A Knight in Shining Armour

Do you find yourself waiting secretly for your knight in shining armour to whisk you off your feet so you can live happily ever after? Or for a wonderful woman to lift off your depression and sense of aimlessness? Although we laugh at such ridiculous fantasies as the stuff of naïve, lovesick teenagers, we all……

Jesus is a Baby Whisperer

The best way to communicate with preverbal little people is to connect with their inner spirits, in with, and through God, because Jesus was an infant. Only I do not think He ever forgot what it was like to be a preverbal little being. When we approach babies in the presence of the Holy Spirit,……

Patron Saint of Missing Socks, Pray For Us

As a mother of a large family, struggling to wash, dry, and fold three or four loads of laundry every day, I secretly wondered if there was an obscure saint, with little to do, who could fill in as my patron saint of missing socks. Little did I know, God was using the dilemma of……

Boredom is the Birthplace of Creativity

For centuries, children around the world have flopped down on the grass to watch an ant or stare up at the clouds. This is not a waste of time when we consider the fact that God also needs space and time and silence to speak into our children’s lives. If we keep them in a……

The Irreplaceable Role of a Grandmother

How beautiful is the encouragement an elderly person manages to pass on to a young person who is seeking the meaning of faith and of life! It is truly the mission of grandparents, the vocation of the elderly. The words of grandparents have special value for the young. And the young know it. (Pope Francis)……

A Mother’s New Year’s Resolution to Change

Then he said, “In truth I tell you, unless you change and become like little children you will never enter the kingdom of Heaven.” (Matthew 18:3 NJB) The perfect New Year’s resolution for mothers would be to try and obey this request from Christ. Surrounded by kids, mums especially love this verse becomes it validates the charming qualities we see in our children……

Musical Beds

Musical Beds. My husband often lamented that our house should be called the house of musical beds because it seemed everybody changed places so many times, he was never sure who would end up where by the morning. Bedtime in a family of eleven is not an easy mission not if you want to nurture each child……

All Things Worked for the Good

We all know the quote from St. Paul which assures us that everything works out for the good for those who trust in God. We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28) Well, our family has seen this truth dramatized over and over……

Catholic Conference 4 Moms: Forgiveness

I really wish Celeste Behe’s talk on Forgiveness for the Catholic Conference 4 Moms existed a long time ago. Before listening to her presentation, if a young mother came to me wondering how to teach her children how to forgive and how to be forgiven, I would be left scrambling for an answer with my mind blank for a more……

Trying To Love

I do not want to die only to discover I was playing society’s ever-changing games and was so caught up in myself that I forgot why I am on earth. I have been called to love, to even lay down my life for others. I usually fail because it is impossible to love effectively without……

A Mother Learns From Her Mistakes

When I first started to mother, I was determined to raise committed Catholic Christians and so I tried too hard. I had the mistaken notion that my kids were blank slates and I personally had to teach them everything. I assumed the role of the teacher, the resident expert. However, God had to shake me……

Appreciating the Little Things is a Key to Joy

I received free cognitive therapy because I was surrounded by a crew of little people who greeted each morning with wonder and awe. Gratefulness is the key to spiritual joy, no matter how little we think we have in the eyes of modern society. In fact, St. Teresa thanked God for the Things she did NOT own.……

Mothers in Control: Holy Vacuum Cleaners?

Ah, mothers. Aren’t they great? Always running around serving, Acting like a combination of Martha and Mary. A+ Mums, who are in control, right? Think again. When any one of us, whether a mother or not, refuses to give up control, we shut out the power of the Holy Spirit. In fact, we end up acting just……

Lent, Light and the Birthing of a Child

Lent. We tend to think of Advent as a time of joyful anticipation and Lent as a dismal period of sackcloth and ashes. How ridiculous. We are preparing to celebrate THE most joyful event in the history of humanity, the death and resurrection of our Saviour. Lent is the most joyful, light-filled season for me……

Entrusting My Fertility to God

I did not plan on having a large family; I had never even held a baby before our firstborn. I had moved east with Michael after our first baby was born, which cut me off from daily contact with friends and family. Although I enjoyed living in the country, raising our own vegetables and later even……

Reflections After Spending Hours Locked in a Chicken Coop

I have always heard the mother is the heart of the family, especially a stay at home mother with a crew of kids, who also helps with a hobby farm. So why was I not missed when I spent hours locked in the chicken coop? You must first understand that even if this was a subconscious……

Why We Have a Large Family

Even though my large family has faced hard times and even suffered, I could not imagine life without every one of my kids in my life. I did not plan on having a large family; I had never even held a baby before our firstborn. I had moved east with Michael after our first baby was……

What Does Jesus Do With Ghosts?

Michael’s father, a police officer, had given our family free tickets to a large three-ring circus production that the police department was sponsoring. Of course, after a few hours, the flashing lights, loud music, breath-taking suspense, excitement and cotton candy overstimulated all six kids. Rather than playing like they usually did, everyone was hyperactive, yelling……

A True Angel Story for The Feast Day of the Guardian Angels

Angels’ deeds are more than simply the stuff of legends, children’s bedtime tales, wishful thinking or fantasies of illiterate, ancient minds. If you close your mind to these messengers of God, they sit like gold in a bank, useless unless we give them permission to act. An angel is a pure spirit created by God.……

Marriage IS a Vocation

I never considered marriage to be a real vocation. As a young student who had converted to Catholicism and attended a small Jesuit College on the prairies in Canada, I was convinced I was called to the active religious life. I wanted to serve God and this was the only option I knew. My spiritual……