Number of times this morning that I have… …picked up the same laundry off the floor and placed it back into a basket: 3.…asked my still undressed 4 year old to pick out some clothes and dress himself: 2.…peeled super-velcro-sweet pea off so that I could accomplish something: 8.…answered a question about butterflies: 4.…picked up the same easy-reader books and placed them back on the bookshelf: 2.…passed my teapot without the leisure to pour the first cup: 3.…said, “yes, I... Read more

This hymn – not Catholic by any stretch, nor (for a change) English but an old protestant standby – has been on my heart and lips this week. Actually since last week. We suffered a bit of a dissapointment and I was bitterly upset, with the emphasis on bitter. So it makes no sense that I should find myself singing this song of praise and thanksgiving, except that I am. And in the Divine Economy, I’m sure it makes the... Read more

I’m not one to blindly follow any parenting theory. I do believe that parents should continue to think critically and intelligently about the decisions they make with regards to raising their children, and there are a lot of books and resources available to help with that. But I don’t think there is any one method that will work equally well across the board with every parent and every child, and so primarily my parenting philosophy can be summed up like... Read more

More of the best of “Heart Speaks to Heart”. This post was written in July 2007. Topical details aside, it continues to be relevant. Interestingly enough, most of the comments on the original post had to do with modesty…but the conversation I am interested in having here is about our reactions to “hypocrisy”. Every once in a while I am reminded how alien Catholic thinking is to the secular world. A few things brought this to mind recently. First, Dawn... Read more

Spirit divine, attend our prayers,and make this house thy home;descend with all thy gracious powers,O come, great Spirit, come! Come as the light; to us revealour emptiness and woe,and lead us in those paths of lifewhereon the righteous go. Come as the fire and purge our heartslike sacrificial flame;let our whole soul an offering beto our Redeemer’s Name. Come as the dove, and spread thy wings,the wings of peaceful love;and let thy Church on earth becomeblest as the Church above.... Read more

Come down, O Love Divine! Seek Thou this soul of mine,And visit it with Thine own ardor glowing.O Comforter, draw near, within my heart appear,And kindle it, Thy holy flame bestowing. O let it freely burn, til earthly passions turnTo dust and ashes in its heat consuming;And let Thy glorious light shine ever on my sight,And clothe me round, the while my path illuming. Let holy charity mine outward vesture be,And lowliness become mine inner clothing;True lowliness of heart, which... Read more

This New York Times article was a fascinating read. Not only because the first paragraphs do a good job of identifying the strangely mixed condescension with which the trades are treated in North American society, but also for the thought-provoking insights in to the contrasting nature of different sorts of work. The author writes, … mechanical work has required me to cultivate different intellectual habits. Further, habits of mind have an ethical dimension that we don’t often think about. Good... Read more

This was originally posted in September on Heart Speaks to Heart. I continue to dream of a fenced in yard for my family. One of my little frustrations with our home is that I have no yard. When Gui is bouncing off the walls from being inside all day, I have to decide whether to let him play on the sidewalk in front of the house, or pack the boys up and go to the local playground. If he plays... Read more

I’ll make up for it. Life is happening – in good ways, mostly – and I haven’t had too many free moments to sit in peace and put thoughts together. But I do have a couple posts brewing. In the meantime, I’m going to re-post some of my favorite writing from the old blog, Heart Speaks to Heart. Read more