A couple of nights ago, I lay on the floor of my four-year old’s bedroom, stack of books read, lights already out. “Mama, can we sing a song together?” He asked, requesting to sing one of the songs from his preschool’s Christmas program. As we began singing the yuletide chorus, we hadn’t made it through a single line before the little conductor stopped me. “Mama, no, no, no, no,” he said. “It’s star-A wonder, not star-OF wonder.” I mean, I may… Read more

On Tuesday morning, I gathered with a group of local mamas, ours a tabletop conversation of talking to our kids about issues of race and justice. I read excerpts from my book and talked about how, as a white person, mine is a learned experience – and my entry point into the conversation primarily stems from doing my homework and understanding my privilege. But in the midst of listening and learning (and listening some more), there’s also a responsibility to… Read more

We put up our Christmas tree a week or two earlier than usual this year. Really, we hadn’t planned on heading to the local tree farm two days after Thanksgiving, nor had we woken up thinking we’d adorn the house in kitschy decorations while turkey and mashed potatoes still festered in the fridge. If I’m honest, I’ll tell you that in previous years I’ve wagged my finger at people who play Christmas songs in November, who delight in the green and… Read more

A couple of months ago I had the privilege of attending the Collegeville Institute alongside a dozen other spiritual writers. Over the next couple of months you’ll meet some of these writers, either through books they’ve written or through a series of essays about faith entitled, “Where Art Thou?” Today, I can’t wait to introduce you to Jane Dawson, a Canadian writers whose essays hold a beautiful blend of the sacred and the profane. Enjoy!  — “In every era, God calls to every one” claims a Hasidic… Read more

Sometimes, compassion arrives when a railroad bolt gets stuck in the back tire of your car. I suppose this might seem like the biggest inconvenience of all, after all, who would want to leave the house by 6:25 in the morning to drive half an hour to the nearest Costco in order to be the first in line? (For the record, I was also not the only human with this brilliant idea, for my arrival at 6:56 am warranted the coveted fourth spot in line)…. Read more

A change has entered my vocabulary over the last couple of weeks: I’ve been overtly intentional about speaking praise, especially around my two sons. “I really love the way you share your toys, buddy.”  “Wow! It was really considerate when you spread the jam on your brother’s toast.” “I am so proud of how you were a good team player, even though you didn’t win the board game.” Even though it felt a little weird at first to speak those… Read more

Grace struck me over the side of the head a couple of nights ago and all I could do was shake my head in wonder. I guess I hadn’t noticed how deeply entrenched in grace I was until I stopped and paused and read a blinking, neon light of a sentence in a spiritual memoir about this state of grace: Only when guided by inspiration do we choose right, when we are receptive, in a state of grace. But that is rare,… Read more