For the 9 1/2 years I’ve been privileged to be friends with the Woman withe White Minivan, she has struggled and fought against her infertility.  Two years ago, she finally seemed to make peace with it.  Then God surprised us all when she discovered that she was miraculously pregnant last year. This morning, he arrived!  My little godson!  I have welled up with tears of gratitude all day.  He is here!  I don’t have a picture yet, but if he... Read more

Oh my goodness, this makes me laugh because it’s so true!  Sad…….but true. Read more

When I was a girl, we knew our priests.  They were so much more than” that guy up at the altar.”  They were our family friends who came for dinner, debated politics, discussed literature, told jokes, laughed, lived.  We were members of small military parishes and the small congregations meant that our priests were well known to us all. Fr L was the first priest I can readily remember.  He was a constant fixture in our young lives and a... Read more

My 11 year old son (#2) and 6 year old daughter (#4) were playing the Wii yesterday when the inevitable fight broke out. “But why do you get to be the girl?  There’s only one girl and a bajillion boys.  Be one of them.” My sweet daughter whined for the thousandth time at her brother. “I was playing first.  I already picked a character.  Pick someone else.” Her adoring brother sneered. “But you’re always the girls.” #4 replied.  “I’m tired... Read more

I was on the phone this afternoon with one of the grandmothers in our family.  The third time I cleared my throat and winced, she asked what I was doing for my obviously sore throat. “Hot tea, lozenges and stuff to dry me up,” I told her. “Wrap your left sock around it.” She told me.  I wasn’t sure I had heard her correctly so I asked her to repeat herself.  “My grandmother always told me to take off my... Read more

  I started cleaning out the house last week to get it ready to be shown.  After a dozen trips to Goodwill and at least that many to our storage unit, I’ve come to one conclusion…we have too much stuff.  We own way more than what we actually need.  It’s got me rethinking our lifestyle.  We are such a part of the American consumerist culture that we don’t even realize how much we have over-purchased, over-bought, and over-consumed. For someone... Read more

It was my great pleasure this Advent Season to pray for Percolating Petals.  She is a first time mom who weathered the trials of infertility before finally giving birth to their miracle girl, Katie Beth this November on the birthday of my own eldest child.  What a wonderful coincidence that was to discover! As I prayed for her during her first days as a new mom, I was reminded of when I was there 14 years ago. All babies are... Read more

Happy Birthday, Jesus! (We’re making a chocolate pudding cake for His birthday….I hope I have enough candles….) Read more

There is an old saying that to make God laugh we have only to tell him our plans.  I keep forgetting that old thing and declaring what I will and will not do.  How He must chuckle in His amusement. My heart has ached at the thought of our last Christmas with family.  I have mourned it, wrung my hands, shed a few tears, and then resolved to soak up every last moment with our loved ones close at hand.... Read more

We’ve received a few early Christmas gifts at our house, and with every box we open I begin to have serious doubts about the people we love.  What are they giving us?  What messages of love are they trying to send? Well…hold onto your hats, because at The Mom’s house we’ve gotten: 1.  laser hair removal –  “I love you enough to want to set parts of you on fire.”2.  6 lbs of bacon  – “What better way to celebrate... Read more