My birthday is coming up this month. I love my birthday and make a point to have a great time with family. We have living room dance parties, I grab lunch with my mom and maybe go antiquing with friends. Coffee and donuts are always involved. Whatever the agenda, the …

I ran two whole miles yesterday. That doesn’t sound like a lot, so let’s call it 10,560 feet; and I ran them all without stopping. This is huge for me, not because I’ve never been the athletic type, but because, by God’s grace, I’m recognizing more frequently my fear of …

As I recently walked through a retail store with my kids, we saw the whole place decked out in snowflakes, North Pole signage, toy cars with trees strapped on top and, most puzzling, Star Wars Pez in candy striped boxes. So, I nonchalantly quizzed my kids. “This stuff looks fun. …

“Who can find a good wife? She is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain.” (Prov. 31:10-11) A few months ago, I started listening to The Catholic Money Show for some monetary motivation, after which my …

When I was growing up, my mom would say, “God has a plan for you today, Katie.” Her comment had implications and truth that took decades to sink in. Family life can be monotonous. There is so much sameness played on repeat; work and sleep without much in between. And …

“I’ve done a lot of funerals, and I’ve never seen a hearse pulling a U-Haul.” – Father Bruce H. Living simply is a stirring in my soul. Among the methods to pare down one’s possessions and activities, there is one that transcends cultural fads and speaks to the heart of …

While at a friend’s house just a few days ago, we were chatting about supporting our kids’ spiritual lives when she called over her nine-year-old son. “Trent, what’s your goal in life?” “To be with Jesus in Heaven,” Trent replied, timid at having an audience. Conversing further with him revealed …

I’m an aspiring world traveler. In 2018 I ached to just go: hop on a plane bound for somewhere I had never been to become steeped in a foreign experience. I wanted to see more of God’s creation than offered by my backyard. But beyond that, I wanted to discover …

I have one living grandparent. My mother’s father is a spry 97-year-old who still makes the trip between his home in New York and his sisters’ home county of Donegal, Ireland. The stories he tells are a charming weave of Irish exaggeration and straight facts, though it’s occasionally hard to …

“Prayer is a launching of the heart toward God.” – St. Thérèse of Lisieux I have a front row seat to intense suffering these days. A friend just delivered a stillborn son. Another friend’s husband was laid off just months after they moved out of state for his job. Still …