Two Virtues I Need a Time of Slow Growth
August 18, 2019
I grew so much much during our time of crisis. Now back at home, I find myself struggling. Two virtues are needed for this slow growth in the little way: patience and labor.
The Good Life
To the Man Who Wants to Be An Island
August 11, 2019
John Donne wrote, “No man is an island entire of itself; every man / is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.” This means we are all part of a community of persons, nested in society. We do not stand alone, like a remote island
The Feminine Genius in Art at Blessed is She
August 2, 2019
On a rainy May afternoon I ducked out of the drizzle through the double glass doors of the Mistlin Art Gallery in the city’s historic downtown to join an intimate gathering of local opera lovers. Patrons gathered around mezzo-soprano Nikola Printz, artist, performer, and remarkable stage presence for a solo
Libraries for the Common Good
July 28, 2019
There is a hot debate in my aunt’s town far away from my own where one woman has argued they ought to clear the way in the library for more digital services because “there are too many books…people no longer read…this is the technological age.” It was a
Choosing the Small
July 14, 2019
Journey in Love: A Catholic Mother’s Prayers after Prenatal Diagnosis is now available online at Our Sunday Visitor. With my first book published and another on the way, there is cause to celebrate. Yet I cannot help asking myself, where do I go from here? That same question
The Hidden Cost of Luxery
June 30, 2019
Some days, the days at home with the kids grow long. I turn to Facebook for mental stimulation and personal connection. A woman posted a series of photos in support of babywearing: the art of holding a child hands-free by a type of sling or carrier. Around the world
When you see that guy at the gas station
June 16, 2019
A young man with pale skin and scraggly hair walked the lines of the gas station. Approaching me, but standing halfway behind the pump, he quietly offered to wash my windows. Alone, I looked in his eyes and said, equally quietly, “no, thank you.” Maybe with my husband, I would
Should This Column Change Your Life?
June 9, 2019
Previously published at the Hughson Chronicle & Denair Dispatch. I was grateful this morning to wake and find a comment on a piece I wrote a while back titled, “Are You a Caregiver Burning Out?” The column itself meant a lot to me as it was the fruit
You are Not Who You Think You Are
June 2, 2019
You are so much more Previously published in the Hughson Chronicle-Denair Dispatch Upon a Google search, Wikipedia stated “One’s self-concept (also called self-construction, self-identity, self-perspective or self-structure) is a collection of beliefs about oneself. Generally, self-concept embodies the answer to ‘Who am I?’.” In my self-concept, I look
Herd Some Chickens
May 26, 2019
Previously published in the Hughson Chronicle-Denair Dispatch We have chickens at our house. Down in numbers from our first purchase, the two remaining are a sight for sore eyes. One is a tiny, mixed breed. The other, named Cobalt, is large, dark gray hen, often mistaken for a rooster,