19th
May 2013
First, a clarification: All moms work, whether they stay at home or go out and earn a paycheque. For this post, I am defining "working mom" as those of us who work outside the home. In the twenty-five years that I have been a mother, I have worked as a full-time and part-time RN. I was also a stay-at-home mom for a few years, homeschooling for three of those years. Currently I am an RN in independent practice and own a ... (Continue reading)
"Can a woman forget her nursing child, or have no compassion for the child of her womb?” (Isaiah 49:15) Can you imagine a woman who is just like any loving mother, except completely sinless? Can you imagine a woman so radiantly humble, so sweetly selfless, so perfectly pious? Is there any way for us to imitate such loveliness, despite our wretched inclination to sin? As the mother of Jesus, the daughter of the Father, and the spouse of the Holy Spirit, ... (Continue reading)
One of the towns that my family frequently stays in is Alliance, Nebraska. It’s a relatively small town: population 8500. The first few times we stayed there we really hated it, but that turned out to be mainly because we were staying on the wrong side of town. Okay, technically you can still see the place we used to stay from the place we now prefer to stay, but those three blocks made a big difference in our perception of ... (Continue reading)
In light of the building collapse in Bangladesh, the media has turned to the ethics of our clothing trades…again. Clothing lines like Joe Fresh (in Canada) and big businesses like Walmart don’t hide the fact that they buy much of their stock from countries that care exactly zero about human life or, rather, from countries that allow (and maybe encourage?) people to work in dangerous conditions that inevitably lead to significant loss of life. It drew my attention to the little hands ... (Continue reading)
I watched the YouTube videos and read the articles of Susan Griffiths' final week of life with a mixture of sadness, discouragement, and anger. Susan Griffiths was the Canadian woman from Winnipeg, Manitoba who committed assisted suicide at the Dignitas Clinic in Switzerland on 25 April 2013. She was in the early stages of Multiple Systems Atrophy, a rare condition of the involuntary nervous system. As the name implies, it attacks all organ systems, thereby affecting everything ... (Continue reading)
“Chastity charms: we hand out the little hearts, but not the key. That way, nobody can open the lock forever, and ladies, that’s what keeps us safe!” - Emma Pillsbury, Glee In the TV show Glee, Emma Pillsbury is a neurotic, dysfunctional virgin who refuses to consummate her marriage. Holly Holiday, on the other hand, is a promiscuous temp who thinks that chastity for teens is like “vegetarianism for lions.” This is what the media has to say about sex. Modern TV ... (Continue reading)
"If God exists, why did He make us all different? Why didn't He make us all one colour, one religion? Then we wouldn't keep fighting each other. There's been wars ever since the world began. Why would God allow that?" These questions were directed to me by an avowed atheist whom I'll call "Jack," an elderly person who sometimes brings up the topic of religion. On this particular day, he also pointed out the hypocrisy of rabbis, priests, ministers—anyone in a ... (Continue reading)
I’m not a big Simpson’s fan, but I do remember one funny episode where Homer’s neighbour, Ned Flanders—the bible-believing Christian—promises Homer that he will shave off his mustache if Homer agrees to give up swearing. Ned institutes the swear jar and every time Homer lets a cuss word fly, he had to put money in the jar. If memory serves, the jar was all but full by the end of it. The curse words were only implied, not fully spoken, ... (Continue reading)
Late have I loved You, beauty so old and so new; late have I loved You... If part of that famous passage from Book Ten in Augustine's Confessions were lifted out of the book and read independently, it could be interpreted as a love letter—a breathtakingly sublime, swooning-in-your-arms ode to one's beloved. In fact, that is exactly what it is: Augustine's passionate declaration of love to his Beloved. It seems fitting to reflect on this passage during Lent. I don't need to have an ... (Continue reading)
Okay, I’m going to do it. You’re probably all Pope-d out as there hasn't been a moment’s break from all things “Pope” since Benedict said, “I’m done” and Francis said, “I’m good to go.” But I’m going to go for it anyways. Today I felt The Spirit, hovering and igniting the world just as He did two thousand years ago in a small room with some scared men. He was vibrant today—like Northern Lights vibrant—rushing through the waters of the Cardinals, giving them wisdom ... (Continue reading)
Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. - ...
Several years ago, when I was working on a community theatre project, I overheard two little girls having ...
My friend blogged the other day about how her boys, when allowed to have whatever they want for ...
He gently leads his dad down the aisle. Mass is about to begin and he knows it will ...
"Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go ...
First, a clarification: All moms work, whether they stay at home or go out and ...
"Can a woman forget her nursing child, or have no compassion for the child of ...
One of the towns that my family frequently stays in is Alliance, Nebraska. It’s a ...
In light of the building collapse in Bangladesh, the media has turned to the ethics ...
I watched the YouTube videos and read the articles of Susan Griffiths' final ...
“Chastity charms: we hand out the little hearts, but not the key. That way, nobody ...
"If God exists, why did He make us all different? Why didn't He make us ...
I’m not a big Simpson’s fan, but I do remember one funny episode where Homer’s ...
Late have I loved You, beauty so old and so new; late have I loved ...
Okay, I’m going to do it. You’re probably all Pope-d out as there hasn't been a moment’s ...
I thoroughly enjoy books which give great insight to the inner workings of man's character ...
Like many faithful Catholics, the resignation of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI left me feeling uncertain ...
Sometime after my family started traveling, my sister and her husband began traveling full time ...
“You dream of great deeds. Everyone, these days, reads about Charles de Foucauld. ...
Three years ago during a Lenten Friday Mass, I was called upon to use my ...