On Repeat
There are two dimensions to a New Year’s resolution: forming a new habit, and breaking an old habit. Adding more greens to my diet implies cutting out some other, unhealthy element or elements. Exercising regularly implies taking time away from other pastimes that foster slothful behavior. In...
Read full story »
Read full story »
Thursday, January 18, 2018
Devotion to Mary, the Mother of God
On the first day of the New Year, the Catholic Church asks us to celebrate Mary the Mother of God. I believe that is because the Church recognizes the incredibly powerful role Mary plays as a mother to Christ and a mother to us. She...
Read full story »
Read full story »
Thursday, January 11, 2018
What can one person do?
Making new year’s resolutions got me thinking not only of what I can do and change for myself and my own life, but also what I can do and how I can help the world around me. I sometimes find it overwhelming when I think of the many people in physical and emotional pain, the persecution of peo...
Read full story »
Read full story »
Thursday, January 04, 2018
The real meaning of Advent
I remember the first time I started to understand the meaning of Advent. I was in Catholic elementary school; December thoughts bounced around my mind, and every single one of them was excitement for Christmas. I wondered what toys I would get. I was so eager to put ornaments on the tree, and I cou...
Read full story »
Read full story »
Thursday, December 07, 2017
Want less stress? Be still...
We certainly like to tell each other how busy our lives are. Probably 75 percent of each day is filled with complaints about our various sources of stress. Recently, I was talking to my friend about the hectic day I was facing, and I changed the subject because I was tired of thinking about the ens...
Read full story »
Read full story »
Tuesday, November 21, 2017
Change begins within
Change begins within. In the world we live in today, there are so many reasons for us to feel discouragement tugging at our smiles and weighing us down. It can be difficult to find the hope and the purpose to keep...
Read full story »
Read full story »
Wednesday, November 08, 2017
Irish trip offers new perspectives
My husband and I took an amazing trip to Ireland in September. We played a short tour with a Cleveland band, performed five shows in this country rich in history and music. We traveled from Dublin across the southern part of Ireland, to the west coast, and back to Dublin. We were able to immerse ou...
Read full story »
Read full story »
Thursday, November 02, 2017
Embracing the battle of prayer
When life throws us a curveball, all we can think to do is pray. We face difficult break ups, high-stakes tests, and medical emergencies, and our hearts naturally cry out to God. But when life is good or even just mediocre, many of us think we don’t have the time or ability to properly pray....
Read full story »
Read full story »
Thursday, October 26, 2017
I Know the Feeling
When I was younger, I was extremely shy. I preferred observing over listening, taking in people’s features and quirks, noticing the ways they acted and interacted. I liked words, music and art, and I was very emotionally sensitive. It seemed to me at the time that others around me did not sha...
Read full story »
Read full story »
Thursday, October 19, 2017
Live a little…laugh!
A few weeks ago my better half, Dan, came home and was in an upbeat mood and chiming “Hee Hee Hee Hee, Ha Ha Ha Ha, Ho Ho Ho Ho”. The kids and I ended up joining in at some point, and this activity created a lot of fun and joy for us all to engage in. He had been to his week...
Read full story »
Read full story »
Thursday, October 19, 2017