2022 Reads: My Favorite Books This Year

I read a lot of great books this year (and reread several more). Here are my favorites: "The Blue Castle," by L.M. Montgomery This was a re-read that my Well-Read Mom group decided to read along with "Anne of Green Gables." It sounded like a depressing setup but ended up being hilarious, charming, and a … Continue reading 2022 Reads: My Favorite Books This Year →

What I Learned From Reading the Bible in a Year

Last year, I made a Liturgical New Year's Resolution to read the Bible in one year, following Meg Hunter-Kilmer's one-year Bible reading plan. I didn't technically finish in one year, but I am on track to finish by the end of 2023—much to my surprise. It was an audacious goal, and I tend to be … Continue reading What I Learned From Reading the Bible in a Year →

Community and “IRL” Friendship Are the Cure for Comparison and Perfectionism

Our toddlers giggled and screeched at each other from across the table as we drank our coffees and chatted. We tried to shush them, but the people at the tables around us smiled and said "hi" to our toddlers. ("She's precious," one said to me as we left.) In the last couple of weeks, my … Continue reading Community and “IRL” Friendship Are the Cure for Comparison and Perfectionism →

Receptivity and Humility: A Virtuous Cycle

It's occurred to me recently that humility is a prerequisite for receptivity. In order to receive, we must be aware of what we lack and be willing to accept gifts from God and from others. Humility is the virtue that gives us that self-awareness.

Wanda Maximoff and the Idolatry of Motherhood

Turning motherhood into an idol can lead us down some dangerous paths, and I found an illustration of this truth in an unlikely place: the new Marvel Cinematic Universe movie "Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness."

Book Review: “For Their Sake I Consecrate Myself”

Spiritual biographies can be a little intimidating sometimes. When they’re written by an overly enthusiastic admirer, they can show all of the sainthood and none of the struggle. “For Their Sake I Consecrate Myself,” a biography of Sister Maria Bernadette of the Cross written by Jadwiga Stabińska, OSBap, could have been such a biography—but wasn’t.

“Mama Prays”: A Realistic, Encouraging Devotional for Catholic Mamas

Being a mom is hard. Being a Catholic mom is, in some ways, especially hard. (How on earth do you raise a practicing Catholic in our culture? I'm not sure yet!) In many other ways, though, Catholicism gives us comfort, strength, and wisdom, and I don't know how I would survive motherhood without it. It … Continue reading “Mama Prays”: A Realistic, Encouraging Devotional for Catholic Mamas →

My Handmaid’s Uniform

It struck me as ironic that women use the "Handmaid's Tale" costume to protest the supposed oppression of women by a Church who reveres the most famous handmaid as Queen of Heaven and Earth. It also made me reflect on the accessory (if you will) that I wear day and night in honor of that handmaid.

Healing Is a Process

Ten and a half months after having my daughter, and my fibromyalgia symptoms are still here, and I’ve been not only struggling with how to deal with those symptoms while caring for an active infant who’s in about the 95th percentile for size. I’ve also been struggling with feeling like a liar and a fraud. Do I need an asterisk by every interview I’ve done and every article I’ve written about my health journey?

Reflecting on Virtue and Vice With Jane Austen and Haley Stewart

I preordered Haley Stewart's new book "Jane Austen's Genius Guide to Life: On Love, Friendship, and Becoming the Person God Created You to Be," from Ave Maria Press as soon as it was available. I began it on Saturday and finished it on Sunday. Don't read into how quickly I read it, though: This book … Continue reading Reflecting on Virtue and Vice With Jane Austen and Haley Stewart →