I’ve been thinking about “the pursuit of happiness” and the way we want the same things out of marriage that people of all religious (and non-religous) stripes do, and how there’s something we’re missing in all this. And then I clicked on a link to a piece by Leticia Adams, and there it was, already said for me, in Marriage is Not a Fairy Tale: The common thing that I see among believers and unbelievers is the need to avoid pain.... Read more

I’ve written more about Ms. Smith’s expression of certainty in her marriage, and the theological and philosophical implications, here at the Personalist Project. If you’re interested in philosophy and faith, and you aren’t following the Personalist Project, I urge you to head over and check it out! Read more

The Atlantic has a fantastic piece about the importance of exposing kids to moderate risks–by allowing them independence, or letting them navigate minor dangers without intervention–and the outcomes of the safety-first culture that has increasingly sheltered children from the possibility of facing–and overcoming–their fears. It’s hard to absorb how much childhood norms have shifted in just one generation. Actions that would have been considered paranoid in the ’70s—walking third-graders to school, forbidding your kid to play ball in the street,... Read more

So we’ve had some big changes around here. Two weeks ago, the kids and I spent our last night living at my parents. We’re now ensconced in a cosy little rent-geared-to-income townhouse located in the town where my boys go to school. I’m going to jump on the bandwagon and make this Seven Quick Takes for Friday, since whenever I start trying to describe all the ways this move changes things for the kids and I, and how we’re settling... Read more

I have a lot to blog about. The kids and I have been living on our own for almost two weeks now, and I’d like to write about that, just because I haven’t really stopped to absorb this new life yet. I have thoughts about so many other things–beauty, hidden virtues, the extraordinary nature of ordinary time, Lent and lenten resolutions–embryonic thoughts that need development. However, now that I find a few moments to write something, I find myself distracted... Read more

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A friend of mine posted a link to this post, which is a couple years old. In it, a library blogger who lives in New Orleans writes about the television show Treme and cultural appropriation in the wake of Katrina. A couple of things struck a chord for me, and I wanted to write about it, to figure out my thoughts a little. Here’s a quote from the post: “Some people just want to see themselves on TV” she said. I... Read more

http://www.gofundme.com/HelptheDenaults This is the nephew of a woman I know. This young couple and their three children are homeless, camping out with family, looking for work. Now their van has been totaled, leaving them without the means to better their situation. They are asking for just enough money to replace their vehicle.  Their story touched me especially because they just sound like regular, struggling, flawed people, now living in that awful hole where every move to get out just seems... Read more