With assorted news articles profiling the lives and stories of various transgender children, the question arises: How should parents respond if their children express a desire to identify with the opposite sex? My comments here aren’t medical advice — and if you are seeking medical advice, know that you’ll get all kinds of answers from the useless or the dangerous to the truly helpful. May the Lord bless you with lots of the truly helpful. Rather, what follows are grounded... Read more
My friend Erin writes: Hey, everybody. My Theology of the Body suspense-thriller available for FREE on Kindle through the end of June 12. It’s called Don’t You Forget About Me. Mary Catherine Whelihan made it out of Walkerville alive once before. Can she pull it off this time? Bullies, sexual harassment, finding a corpse in the local creek…. Cate’s childhood in 1980s Walkerville was murder! So what could possibly tempt her to return? A cryptic email from Eugene Marcasian, MD,... Read more
I’m overdue on writing this post, long since promised to a reader. Just FYI lest anyone mistake me, I procrastinate because this is a topic I would rather not write about. If live-and-let-live were an option, that’s what I’d be doing. But it’s not. We’ve reached a point where Christians in the US are being sentenced to re-education for failing to support same-sex unions. Justify it however you like, the plain truth is that a US judge has decided that it’s... Read more
Received this note from Tuscany Press: Hello Jennifer, I just wanted to let you know that there’s only a few short weeks left before the submission deadline for this year’s Tuscany Prize entries. Last year, a ton of entries came in right at the end including National Book Award Winner Gloria Whelan’s first-place winning short story. Thanks & God bless! Emma Martin This morning I had a chance to look at the anthology of 2012 short story winners, and I’ll say that the... Read more
Later this morning I’m slated to record an Among Women podcast with Pat Gohn, and of course I’d appreciate your prayers that all goes well. In anticipation, here is the second revision of the Lord You Know I Love You retreat workbook. Yours to share and enjoy, so long as you agree to report back if you find any typos. Thanks! Here’s the story behind the retreat: In 2013 I wrote a short column at AmazingCatechists.com that used the Great Commandment as... Read more
The other week we discovered that I am not the only creature about the household prone to insomnia. There’s a resident mockingbird who also sometimes stays up nights. It seems the two of us agree on the worst part sleeplessness, the sheer boredom of it all. I write things, or read things. The bird runs through his entire repertoire. Loudly. For about two hours. The humans are divided: Is this trait endearing, or is it a sign someone ought to... Read more
One of the arguments against homeschooling is, “You’re experimenting on your children.” Every now and again, it’s helpful to remember that if you send your child to school, you are doing the same: “What’s Lost as Handwriting Fades”. H/T to Brandon @Siris for the link. *** Funny story: If you’ve ever received a bit of handwritten text from me, you know that I have horrendous handwriting. In my un-scientific survey, I identified exactly one blood relative across five generations who... Read more
Fresh reports of horror out of Ireland, these far grimmer than what I had seen previously (which were grim enough). Is there something special about the Irish that makes them so cruel? No, there is not. It’s not an Irish thing, it’s not a Catholic thing, it’s not a nun thing. It’s an evil thing. On the question of religion, my advice is simple: If your religion commands you to commit evil acts, it’s time to get a new religion.... Read more
(I had to wait to post this until I got my kid registered, lest y’all fill up the classes he needed.) Those who followed me over here know I have this thing for Kolbe Academy. I wrote my own curricula the first few years of homeschooling, but by the time the eldest were in 4th & 6th grade, I needed to outsource a bit of the work. Of the major Catholic curriculum providers, all of which are excellent, this was... Read more
My friend Margaret Rose Realy writes: This summer I’m offering… A Gardener’s Retreat Saturday, July 12, 9 to 3, St. Francis Retreat Center, DeWitt, MI $65 includes lunch and a book! Come and join me for a day in the gardens on this lovely 95 acre site. Sign up at http://www.stfrancis.ws/retreats.html, under Special Offerings. Hope to see you there! If you are planning to attend, go ahead and register now (yes, today!), because she needs to get a minimum of retreatants... Read more
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