Past
Two Years
Today was the two year anniversary of my father’s death. I had been anticipating this day for several weeks now and wondering what it would be like for my mom. I set up to have my dad prayed for at the parish Mass this afternoon. While mom doesn’t always remember that my dad died, she […]
Early Encounter
Yesterday I had an opportunity to share my story of going to Lourdes, healing, and personal faith. It reminded me of how much God loves me and cares for me, even when I doubt or struggle, or even turn away. I got choked up telling the story again, remembering the incredible spirituality of the place […]
Train Your Mind
I saw a quote from TobyMac today that moved my heart, “Train your mind to hear what God whispers and not what the enemy may be shouting.” I also heard a beautiful reflection the other day saying that my past sins are like grains of sand compared to the mountain that is God. These two […]
Sprechen Deutsch
We had a woman come clean the house today. She was German and asked my mother if she was German too. My mom said she was and the woman said a couple things to her in German. My mom actually grew up speaking English and German. It took her a little while to process, but […]
Sugar Plum Loaves
Today my mom and I made the Sugar Plum Loaves that she bakes and shares every year. It is a recipe from her 1976 “New Better Homes and Gardens” cookbook. I remembered the first year I helped her with them I was afraid, as I am not a bread baker and had no idea what […]
Double Hawk Blessing
I was tired this morning, but able to go out and run a couple errands. On my way home I was even more tired and wondering when I would have energy again. As I was getting on the highway, a red tailed hawk swooped right in front of me, talons extended as it landed on […]
Ancestors
I watched the Disney movie Coco last night. It gave an opportunity to think about the importance of family and all those who have gone before. Today a friend shared a graphic called Ancestral Mathematics that I thought was interesting and thoughtful as well. It counted back 12 generations – 4094 ancestors over about 400 […]
Joyful Halloween
This Halloween morning, my mom was reminiscing about how she celebrated the day when she was a child. She said that her dad always baked some special cookies for the kids who would come to the bakery. But the first memory she had of herself celebrating the holiday was when she was in 8th grade. […]
Carpet Cleaning
We usually have our carpets cleaned once a year after the summer. This year I decided to go with a company owned by a friend. The wife was just a kid in the neighborhood we lived in many years ago. It was a wonderful community and we were all like family. Her son came over […]
Saving Memories
After my dad died just over a year and a half ago, my mom and I collected all the cards and tokens of thoughtfulness in a basket. We tried to keep them organized and sent out thank you notes. On one of the dressers in my mom’s room, we placed the patriotic blanket that we […]
Still Finding God 