My father died early last Friday morning, just a few minutes after midnight. My sister and I were privileged to be with him, helping him make his way back to the others who love him dearly. The night prior to his passing, I’d traveled three hours to the North Dakota hospital where he’d been since [...]
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Jan 18
Jan 04
faith fridays: the will to live
My mom isn’t prone to being easily rattled. So when she says something like, “Is there any chance you can get away for a visit?” I know it’s time to be attentive. She said these words to me the other day, and by the next morning, plans were in order to make my way to [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Dec 21
faith fridays: snowflakes falling upward (a memorial)
One summer during junior high, I volunteered to help with Vacation Bible School and was assigned to be an aide in the first-grade class. I found the kids to be absolutely precious — so full of wonder, so open to life and all its possibilities, so eager to learn about Jesus. My own faith grew [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Dec 14
faith fridays: the advent mommy came home
Without a doubt in my mind, I know that this Advent will go down as one of the most blessed of my life. In the hearts of my children, too, I believe it will, in time, be noted as one of the most special — as the Advent mommy came home. After a year of [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Dec 07
faith fridays: blog tour with donna-marie cooper o’boyle
Welcome to Peace Garden Mama! I’m so pleased to be part of the effort to help spread word of my sweet friend Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle’s brand-new book, “Rooted In Love: Our Calling as Catholic Women.” I can think of no better time than now for a book like this to find its way into my [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Nov 30
faith fridays: sacred silence – an advent beginning
For the past several years, I’ve been so very blessed by invitations to present at, sing at or simply participate in Advent offerings hosted by parish groups in our area called Mothers and Children (MACH 1). Now that I’ve experienced these pre-Advent events, I never want to go back! They are the most peaceful, lovely [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Nov 02
faith fridays: ‘one nation, under God, indivisible…’
I remember saying The Pledge of Allegiance as a kindergartner, my tiny hand placed somewhere in the vicinity of where my heart supposedly was attached and beating, doing my best to get through the string of long words that made absolutely no sense. Can you blame me for thinking it was “Witchit Stands” and “Invisible?” [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Oct 19
faith fridays: ‘getting the marriage conversation right’
The other day on the way to school, one of my daughters came up with what we in journalism call a bombshell question. “So, Mom, what do you think about gay marriage?” We were about a block from the drop-off point when the question came forth; not nearly enough time for a thoughtful response to [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Sep 21
faith fridays: rotten tomatoes for God?
I’m not strongly compelled toward politics, though I understand politics can serve a vital role in how our lives play out. And while I do vote, like many, I’ve become increasingly uncomfortable with the great divide in our country, expressed most loudly through politics. For a natural peacemaker, it’s disconcerting to say the least. But [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Sep 07
faith fridays: Catholic and evangelical?
Interviewing Dr. Ray Gaurendi at the 2010 Marian Eucharistic Congress, Fargo The question caught me off guard, tucked into an email by a friend as it was, out of the blue as it seemed. “Do you regard yourself as an evangelical?” This friend has come to know me in large part through my writing — [...]
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