I was sitting next to my son at Mass on Easter and he whispered, “This is the last Sunday where I can’t receive Jesus.” To receive Jesus. We’ve had a few conversations about this over the last few weeks as he is preparing for his First Communion, but the most impactful was when he made […]

This phrase has stuck with me since watching the last episode of season one of “The Chosen.” “The Chosen” is a series that explores what the individuals of the Gospels in the Bible were experiencing in their lives when they encountered Jesus. The Bible does not tell us their stories, or only in broad strokes. […]

What do you see? If you haven’t had a chance to see the Lenten video-based mini-retreats hosted at https://familytogether.stcdio.org/lent, please check them out now. I have a sample embedded here for your convenience, and I’ll wait. They are the fruits of a collaborative effort of Catholics from the Diocese of Saint Cloud. The goal is […]

In Amélie Nothumb’s semi-autobiographical novel  Fear and Trembling (and the Alain Corneau 2005 film based on the same), the main character, Amélie, finds herself in an increasingly nightmarish situation in her job at a large Tokyo corporation. Though she has been hired as an interpreter for the company, Amélie receives a bizarre series of increasingly […]

As I write this blog post, I am days away from turning the big 3-0. How did this happen!??! It is definitely with mixed emotions, and newly-found aches and pains, that I enter a new decade. I must admit I am a little sad; however, I am even more excited at the prospect that my 30s might be even half as great as […]

In a recent moment of prayer, I dove into the scriptures. I’ve been recently going through the book of the Prophet Zechariah and in the 11th chapter, there is an oracle which speaks about bad shepherds. In the oracle, these shepherds snap two staffs – the staff of Unity and the staff of Delight. In […]

After my husband and I were married in 1997, we purchased our first vehicle together. A used Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo.  To be honest, we bought this vehicle solely on outside appearances only…but, oh boy was it a lemon. Unbeknownst to us at the time, it was in a previous accident. Every month there was […]

If I were giving a sermon today, I would focus on the one topic consuming headlines, air time and conversations more than any other; the dreaded coronavirus and its ensuing pandemic. Fear seems to be everywhere and we all want guidelines and reassurance we’ll not be caught up in the grips of this disease. Like […]

A trip through any store in the last few weeks will remind you it is Valentine’s Day. For such a minor holiday (relative to those like Easter and Christmas), the stores and advertisements are sure counting on this one for sales. I read that Valentine’s Day spending nationwide is expected to reach $27.4 billion this […]

A recent conversation with a friend has been on my mind. Though states apart, she and I have been sharing struggles over this last year and trying to decipher how to best navigate the ever-changing and chaotic cycle that our days spin in. We then started talking about marriages and family life. I had began […]