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
There is something so good about a baby. Why else would couples, after weeks of morning sickness, the pain of labor and childbirth, and the long and difficult nights, choose to have more than one? Sleep deprivation-induced memory loss may well be a reason—but it's also because babies are good. Their wonder can teach us to wonder. Their delight can teach us to delight. Their innocence can call us back to innocence. They remind us of the beauty of the human being
Lately, though, I've had some beautiful moments meditating on the joyful mysteries. Becoming a mother brings them to life in a way they never have before; I can relate my own experiences of motherhood to the awe-inspiring experiences of the Blessed Mother as she and St. Joseph raised the Son of God.
Day by day, bead by bead, the rosary bringing me closer to Jesus and his mother—and I'm bringing my daughter there with me.
My husband and I got married last year on the feast day of St. Teresa of Calcutta (perhaps still more commonly known as Mother Teresa). We'd selected that day partly because of the time of year (not too distant from when he proposed but enough time for marriage prep and wedding planning ... and, it … Continue reading Celebrating Mother Teresa on My Wedding Anniversary
What made Mary's reflection different from rumination? How can an anxious person like me imitate her, deepening my relationship with God by pondering the good and bad things that happen in my life rather than ruminating on the negative?
Nothing can prepare you for becoming a parent. You can read all the books and blog posts and talk to all the parents you know, but the experience will still surprise you. And if you'd hung your hat—knowingly or unknowingly—on a particular image of what being a mother would be like, that surprise will be painful.
Everyday Roses 