether I felt good or not. As I pulled…

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Day 17 :: 31 Days With Mary—His and Hers

Day 17 :: 31 Days With Mary—His and Hers

Originally published on Dec. 29, 2010. Remembering the story of some special Rosaries on the 17th day of 31 Days With Mary, during this Month of the Rosary. My husband and I attend a silent Ignatian retreat every year (separately, of course). The order of priests and brothers that puts on the retreat has a strong devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows, which has granted them (and all those associated with them) the same merits that a traditional Rosary grants. Part of the retreat’s prayer…

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Daybook :: The World of Octobers + Day 12 :: 31 Days With Mary

Daybook :: The World of Octobers + Day 12 :: 31 Days With Mary

Outside my window … It is mid-October, and I wore shorts on Saturday. Today, the air has shifted, and it feels much more like October. The leaves have not been as vibrant this year, and I don’t know why. Every bright red and vivid orange tree I see makes me smile.   Thanking God for … * The month of October … my favorite * Beautiful fall weather … it seems like the fall is taking its time * Bright…

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Reflection on My Daughter’s 10th Birthday

Reflection on My Daughter’s 10th Birthday

This will be short and sweet, because we have a birthday to celebrate today! But as I greeted my daughter this morning, on this her 10th birthday, I couldn’t help but take a moment to let it soak in that 10 is a pretty big milestone in a child’s life … and in a mom’s life, too. Be silly, be honest, be kind.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson That quote sums up my daughter, Lucia, perfectly. I saw it on a spiral…

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St. Martha’s Example of Feminine Strength and Expectant Faith

St. Martha’s Example of Feminine Strength and Expectant Faith

Have you ever been asked the question, “Are you a ‘Mary’ or a ‘Martha’”? It’s as if we are expected to choose one or the other. It’s also as if one is better than the other, for doesn’t Jesus say, “Mary has chosen the better part”? (Luke 10:42) Many women identify with Martha more than Mary. After all, we see ourselves doing the same tasks that cause so much anxiety in Martha—cooking, cleaning, running errands, feeling busy with our long…

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Pressing on

Pressing on

I am on Day 6 of the Whole30, and I have to say, “So far, so good.” Thanks be to God! I have reached a point with my Hashimoto’s where I am fed up with unexpected weight gain, swollen ankles, and chronic fatigue. As in, “I’ll try anything, if I think it might work.” Hence, the Whole30! But it took me awhile to get here. The first time I attempted the Whole30, I made it to Day 13. I got off track…

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A Lesson in Walking By Faith

A Lesson in Walking By Faith

For more than 12 years, I have been suffering from Hypothyroidism, which means I have an under-active Thyroid gland. It is not uncommon, but it has been tricky to find just the right medication and dosage to regulate it. Low iron and adrenal fatigue have not helped my situation. This January, I learned that my health took another turn for the worse, and my Hypothyroidism turned into an autoimmune disease called Hashimoto’s. The more I researched, the more I realized that my…

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Faith-based Ideas for a Fun Summer

Faith-based Ideas for a Fun Summer

One idea for staying connected to our faith during the summer months is to visit a local shrine or find one near your vacation spot. Here is my family at the living Rosary of the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes in Two Inlets, MN. Two weeks from today is my children’s last day of school. Summer is right around the corner. While sifting through summer camp brochures and swim lesson schedules, I wonder how to intertwine our Catholic faith…

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Five Ideas to Celebrate the Easter Season

Five Ideas to Celebrate the Easter Season

This Easter, plan on going on your own Emmaus walk. Photo via geograph.org.uk. As you probably already know, Easter is not just a one-day holiday in the Catholic Church. It is a 50-day season of celebrating and meditating on Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead, the event on which our entire faith is centered. During the Octave of Easter, which is the eight days between Easter Sunday and Divine Mercy Sunday, it is as if each day is Easter Sunday!…

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Lent Around My Home: Reclaiming My Joy

Lent Around My Home: Reclaiming My Joy

When my children were quite young, in fact when I only had half of the children I have today, I felt compelled to find ways to make the Catholic faith come alive for my children. More than simply attending Mass with them each Sunday, I wanted to teach them to pray, introduce them to the saints, and celebrate the liturgical seasons within our domestic church. I wanted to bridge what they saw and experienced at church and how we lived…

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