I’m pretty sure if you’d asked me in 1985 what 40 was going to look like, I would have thought this: And in an age of no sunscreen, no cosmetics, hard labor, and a dozen or more children, that’s probably what it would have been...
Read moreThe Greates Book You’ve Never Read #2: The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius
To be young and noble, great with a sword, and dashing in tight: to be invincible. This is the position of Ignatius of Loyola before the Lord crashes into his life and grips his soul. A Spaniard born into nobility in 1491, Ignatius enjoys a...
Read moreThe Leggings of St. Ignatius
St. Ignatius was like many of us. In 1506, he was just a boy, standing in front of a blacksmith shop, asking the world to make him famous knight. Ignatius’s original name was Inigo, and he was born and raised in Spain. In those days...
Read moreWhen You Can’t Quite Cross the Finish Line
Ever gotten so close? Like, made it through 179 days of school, but can’t quite wrap your brain around day 180? We know how you feel. (photo taken on the morning of day 180, May 2017) Sometimes the finish line is far away, but you still...
Read moreWhen You Find “The One,” and He’s Not a “10”
The house hunt is over. We think. If you have ever purchased a home before, you know that it’s not a done deal until it’s a done deal. But we think this is the one. And you know when your friend wants to set you up with a friend who...
Read moreNew to Us
House hunting. I never want it to be a big deal. We need a roof, four walls, and a location near work. People live in all kinds of homes….igloos, castles, tents, high rises…holes, nests… It doesn’t matter. And it does...
Read moreWhen Life Gives You Freezing Temperatures…
Conversation with my children today: Me: Wow. I see the sun. I’m so ready for some blooms. Some warmth. Some spring. My Children: Mom… you do realize it’s January 12th. Apparently they are tuned into the reality that we are only three weeks...
Read more24 Service-Oriented Ideas for Reluctant Elf on the Shelf Parents
Love the Elf? Hate the Elf? Can’t find the Elf….? Regardless of your preferences, it looks like our friend in the red bodysuit is officially established as one of America’s greatest Christmas traditions. For many reasons, our...
Read moreThe Greatest Book You’ve Never Read #1: The Man Who Moved a Mountain by Richard C. Davids
“When I was not quite three, I got drunk. That was the first thing I remember in my whole life.” And so we are inaugurated into the backwoods saga of Bob Childress, unlikely minister to the clans of Appalachia during the mid-twentieth...
Read moreDo You Sabbath?
I hope your weekend was refreshing. As we start another week, I am beginning to think of how I can get ready to rest again. Purposefully resting — “Sabbathing” — is not something that comes easily to me. What are your...
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