As a Catholic mom, I am grateful for the belief in the communion of saints, the great cloud of witnesses who have gone before us marked with the sign of faith. On earth, they strived to live holy lives, following God’s will, practicing virtue, and overcoming sin. Now, they are in Heaven, and God has generously given them the opportunity to pray for us on earth, who are still striving for our Eternal Home. I often teach my children about particular…
Looking back on her preschool years, I now recognize the early warning signs. They were there, but I didn’t know. Things such as difficulty hearing rhyming words, like cat, hat, and mat. My daughter couldn’t rhyme, and I didn’t understand why. As my daughter progressed through Kindergarten, I saw her struggling, but I wasn’t worried. I thought she would eventually catch up, and things would smooth themselves out. But then, I started receiving notes from her teacher that she falling…
As a parent of a Dyslexic child, I have suddenly been immersed in a topic I never thought I would know about. Like many things, if it does not affect us personally, often times we don’t have much knowledge of it. But when my daughter was diagnosed with Dyslexia, I wanted to know what she was going through. I wanted to grow in empathy, so I could help her, encourage her, and support her in this journey. I wanted her…
“Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked them, but Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” After he placed his hands on them, he went away.” (Matthew 19:13-15) When I first suspected that my daughter might have a learning disability, like Dyslexia, I wasn’t really sure what to do. I felt overwhelmed,…
The month of October has always been special to me. For one thing, I love the fall season, and in October, autumn is in full swing. Also, fifteen years ago this October, I said, “I do,” to the most wonderful man in my world, and we began a beautiful and blessed life together. Last October, I shared on my blog how the month of October is dedicated to the Rosary in the Catholic tradition, through my series 31 Days With Mary….
On this #WorthRevisitWednesday, I am reposting a reflection I wrote today for WINE: Women in the New Evangelization. I couldn’t help but share this reflection here today, too, because well, you’ll see why … Today, my daughter Olivia celebrates her 12th birthday. I look back on the day of her birth with love and laughter. By mid-morning of that day, my second daughter was born, swaddled in a blanket, and sleeping in my arms. My husband and I looked at…
Have I told you how much I love #WorthRevisitWednesday? You probably can tell by how much I participate in this link-up! Even if I can’t get to this space much in a week, I try to at least check in here on Wednesdays! Today’s post is not far into the archives. In fact, it is posted today on the WINE: Women in the New Evangelization blog. But since it posted several hours ago over there, this is technically a revisited post!…
Have you ever felt a little lost? Have you ever wondered what your God-given purpose really is? A few months ago, that’s how I was feeling—lost and wondering about my purpose. Then, an amazing opportunity came my way. It was a dream come true, and I was excited! I was going to have the opportunity to pursue my heart’s desire, and I couldn’t wait to dive in. But soon afterward, it became quite obvious that the timing was not right. I…
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…
Welcome to 31 Days With Mary! In the Catholic tradition, the month of October is devoted to the Rosary, the beautiful prayer that the Blessed Virgin Mary gave to St. Dominic, which invites thoughtful contemplation on the life of her Son, Jesus Christ. For the past few years, the month of October also is marked in the blog-world with a 31-day writing challenge, founded by The Nester, Myquillin Smith. I thought I would merge two of my favorite things—Our Blessed…