I heard this story years ago and it has been my go-to 'comfort' food for my soul when things are tough and doubts creep in: A man was sleeping one night in his cabin when suddenly his room filled with light, and God appeared. The Lord told the man he had work for him to do and showed him a large rock in front of his cabin. The Lord explained that the man was to push against the rock with all his might. So, this the man did, day after day. For many years he toiled from sun

“What are we doing here again?” asked eight year old Lia as we walked into church for the second time on this particular Sunday. “ Father Joe is celebrating his 40th anniversary of being a priest. Remember to be on your best behavior and don’t run in the hall and …” as I attempted to finish the list of warnings, Lia seemed to be overcome by gravity and would have been on the ground if I hadn’t grabbed her hand and kept her upright. That was when I noticed she was wearing he

“Home”…the word conjures up all kinds of images. Most people equate the word with a place…. a cozy living room with a couch you can sink into, a table filled with food surrounded by families sharing stories and laughter, backyard campfire complete with gooey s’mores. The home I grew up in as well as the home that we brought our girls up in were always places that reflected the love that we shared as a family. If we had a horrible day at school or work, home would be our sa

When it comes to motherhood, a discussion would surely not be complete without the topic of marriage…the source of the initial love that started it all. When Michael and I were married we knew we wanted to commit to a sacramental marriage…a marriage that reflected the love of Jesus, a love that strives to put the other first and to seek to love more than to be loved. At times this seems daunting and unattainable but when I think about our 31 years of sacramental marriage my

Recently I had one of those days when I didn’t feel like I was very good company for anyone. We all have those days as mothers. The thoughts of inadequacy and doubt fill our minds and spin like a hamster wheel. It was a day that I didn’t want to be alone either though, because honestly I wasn’t good company even for myself. So, I started out on a walk and began praying my “walking rosary”. This is when I walk and pray the rosary a decade at a time counting on the simples

When my daughter, Gabriella, was about 3 or 4, her favorite game was something she called “Saja-gadoo”. She would sit face to face with us with enough space for a toy on the ground between us. Then she would wave her magic wand, close her eyes, and say “Saja-gadoo, saja-gadoo, make this toy go away!” When she opened her eyes, she was always amazed at her magical powers as the toy had disappeared. Next, she would cast a reverse spell and watch in amazement as the item reapp

The prayer of St. Francis has always been a magnet to my soul. I remember having a special affinity for it back when I was a teenager. It was on the back of the mass card of my great grandfather and from the time he passed away, I would read it daily. It just made so much sense to me and was such a comfort in a world that seemed to spin out of control. I really didn’t know much about St. Francis except for these words of peace he had written centuries ago until I found my

Snow days were never complete without a walk down to our favorite pizza place on the corner and building a snowfort that would withstand the next storm. One time I remember Lia went crazy building a really cool fort with the pile of snow at the end of the driveway. Every minute she had outside I’d find her perfecting the architectural intricacies of that little tunnel home. She chiseled and scraped and made that pile into a dwelling fit for a queen. Then one day, she got