The last kiss goodbye unashamedly took place on a crowded sidewalk along Commonwealth Avenue in Boston. Funny, I didn’t picture it being like that, but there it was. My daughter was starting her college life with a service program that connected her with hundreds of eager fellow freshmen. We arrived early at the designated meeting […]

This morning, as I write this, I am eating biscotti in bed. Close at hand is my warm mug of hazelnut-crème-flavored coffee. Hubby is already at work and summer’s pace still has the teenagers sleeping in. I am hiding out from my fears for a little while as I contemplate my forthcoming hip-replacement surgery only […]

I'm no expert on keeping "a good Lent". I'm just a Catholic trying to stay close to Jesus, my family, my community, and my Church. Even just typing that last sentence makes me squirm a bit because, if you met me last week, you'd probably say I wasn't really making any headway in those categories.
So, for […]

It is 4 A.M. Not wishing to wake me, my husband moves around our bedroom using his trusty flashlight. He doesn't know that I am already awake. My eyes finally open. In the dim light I see Jesus: head bowed, arms stretched wide open. It is the crucifix on the wall, a gift on our […]

I was standing at the edge of the woods as the first snow came to New England, everything somewhat stilled, peaceful.  And if you lean into it, there's a very specific sound you cannot escape if you listen closely… one part hush, and one part something else… it's almost mystical.  New Englanders in snow country […]

A long time ago, I was a child who couldn't wait for Christmas to come — counting down the days with glee! Now I'm an adult with an obligatory calendar counting days 'til Christmas with a to-do list and a mindset of, "how will I ever get it all done?" But the believer in me knows […]

"The beauty of Creation reflects the infinite Beauty of the Creator" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 341).
I live in New England — the quintessential capital of stunningly beautiful fall foliage. These cool, brisk days bring my sweaters out of hiding and instill a fondness for taking work-breaks in the great outdoors just to drink […]

"After you were made, they broke the mold!"  Depending on the company you were in when that was said, this was either a compliment or sarcasm.  As a compliment, it means one is unique, one-of-a-kind, special.
Allow me to use the positive sense of this phrase — this one-of-a-kind status — as a weak analogy […]

Okay, just so you know, I'm praying for you, young man. Yes, you, the one escorting my daughter to the prom. You can expect no less from me, her cradle-Catholic mom who prays about everything, but prays with increased fervor when it comes to family matters.
I know she will look radiant in the gown she spent […]

I sat on the edge of her bed and squeezed her hand to let her know I was there. I listened to her labored breathing as she rested, eyes closed, propped up on her pillows. At that moment, I knew I was sitting close to a soul that would soon be in the presence of […]

One upon a time I prayed for a guitar for Christmas. Actually it was more like praying and whining to my parents about buying me a guitar. At age 10, it was a big deal. I'll always remember my first 6-string wrapped in a triangular box. Music lessons followed, my parents gambling on how long […]

True confession: I hate housework, but I'm learning to make peace with it. For years, I failed to embrace all things domestic. Of course, my family would never have survived this long without some household routines, but suffice to say, the discipline of keeping house was slow to develop in me.
A Woman’s Work Is Never […]

We had Christ and cancer in common. Talk about being yoked by the best and the worst in life!
A Friend Comes alongside
I met Judi at a weekday Mass in 1996. She stayed after Mass to pray, but accidentally overheard my whispered conversation in a nearby pew. Someone asked me about my newly diagnosed breast cancer. […]

I own three pairs of glasses. Yes, three. I once lost two pairs in one week! Then I replaced them — only to find a pair days later. My eyesight was not the only problem in need of a new prescription. Recently, I had one of those epiphanies in which you realize that the little […]

The decision is final. My son has decided where he is going to college. My head acknowledges this, but my heart is undecided. It is uncharted territory for the both of us. He’s 18 — this child God used in order to make a mother out of me.
He's slowly been moving out of my sphere […]

Years ago, I was a Girl Scout and a backpacker. The weight on my back taught me to keep the load light. Carry just what is needed. Nowadays, I treat my pocketbook the same way — the emptier, the better. Recently, God used it to teach me a timely spiritual lesson.
With all the carpooling I […]

I love being in church, but most of my real life takes place outside of it. One of the gifts of faith is the ability to understand one’s vocation — the deep relationship of my spiritual life to my temporal world.
The Mass: Instruction in How to Live
We who are the laity are called to sanctify […]

A Happy Series of Blessed Events
Heaven and earth rejoiced over the new “Guggenberger” family. For it was now known that Kurt and Anne Marie had entered into a covenant with God and with one another. By their wedding vows, their own will was now intimately tied up with God’s will in a three-ply cord. And, […]

A Place for Mary in My Home
It took a prayerful friend and a good cup of coffee to change my experience of the rosary.
Nearly 18 years ago, I met a new friend at church. She had three boys. Her baby was the same age as my only child at the time. As I got […]

Going to prayer again, I found a simple plan that will help me be more generous over the coming year: GIVE ONE DAY (G.O.D.) a month. Visualize Jesus speaking: “Truly I say to you, as you did it to the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me” (Mt 25:40, RSV).
God grants me […]

I do a weekly adoration hour. If you are familiar with the devotion of Eucharistic Adoration, skip the next paragraph. If not, allow me to explain.
In formal settings, when a Catholic church sets up a weekly or daily schedule of Adoration or “Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament,” volunteers (like me) sign up to pray […]

My favorite place to dwell is across from the light of a crackling fire, sitting with my feet curled up under me on the couch. It is our “family room” — so named because the walls and all available shelf space are adorned by hundreds of framed faces of family and friends.
It captures […]