Advent 2023 is approaching. The way Thanksgiving fell on the calendar this year, there emerged a few precious days of waiting for the season of waiting. Just enough time to gather my thoughts about whatto focus on and how best to honor our coming Lord. I knew right away it would be through the conceptof … More The Marian Tree
Time is pressing in. We’re getting ever closer to Christmas, and so many conversations yesterday were about lists. What is on your Christmas list? What do you want? What do you need? What would you never spend your own money on, but would totally make you smile? What will make you happy? With all this … More Advent, the Antiphons
Jesus said there is no man born of woman greater than John the Baptist. (See Luke 7:28 and Matthew 11:11) St. John the Baptist is one of my favorite saints. There are so many valuable lessons in his life that Scripture starts telling about him even before he was conceived. I find it vitally important … More Advent, “He must increase; I must decrease”
The Traditional Church encourages three days of fasting, abstinence and prayer this week, and these “Ember Days” happen four days a year with the change of seasons. (How do we fast? By abstaining from meat and eating only one full meal, with two snacks as needed, and replacing it with prayer.) Why fasting? Because it … More Advent, Ember Days
Today is the Feast of St. Lucy. A beautiful feast in its own right, but I’ve been waiting for this day for another reason. It’s time to plant the Christmas Wheat. There are so many beautiful Advent traditions from all over the world that seem to be slipping away as we are pushed by a … More Advent, paying attention
The Church has taught me that Advent is meant to be like a mini-Lent. So there is a focus on sacrifice, giving something up. And for us humans, that typically points us first towards food. Why the spotlight on food? It’s the simple basic thing that we know we need to stay healthy every single … More Advent, the art of a steady diet
“I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and learned you have revealed them to the childlike.” St Luke 10:21 Childlike. That innocence when everything is so amazing, when it hasn’t yet occurred to the mind that all the wonders seen could ever … More Advent, finding childlike wonder
The tinsel, lights, reindeer tunes, sales, and general atmosphere of busy preparations are in full swing again, well before I am ready for any of it. I’ve given up trying to jump in and keep pace with the world; however, I can’t help but study humanity as we go through this repetitious cycle. We are … More Advent, learning the art of waiting
It’s officially another new year. Everyone has been talking of resolutions and goals and feeling inspired. Meanwhile, I have been frustrated, restless, and tired. I looked at the world through endless loops of 2019 in review, and I didn’t want it. It’s unstable, hateful, and fake. A New Year’s devotional study invaded my inbox. Nunc … More Now I Begin…Again
I love my new house. It’s just the right size for my family. Not too big, not too small. Towering trees transforming the yard into a forest. Nature framed like a masterpiece through walls of windows and sliding glass doors. Imported tile that, as my husband loves to point out, allows me to literally walk … More The Renovation
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