-
A Catholic Pilgrim Traveling to St. Augustine, Florida
I’m one of those people that loves history and the biggest reason why is because I love story-telling. History weaves a story and I love to understand and learn from those that came before us. Here in the United States, most of our history was influenced by English Protestants, which consequently means that a lot…
-
Modern-Day Feminists, Radical Tradwives, and the Women Caught in the Middle
This is a blog written by a Gen-Xer, which means it’s sure to irritate many in the Boomer generation and, subsequently, in the generations below me in equal parts which is always a good time. Though I come from a generation that gets mostly ignored, I do have a unique perspective as I’m caught in…
-
Our Culture’s Rejection of Beauty
The other day I was perusing Instagram and a video of a man came up that stopped me in my tracks. So drastic were the alterations he’d done to himself, that I couldn’t see him anymore. My eyes could physically look at him, but I couldn’t see him and, by that I mean, he had…
-
A Few Places I Refuse to Shop at Anymore
Recently, I wrote about stores or businesses that I refuse to shop from and many of my followers asked for a list of the places I avoid. Before we begin, though, let’s establish a few things. 1. I know that boycotting all stores is not possible. 2. I know that trying to buy from perfectly…
-
A Pilgrimage of 800 Miles: The El Camino Real
You all know that I love going on pilgrimage. I could hardly call myself the Catholic Pilgrim if I didn’t, right? Recently, I came in contact with Christian Clifford, a Catholic who walked the 800 miles of the El Camino Real in California. Along this journey, he visited all 21 missions, a feat that I…
-
Can You Define What a Table Is? Well, Can Ya?
The other day, I saw a meme created by Young America’s Foundation that quoted Ben Shapiro. It said, “Men cannot become women. Women cannot become men. Men who believe they are women are not real women.” I commented, “Still baffling that this has to be underscored.” Cue the dissenter. A man showed up that was…
-
Halloween: To Celebrate or Not? That Is the Question.
When I was a kid, October was one of my favorite times of year. My dad incorporated all kinds of fun traditions for me and my siblings. He would hand-draw a Halloween calendar for me to mark off each day. Together, we scoured the Sunday newspaper TV guide looking for Halloween shows to watch like…
-
Is A Good Prayer Life Just a Pipe Dream?
“How do you have a good prayer life?” I’ve been asked this question numerous times over the years. To be clear, I’m not a perfect prayer life guru. I’ve had moments in my life where I never prayed, moments where I’ve been hitting on all cylinders, and everywhere in between. I know I’m not alone.…
-
How To Have A Good Relationship With Your Teen
I was asked a few weeks ago to blog on the topic of having a good relationship with your teenager. I’m certainly no expert, but I’ve given this topic a lot of brain activity over the past few weeks. I currently have a 21-year old, a 17-year old and an eight-year old. I would say–and…
-
Why We Aren’t All Like St. Mother Teresa
When Mother Teresa died, I was not Catholic. In fact, I was a Protestant on life-support, meaning that I was barely, and I mean barely, eeking out a faith life. I remember, though, exactly where I was the day she died. I was in my college dorm room just starting out on my freshman year.…
-
GUEST POST: Public Policy and Catholic Principles in a Post-Roe World
This is a guest post from a friend of mine who is a lawyer and a devout Catholic. He wrote this awhile back with the hopes of helping Catholics explain why abortion should be prohibited. He mentioned to me that the key to ultimately winning the culture over with regards to abortion is to first…
-
When They Seek To Divide Us
Yesterday, I went to the post office to mail a few packages. My local post office is tiny and always blazing hot, so if there is a line most people wait outside. When I walked up, an older man was standing there waiting his turn. After waiting for awhile, he turned to me and said,…
-
The Humble Beginnings of a Married Life
I was married at twenty-two which for many, in this day and age, seems wildly young. Not only did I marry young, but when my husband and I married, we were already parents. It basically went something like this: I graduated from college, took off my cap and gown, got into a hospital gown to…
-
It’s Okay to Examine Our Country
For anything to be truly healthy, it must be “checked” over from time-to-time. As we learn from science, “things tend towards disorder” and, therefore, need constant maintenance and evaluation. For our souls to be healthy, we need to examine our consciences in order to confess our sins and be forgiven of them. For our bodies…
-
Are We More Than Just Clumps of Cells?
Years ago, an atheist friend of mine was arguing with me over the existence of God. Our discussion covered many branches of the topic. At one point, she stated that human beings are nothing more than a collection of cells and chemical reactions. “We love only because of dopamine hormones.” “We do things only to…
-
Take Things Back Little by Little
Within the past 10 years, I’ve heard a lot of people comment, “How did we get to this point?” We all look around and things look…well…bleak. Nothing seems healthy or thriving–not people, not families, not institutions, not countries. To be fair, we all can have a bit of a romantic view of the past seeing…
-
The Push to Embrace Fantasy
If you live in a first-world country, chances are that your life is significantly more comfortable, more pleasurable, and easier than a majority of people in the world. In general, your external woes are nothing compared to someone living in a third-world country. That isn’t to say that people in first-world countries don’t have burdens,…
-
Who Needs God? I Mean, Look at What We Can Do.
In the not too distant past, a growing trend started. It was the seed of a belief that we as humans were outgrowing God. In the Age of Enlightenment, there were advances in science, math, the arts, literature, and industry, so much so, that humans began to smugly pat themselves on the back. “Look at…
-
Taking Back Our Culture
As per usual, after an election and an inauguration take place, one side of the political aisle is rapturous and the other side is licking its wounds in the corner. Right now, we are hearing all the talk about how Biden is going to unite us, and right wrongs, and blah, blah, blah. Four years…
-
The Weight of All My Shame
When I was preparing to start my new podcast, “Journeying With the Saints,” where I spent one year going through St. Faustina’s Diary, I came across this quote from her at the very start of her notebook recordings. “It is no longer in my power to change, correct or add to the past; For neither…
-
How Uncomfortable Are You Willing To Get?
So, after my blog last week, I had a few people ask me what they can do to help make a change in our country. I sat for many days thinking and praying on this question. I came up with all things that you would think to say: We need to go to Mass, we…
-
Christians, It’s Time To Get With It
Walk with me for a second through history. I know, I know, some of you hate history but quit your eye-rolling and walk with me. 😉 The Roman Empire. At its peak, it was unstoppable. While no civilization is perfect, the Roman Empire had a lot going its way: It was wealthy, it was strong…
-
Natural Disasters Have A Way of Bringing Out the Best In Us
This past Friday, my family went through a pretty intense 7.0 earthquake. My kids and I were sitting on the 15th floor of our high-rise apartment here in Izmir, Turkey and we started to feel the building move. At first, my brain couldn’t process what was going on, but within a few seconds, I realized…
-
The Smothering Expectations of Modern-Day Feminism
All throughout my 20s and some of my 30s, there was a great war being fought within my mind. It was an unnecessary battle but one that had been waging since my college days. The war was between two Amys: Amy 1 felt it was her moral duty to get out in the workforce and…
-
Why We Can’t Just Pass the Eucharist Out On Street Corners Like Candy
Strange title? Yeah, I know. So, a Catholic I know was having a conversation with a Protestant. This particular Protestant has come a long way and says that she actually believes that Christ is truly present in the Eucharist. However… She feels the Catholic Church would be more effective if the Church presented the Eucharist…
-
Please, No More of the Virtue Signaling Wars
Enough is enough. When I was a kid and was driving my dad crazy, he would say to me, “Amy, you are driving me to the hilt of Gannilt.” It was his way of saying that I’d pushed him to the limits of his sanity. Lol. And now, I say it to my children. Well,…
-
A Catholic Pilgrim Traveling To Ephesus
Before my husband told me about the job in Turkey that he was trying for, I knew literally nothing about Turkey. Okay, I knew that Istanbul was once Constantinople, but that’s it. You all can now freely sing the song, “Istanbul (Not Constantinople).” You’ll get it stuck in your head and that’s a promise. When…
-
Watch Yourself: Don’t Become What You Say You Hate
Have you ever read the book Animal Farm by George Orwell? Well, if you haven’t, I’ll give you a very quick run-down. At the start of the book, there is a farm–Manor Farm. The animals on the farm are dissatisfied with their lives because living under the farmer–Mr. Jones–is laborious and meager. They are not…
-
Don’t Be A Kill-Joy Christian
Awhile back, I was doing some fact-checking and I came across a Catholic group that gets a lot of followers. I’m not going to name them because I don’t want to draw too much attention to them, but a lot of you will probably figure it out. Anyway, I was watching a video by them…
-
That Time When Our Blessed Mother Was Compared To A Donkey
On the Feast of the Assumption of Mary, I posted one of my all time favorite religious pictures. It’s a stunning depiction of Mary being carried into Heaven by four angels. It’s one of those paintings that’s too beautiful for words. But, you always gotta have the Negative Nancys and Nates come along and spoil…
-
Thinking About All The Times I Have Kneeled
When I was sixteen, I had a tumultuous relationship with my first boyfriend. I’ve written about our relationship in other blogs, but to sum it up, it was toxic. I was always desperately trying to find ways to make him love me and he was always trying to find ways to destroy my self-esteem. Even…
-
The “Woke” Crowd: The Judgiest Judges That Ever Did Judge
Travel with me, if you will, back in the near distant past to that time when no one was allowed to judge. Do you remember those not-so-distant times? Boy, I do. Ah, those were the days, weren’t they? When if you tried to point out a bad action, immediately you were shamed into silence with…
-
As Catholics, We Should Affirm That Black People Matter. Supporting the BLM Organization Is Another Story, Though.
As many of you know, my professional background is working in the area of sexual violence. When I got my Master’s in Applied Behavioral Science, I chose to specialize in sex crimes. Not the most uplifting topic, but one that I feel is extremely important to shine a light on. As one who has dealt…
-
So, the Catholic Church Keeps All These Relics of Saints. What’s Up With That?
My maternal grandfather was a carpenter. Mostly he built houses, but he could pretty much make anything out of wood. One day, when I was in my early 20s, he took me down to his workshop because he had a piece of furniture he wanted to give me. It was a beautiful antique vanity that…
-
To All My Fellow Catholics. Yes, Even You Lukewarm Ones.
This has been a year, hasn’t it? If we’ve learned anything from the past few months, it’s that the ground is crumbling out from under our feet. One tragedy after another seems to be hitting and it’s now become the joke to say that the end of the world is upon us. But, whenever it’s…
-
For All Her Faults and Failings, I Do Not Believe That America Is Inherently Racist
Yes, I am aware that I am a white woman giving my opinion on a touchy, heated subject. Yes, I understand that a lot of people don’t want to hear that opinion because of the color of my skin which is highly ironic. Yes, I understand that many will see my opinion as coming from…
-
Look, If I Don’t Agree 100% With You On Everything, I Will Delete You From My Life
If you’ve followed me for any length of time, you know that the start of my blog was in response to an old friend of mine becoming an atheist. We had met in college and were instantly friends. She had this smile, this electricity about her that attracted you like bees to honey. We had…
-
What Do I Do If My Kids Stray From the Faith?
Last week, I set aside a day of prayer to pray for the intentions of my followers on my social media accounts. I thought that I would be offering a lot of prayers for relief from Covid-19 but, instead, I got numerous–mostly private–messages from mothers asking me to pray for their child that has strayed…
-
An Authentic Catholic Life Will Include Risk
For my 40th birthday, my husband surprised me with a night away to Cincinnati an hour from our home. When he told me, I panicked. The reason I did was that I was scared to leave our kids home alone. Mind you, one of my kids was seventeen at the time and is fully capable…
-
So What’s It Like Being A Catholic Military Spouse?
Growing up, I always thought I would meet a Kansas man at college, get married, and settle down in my home state. Never once did I contemplate the idea that I would leave its borders and live elsewhere. I was born in Kansas and I thought I’d live out my days in Kansas. Seems God…
-
Dear Jesus, Should I Ignore Your Mother?
As I was coming into the Catholic Church, one of the hardest things for me to fully wrap my mind around was the issue of Mary. For nearly thirty years, I hardly spoke or thought about her. She was mentioned at Christmas time but that was about it. I didn’t contemplate that she might love…
-
“Oh My Word, I Am So Morally Disgusted By You.”
Well, here we are in the 500th week of enduring the Coronavirus outbreak. You know, when this all first started, it seemed sort of unreal like we were being punked. “Pshhhh,” I thought to myself, “this all will be over here pretty quickly.” That’s what wishful thinking can do for you. As it became apparent…
-
“If You Truly Love Me, You’ll Condone My Sin. Nay, You’ll Even Join Me In It.”
During my junior year of college, a few of my girlfriends and I decided to make the trip to Padre Island for Spring Break. We were so excited to go and it was a topic of conversation weeks before we left. Around Spring Break that year, I also had entered into a pretty serious relationship…
-
The Value of a Grandmother
I know I should probably give you all some thoughts about Easter or COVID-19, but my grandmother died this past week and she’s on my heart. I, also, know that writing a personal blog about someone you all don’t know will probably not be very popular. But, I’m a writer and I’m always compelled to…
-
How In the World Do We Live Out This Holy Week?
I think it’s safe to say that most of us started Lent 2020 off with good intentions and zeal. I always look forward to Lent as it is a time that really feeds my soul. However, around mid-March the proverbial dog-doo hit the fan. Hard. All of a sudden we were plunged into a seriously…
-
Trying To Keep My Cool During A Pandemic
When the news first really started to break about the Coronavirus, I was less than mildly interested. I’ve never been one to freak out (and I’m not saying it’s bad if you do) over germs. Some people just happen to be more concerned about it than others. But, as time went on, things got weird.…
-
Does the Virtue of Justice Allow For All Sins To Be Seen As Equal in the Eyes of God?
Back when I was a counselor for victims of domestic and sexual violence, part of my job entailed going to court with victims. One woman I encountered had been using our services for years even before I got there. To save her privacy, I can’t go into details but it involved a bad rape case…
-
Pants: The True Obstacle To A Woman Who Wants to Fully Live Out Her Catholic Faith
Last week, I received a comment on my blog that was totally unrelated to the topic. A man commented: “Sorry, jeans are not modest clothing for women. Viewing your photo is a near occasion of sin for men and some women. That picture does not look like a Catholic woman. To truly live out your…
-
“Oh, Catholic Church, You Bunch of Fools, Oppressing People With All Your Rules!”
In my house, the only rule is that there are no rules. You see, my husband and I don’t want to stifle the expressive freedom of our children. We don’t want them to feel bound or tied up by anything their dad and I see as important, because what if our kids have a different…
-
The Questions Are Simple: What Is A Woman? What Is A Man?
(This blog contains a very sensitive, controversial topic. I will not tolerate any name-calling, blatantly rude, or hateful comments from anybody. I will delete anything I deem out-of-line. You can disagree with me, but be a mature adult about it.) When I was seventeen, I started dating a guy named Gary. Not long into our…
-
“Being Sexy” Is Not the Highest Virtue For Women To Attain
(I know I’m late to the game with this blog, but I had to wait until my anger subsided to write on it. While the rest of the world has moved on from this issue, I feel I have a unique perspective on it given my background. So, now that the dust has settled and…
-
“The Bible Never Says That You Should Baptize Babies.” “Ahh…But It Doesn’t Say You Shouldn’t Either.”
As most of you know, when my husband and I got married, I was Protestant and he was a cradle Catholic. Initially, I thought I could be okay with agreeing to raise our kids Catholic, but after our marriage, I wasn’t so sure. My husband was eager to baptize our firstborn but I was less…
-
A Catholic Pilgrim Traveling To The Holy Land
Let me just start by saying that there is no way a blog can do the Holy Land justice. I’m not a good enough writer to fully capture the emotions, feels, and overall experience into words. Traveling to the Holy Land is the cream of the crop of all pilgrimages because it’s where Our Lord…
-
(Yawn) Who? Oh, Christ? Yeah…Whatever.
Blaise Pascal said that there are four groups of people: Those who have found God, those that are seeking God, those that are seeking God to eradicate Him, and those that don’t even care. Last week, we covered King Herod. He was a seeker who sought to destroy God by trying to murder Him as…
-
Don’t Ever Doubt That We Have Herods Among Us
As a writer, I’m always very keenly aware of people’s stories and I am always on the lookout for blogging material. This past Friday, my best friend invited me to an Advent Tea which was a much-needed time of reflection. A priest, Fr. Bullock, gave a wonderful reflection and as I soaked up his words,…
-
“You Catholics Make The Faith Too Complicated. It’s Supposed To Be Simple.”
My husband was talking with a guy the other day who happens to be a Baptist. The guy had just finished praying with my husband over some work-related issues which was a very kind gesture. As they were talking, the other guy said, “I’ve come to respect a number of Catholics but there are quite…
-
Oh, Advent, What Do You Want With Me?
Fulton Sheen once wrote, “If you are ever to have a good time, you cannot plan your life to include nothing but good times.” Not in the too distant past, life was physically more demanding. You had to grow your own food, spend every waking minute preparing to survive the winter, and build or make…
-
Listen Up, Buttercup, We’ll Do Holy Communion By My Rules
Let’s set the scene. Imagine that you have invited over a new friend for dinner. You prepare your house, working to make it welcoming and warm. You fix one of your most special meals. You hope that they find your home inviting. The doorbell rings and there is your new friend. You open the door,…
-
A Catholic Pilgrim Traveling To Prince Edward Island
I think I was around 11 when I first watched the movie “Anne of Green Gables.” From the first few scenes, I was hooked and have been a fan of the movie ever since. Not only did I identify with Anne Shirley’s dramatic and passionate ways, but I longed to go to Prince Edward Island.…
-
What If My Parents Aren’t Worthy Of Honor?
When I worked as a counselor for victims of domestic and sexual violence, I heard some of the most horrific stories you can imagine. The ones that were the hardest for me to deal with were the ones where people had been physically, emotionally, and sexually abused by their parents. There’s just no excuse for…
-
Ladies, We Are Wired To Be Pro-Life
Out the gate, let’s be perfectly clear: I do not hate men. This is not an anti-male blog. But, to get the point across in this blog, I’m going to have to lay down some truths about men that may leave them a little uncomfortable. Maybe not. Men, for the most part, possess a sort…
-
“God, You Can’t Possibly Love Me If You Allow Me To Suffer.”
On the last day of December in 2015, our family crested the hill to overlook the lights of the city we would be living in–Las Vegas. We had spent three amazing, wonderful years nestled close to the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia and now we were to call Sin City our home. It was the…
-
Can It Really Be So Bad To Covet And Lust After Others? It’s Healthy To Be Attracted To People, No?
This will be my most humbling and embarrassing blog to date. I’m a story-teller, it’s what I do, so sometimes my stories definitely don’t shed me in the best light. Much of what I write is for me; reminders on what to do or what not to do. If someone else can benefit from my…
-
“All Praise You, Mother Earth, Please Forgive Us For Even Existing.”
I warned you. When all the haters spewed forth several weeks ago, I promised I’d tucked away their comments as blog fodder. They may have, for a moment, overwhelmed my page but like I have told my kids when they are misbehaving, “I will outlast you.” They may have rapid-fire comments that pour forth from…
-
Do Your Kids A Favor: Don’t Set Your Marriage On The Back Burner
I have been married to my best friend for 18 years. Eighteen beautiful years. The first time I saw my husband, I knew he was the one. It was like, “Yep, there’s the rest of my heart sitting there across the room.” Dustin and I both had significant others when we met, but…well, you see…
-
Let’s Just Hate All The Good Things, Shall We?
When my Facebook page blew up a few weeks ago with all the “child-free” advocates of the world, I was bombarded with some of the most heinous comments imaginable. I read them, not because I enjoyed it, but because I’m prone to studying people and they laid in my lap a morbid, yet fascinating case…
-
What Is The Purpose of Marriage? Is It Whatever You Want It To Be?
So, last Thursday, I wrote a post commenting on the recent poll from the Wall Street Journal and NBC News. The poll showed that only 30% of Millennials and Gen Zers believe having children is important. That means 70% don’t which is a startling number. In my post, I gave my opinion on why I…
-
Responsibility Is A Dirty Word. Or Is It?
My name is Amy and I have rights. Look, I have so many rights, you betta just settle on back whilst I get started decreeing them to you. (Proceeds to role out a scroll with said rights) I’ve got rights you don’t even know about and everything you think isn’t a right of mine, well,…
-
Mirror, Mirror On the Wall, Who’s the Vainest Of Us All?
I ain’t gonna lie, vanity is something I struggle with–mightily. Lest we think that vanity only has to do with looks, let’s look at the definition. Vanity: Excessive pride in one’s appearance, qualities, abilities, achievements, etc. For this blog, though, I’m going to focus on the looks aspect. Lest we think this is only something that women struggle with, let us think again.…
-
So You Say You Want To Homeschool?
Very soon, our family will embark on our 11th year of homeschooling. We recently just graduated our oldest and she leaves for college in one week. I started teaching her when she was in 3rd grade and now my time as her school teacher is through. It’s hard to believe that I will no longer…
-
Not Only Do I Ask That You Lie To Me, I Demand That You Do
You’ve all heard that if a woman asks if she looks fat in a dress, a man must never tell her the truth even if she does. The impression you get is that women liked to be lied to. Here’s the thing, deep down, we really don’t. Nobody really likes to have someone lie to…
-
A Catholic Pilgrim Traveling to Mackinac Island and Northeastern Michigan
Thirteen years ago, the military planted us at Tyndall AFB. Little did I know that while there, I would meet one of my best friends ever. In fact, her whole family became family. Over these past 13 years, we’ve been stationed together four times and made countless memories together. We’ve done so much stuff together…
-
But What If I Enjoy My Sin and Just Want You To Shut Up About It?
When I was sixteen, I had a no-good-dirty-rotten boyfriend. True story. My mother could tell that he was a no-good-dirty-rotten boyfriend. After we broke up the first time, she stepped in and told me that I wasn’t to see him anymore. He was bad for me. He didn’t respect me. She didn’t like the way…
-
Don’t Mind If I Do, Take What Actually Belongs To You
Everybody knows that stealing stuff is wrong–even thieves. So, in this blog, I’m not going to cover the 7th Commandment–“Thou shall not steal”–talking about the typical “don’t steal” stuff. This year, I was asked to go deeper into the Ten Commandments and deeper I shall go. My degrees lie in the realm of sociology. My…
-
Would You Just Calm Down With All Your Piety Already?
When I was a little girl, around four and five, I had a best friend named Jessica. The day I had to move away, we vowed that we would always be best friends. My family moved about two hours from her and, as is normal, our friendship faded away like the Beatles on “Hey, Jude.”…
-
A Catholic Pilgrim Traveling In Montreal, Canada
My family and I recently grabbed our passports and headed off to check things out in the land of our northern neighbor–Canada. My oldest recently graduated and we wanted a fun way to celebrate as a family. We love to travel and explore, so we thought Montreal would be an interesting place to check out.…
-
If I Can Just Have What You Have, I’ll Be Happy, Right? Right?
This post may be TMI. I have toyed with this blog in my head for years. YEARS! Each time, I talk myself out of writing about it because I worry it’s going to be more than people want to hear. I’m gonna try not to be too in the weeds with the details. What I…
-
What Happened When This Former Protestant Experienced Her First Confession
Back in December of last year, I asked my followers what they would like to see me write about. Someone asked me to touch on Confession. It’s taken me a long time to collect my thoughts on what I wanted to say. So much has been written about the Sacrament of Confession that I didn’t…
-
So, You’re Telling Me I’ll Find Joy If I Serve Others? Yes.
Many years ago, my father told me a story about an experience he had one day while grocery shopping. It had a profound effect on me and I think it’s a story we can all relate to in one way or another. It’s also a great segway into my monthly blog on finding joy. “I was…
-
Yes, It Does Hurt My Heart When You Take God’s Name in Vain
Several years ago, I was out to lunch with a friend who also happens to be an atheist. As we were talking, she’d pretty consistently take the Lord’s name in vain. Each time she did it, I felt a twinge in my stomach. I can’t stand it when people disrespect God’s name, but I lacked…
-
A Catholic Pilgrim Traveling to Chincoteague Island, Virginia
Cool name, huh? There’s a good chance that you’ve never heard of Chincoteague Island. I’d never heard of it before living in Virginia, but, man, what a place to visit. If you are an outdoorsy person, you are going to want to go here. Chincoteague is a very small island off the mainland of Virginia. On…
-
All This Contempt Is Sucking My Will To Live
Do you like my Wayne’s World reference in the title? I’m one of those people that takes any opportunity to quote movies and I do not apologize for it. What comes to mind when you hear the word “contempt?” Do you picture a seething, hateful person? Maybe you picture someone who sneers the smile of…
-
How I Can Be A Good Mother to My Son
When my oldest daughter was in my womb, she was an active little thing. I was pregnant with her my senior year of college and during my afternoon classes, she would have exercise time in my belly. It sure kept me awake with all her jabs and kicks. She was also very responsive to touch…
-
Who Needs Church Anyway?
I’ve decided on a new way I’m going to live out my marriage. Here are my thoughts. My husband knows that I love him. I mean, I tell him pretty frequently, so he should have no doubt. However, I’m gonna propose that I move to a different house. I’m an independent woman and I need…
-
A Catholic Pilgrim Traveling To Catalina Island
In 2016, my family went to Catalina Island to celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary. On a clear day, you can see Catalina from the beaches in the Los Angeles area and ever since I saw the island out on the horizon I had wanted to go. We left port from Long Beach early one morning…
-
You Cannot Buy Your Kids Happiness
Growing up, I was always a good student. From the time that I was five-years-old, I had been making plans to attend Kansas State University. You may think I was a tad young to really have a dream like that, but it’s true. My dad attended Kansas State when I was a little girl and…
-
You Don’t Deserve My Forgiveness
When I first started dating, I had romantic notions in my 16-year old head. My first boyfriend had pursued me for years and when I finally relented to him and opened up my heart, I was sure that he would guard it. That didn’t happen. Our relationship was a tortured, twisted one. I was constantly…
-
I’ll Ignore Your Sexual Sin, If You’ll Ignore Mine
Years ago, back when I was a young college student, I was sitting one day in a lounge chair reading the student newspaper in the library on campus. During breaks between classes, I always went to the library and read the newspaper front to back and then I would tackle the crossword puzzle found on…
-
A Catholic Pilgrim Traveling To Santa Barbara, California
My sister and I being silly in Santa Barbara. I will never forget the feeling I had when I first visited Santa Barbara. My husband surprised me for my 31st birthday with a trip there and I thought to myself, “This is paradise!” Granted, we were stationed in the barren Mojave desert at Edwards AFB…
-
Lord, Please Let This Cup of Anxiety Pass
If you’ve followed me for any length of time, you know that my first two boyfriends treated me horribly. Both of them were cruel in their own way and I suffered much at their hands. I need to talk about them in order to get to the point of this blog, so bear with me.…
-
I’ll Offend You, You Offend Me and We’ll Be As Joyless As We Can Be
Imagine a world full of offended people. What might such a world look like? No need to imagine, folks, we’re living in that world. Offended people to my left. Offended people to my right. Do you feel as though you must watch your every word, every action, every interest, thought, feeling, desire, need, want, or…
-
I’ve Had an Idol or Two
Years ago, my husband and I were members of a forum for fans of our favorite sports team–Kansas State University. It’s a forum where fans can go to ask questions, speculate about recruits, reminisce about memorable games, and…rant. Ranting is a favorite pastime on there. If we won a game, numerous fans would be griping…
-
What I’ve Learned in 40 Years
Well, here I am standing at the threshold of 40-years old. Da, da, daaaaaa! When I was a kid, forty seemed super old. But, now that I am here, I feel this is when you just start warming up. I don’t feel “old.” I feel, actually, younger than I did when I was in my…
-
From the Bottom of My Thankless Heart
Years ago, when I was a counselor for victims of domestic and sexual violence, I encountered many different kinds of people. My eyes were open to the difficulties that some people go through in this life that make my worst days seem like a picnic in the park. There is one girl who remains ever…
-
A Catholic Pilgrim Traveling To Kansas City, MO
Welcome to my town. I was born and raised in Kansas. For most of my life, up until the age of 22, I lived right outside of the Kansas City area. Kansas City is interesting, because, well, there are two: Kansas City, Kansas and Kansas City, Missouri. What divides them is a river. Kansas City,…
-
But, I Haven’t Killed Anyone…
When I was in middle school, there was a classmate of mine that lived at the end of my street. I’ll call her Stacy. Stacy was awkward, shy, and one of those girls that blended into the background. The houses at the end of my street were the “not-so-nice” ones. She lived in a worn-down,…
-
Why I Love Being Catholic: Anni from ​A Beautiful Camouflaged Mess
Can you believe we’ve gone through a whole year of the “Why I Love Being Catholic” series? The time has flown. My last interview is with one of my favorite bloggers out there. Anni from A Beautiful Camouflaged Mess rounds out the year for us. I’m so excited to feature her! Anni is a military…
-
Do Catholics Even Read the Bible?
Back when I was a Protestant, one of the many things I believed about Catholics was that they didn’t read the Bible. I believed that the Catholic Church didn’t even want Catholics to read it. I heard that Catholics chained Bibles down in their “Dark Age” churches. I’d heard that the Bible just wasn’t that…
-
The Year I Saw Santa Claus and the Thrill of the Season
When I was a kid, Christmas Eve was a magical night. Some of my dearest memories are from those special evenings with my family. Everyone would show up at my grandparent’s house before dinner was ready. The house always smelled like heaven–baking food, pine, and candles. My grandmother always had the house beautifully decorated and…
-
Why I Love Being Catholic: Beth Anne from Beth Anne’s Best
Here we are at the end of November, but before we fully usher in the Advent season and December I want to bring you November’s interview for the “Why I Love Being Catholic” series. This month, I bring you Beth Anne from BethAnnesBeth.com. Beth is a blogger, but she also has another talent that she…