Struggles

Priorities

I have been going to private counseling for about 2 years now and have been so grateful for the help I am receiving as I process trying to care for my parents and watching both of them die. A couple weeks ago I did an exercise in which I went through cards with different values […]

Being Done

I listened to a great homily by Fr. Mike Schmitz this morning before I went to Palm Sunday Mass. He talked about something that I have struggled with. Fr. Schmitz admittedly looks forward to being “done”. He anticipates what the outcome will be and gets nervous or anxious not knowing. When it is done, he […]

Encouraging Wisdom

This morning I had brunch with some new friends from the church. It is an organized group of older, single people who get together for a meal or events a couple times a month. You can just participate in whatever you would like. One of the ladies I talked with is the oldest at 89 […]

Go Left

A friend of mine continues to struggle through a divorce and move. I went to help her get some final things out of her house today. Another friend was there as well. We loaded up all our vehicles and headed over to the new place. When we were there, I saw her friend taping a […]

Finding Hope

A friend of mine is struggling as she goes through a divorce. I have been trying to help pack things up as they get ready to sell their house, which is very emotional as well. She invited me today to go look at a place that she is thinking of renting. She had a place […]

A Song for Nagasaki

When I listened to a Lenten podcast from Hallow this morning, they said they would be reading excerpts from the book, “A Song for Nagasaki”, and reflecting on them. The book is about a Japanese doctor who survived the atomic bombing in 1945. He spent the rest of his life bringing physical and spiritual healing […]

Led By Faith

Today I started reading the book, “Led by Faith, Rising from the Ashes of the Rwanda Genocide”. It is a story about Immaculée Ilibagiza who survived the Rwanda genocide by hiding in a pastor’s tiny bathroom with 7 other starving women for 91 terrifying days. Her first book was called, “Left to Tell” in which […]

Go Outside

I have been going to physical therapy as my back has been not cooperating with me for some time now. For me, it is difficult not to just push through pain to do what I would like to do. But, I am trying to live in that balance between full speed ahead and not being […]

Spiritual Maturity

Today I spent some time at the Newman Center and met a couple of the young adults. I had learned the other day that tragically one of the students died over the Christmas break. The campus minister had to break the news to the community when everyone returned from their holidays. There was a memorial […]

Seeing Relief

A friend who is also a neighbor had successful major abdominal surgery last week. This was to complete a previous surgery. However, she had been struggling with pain and nausea. She ended up staying in the hospital a couple days longer than anticipated, but came home yesterday afternoon. I went to the store today and […]