I have a 104 year-old grandmother, Nonni.* Until recently, she lived by herself. Whenever I would go to visit her, I was always struck by how simple a life she lived compared to me. She lived in a tiny, one bedroom apartment with only a bed and a few pieces of furniture. She does not […]
Dealing with teenagers can be a real challenge. A typical teenager is concerned with one thing in their lives: themselves. As a result, they tend to make their relationship with their parents very transactional. They expect to request and to receive, and nothing more. Give them the car keys, and they are happy. Give them […]
“It had been more than fifteen years since I had been to confession.” Steve reluctantly revealed to the group during a Divorced Catholic session. He went on to tell us how he finally worked up the courage to get in line one day after Mass and go. It was a huge milestone for him. While […]
I happened upon this quote a few years after my divorce and it has never failed to renew my hope. I pray it does for you, too. As servants of God, we must learn to make room for Him-to give God “elbow room.” We plan and figure and predict that this or that will happen, […]
“I just want you to know how impressed I am with how well the girls are doing,” my former father-in-law said sincerely as he was handing me their luggage. I had met at a halfway point to pick the girls up from a weekend spent with their grandparents. I must admit that I was surprised […]
I was putting my son to bed one evening, as I often do, and I was laying next to him joining him in his evening prayers. When we were done, I reached over, kissed him, blessed him, and told him goodnight. He replied, “Goodnight, I love you.” I then replied, “I love you more!” He […]
“This generation is always looking for a quick fix.” spilled out of my mouth as I was sharing some parenting challenge with a friend. I was smug in my surety that I was different–that I was older and wiser. But the truth is, I’m really not. In fact, I think most people, no matter their […]
SPLASH! The cold water now drenching my running shoes yanked me back into reality. I was outside with my four-year-old son watching him play with water balloons. He was getting a big kick out of filling them up and throwing them at the brick wall of the house and the bed of my pick-up. Him […]
My five-year-old son squealed in delight as the bumper cars lurched forward. The ride had just begun and all the cars were whirling around in all different directions. It was only seconds before the first car came rudely smashing into us from behind, giving us both a solid jolt. My son had the wheel and […]
I dropped the letter in disbelief on to the kitchen counter. It was a copy of an affidavit that had just been filed with the court by my former spouse’s attorney. It was full of out-and-out lies about me. I had come to expect the torrent of falsehoods coming from my former spouse, so that […]