Photo of us spending quality time with the teens –as we took everyone to see Starwars, all of us appropriately dressed for the occasion (back in Dec 2019). How it all began… I started writing because my dad got tired of hearing me complain about potty-training toddlers. He suggested I write about it, and I did. I wrote a never-published book called, “The Potty Wars.” The experience was cathartic, but it also awakened in me, a desire to become a... Read more
With ten kids, we’ve seen our share of kid-friendly movies. Once-a-week movie night can become a challenge with mixed ages, so here’s my list of 52 movies to meet your seasonal needs and hit that sweet spot that lets the older and the younger eat popcorn and enjoy in peace. Why? Because everyone loves lists and I got to hear the do-de-do-do-do-do-dah-do-dah, the sound of joy before the movie starts! January 1) Superman (the Christopher Reeve Version) 2) Over the... Read more
However, I am down an arm. Currently, my left arm is in a cast compression sleeve. It is not fun, and I am finger-tapping one-handed on my keyboard. So I am using a pencil to journal this experience, but getting it online is much harder. Today is the 15th anniversary of my dad’s death, so I’m sharing a piece I wrote about that week nine years ago for Patheos before I wrote for Patheos: The Happiest Mass I Ever Attended... Read more
I love Lent. Every year, I love thinking about what to do, and how the Church tries to provide all these paths to grace, all these routes into the desert of our souls where we will find God. So while I agree, what should I give up for Lent is the wrong question from which to start Lent, it is still an important part of this time, to discern what we will do to discover how we can love... Read more
“We have met the enemy and it is us.”–Pogo. I remember reading Pogo as a kid, because my dad brought home a compendium. I didn’t get a lot of what I read, but I kept coming back and rereading. Not fully getting it, I recall having my breath taken away by the artist being willing to show the corrosive introduction and indoctrination of racism, and the possibility of grace when there was a lost child, dressed in a klansman outfit,... Read more
Photo by Mateusz Dach She’s gone awol in 2023. I’ve been trying and most of what I start, I abandon. So today, I’m putting out an ABP to my writing muse who is MIA. Stop ghosting me. At least send a Dear Sherry, it’s not you, it’s me.” letter. I’ve tried reading, writing exercises, forcing myself to look at older pieces and edit them. Writing has been part of my life since 2008. Writing five hundred words a day... Read more
Last week, we celebrated the Feast of the Epiphany. The three kings Melchior, Balthazar, and Caspar journeyed to Bethlehem to give the Christ their gifts. They studied the Heavens and sought Him over time, over distance, despite difficulty. It had to be a faith journey, layered with scholarship, fellowship, and a deep desire for true knowledge. They came away with so much more than even what they hoped. They went home different from how they came. Now,... Read more
Resolve to be kinder. Resolve to let yourself rest. Resolve to take care of those things you’ve ignored, and to ignore those things that drain hope, happiness and time. + Resolve to write letters ad read books. Resolve to take walks and go on dates with your children. Resolve to take walks and go on dates with your spouse. Resolve to take naps. Resolve to draw, sing, or do something creative that you’ve always wanted to try. Resolve to work... Read more
Every once in a while, someone asks this question in real life or online. “Do you really have ten kids?” Sometimes, it requires a response other than yes. Today, I answer. 20) I’m not sure. I stopped counting. 19) I rounded down. 18) No one makes up that number. 17) I made up that number. I’m very desperate for attention. 16) Some of these people may have just shown up. They do the dishes, so they can stay. 15) Do... Read more
Photo by Susanne Jutzeler, suju-foto We are five days from Christmas, and no matter what we’ve done, we are not ready. God knows this, it is why He gives us Himself at Christmas. We were not ready then, and we are not ready now, and even knowing we are not ready, we are not fully willing to make ourselves so. We wrestle with “how much do we need to do?” The answer is, “How much must you do to love... Read more
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