“The fullness of joy is to behold God in everything.” – Julian of Norwich
Twenty years ago, I curled up in the backseat of my parent’s Nissan Quest and spent an eight-hour road trip with only one book: Little Women. By the time we returned home from visiting my grandparents in North Carolina, I loved the four March sisters as if they were my own. Over time, the exact…
Continue reading ➞ Embracing Vulnerability in Motherhood: Lessons from "Little Women"
I love the quiet, the stillness before the sun rises and little feet patter down the hall. This time is my gift to myself and to God. It is the time when the coffee is still hot and my soul is more contemplative than chaotic. This time is a treasure, bought with reluctant obedience to…
Any woman who’s ever been visibly pregnant knows that her baby bump is an invitation. Whether she likes it or not, friends and strangers alike regard the bump as a signal. It alters the laws of social interaction, eliminating the concept of personal space surrounding the protruding area. The bump also elicits a flood of…
I found myself crying in the dressing room. All I wanted was to find one thing I felt beautiful in, one thing that I could slip into and become that confident woman who used to lure her husband with a pair of stilettos and a bat of her lashes. Now, the mascara from those lashes was…
“I was in prison and you visited me…” (MT 25:36) “Thanks for visiting me.” There’s nothing like the gift of someone’s presence. In my experience, this is most powerful when I’m struggling, whether it’s because I’m sick or upset, depressed or doubtful. It’s always a gift to have someone there beside me lending an empathetic…
Continue reading ➞ The Transformative Power of a Visit: Reflections on Prison Ministry
I believe that motherhood is a ministry as well. Don’t I? I believe that God called me out of teaching to be fully present to my husband and children, to attend to their needs and joys with the fullness of God’s tenderness. So why am I still asking myself if this is enough?
When I was on a silent retreat weekend during college, I came across a statue of the Visitation that made me fall in love with the feast. The statue embodies Mary and Elizabeth fully embracing each other; holding each other in strength, vulnerability, joy, and love. Coming back to look at the statue became my…
