Some weeks, I have to consciously shift my approach for getting through the day. I find myself on defense—putting out fires and flailing against the onslaught of problems and deadlines and unexpected complications—but I have to change my tactics to try and get on offense, to get some level of control over what’s going on… Read More Can’t go over it, can’t go around it…
Linking up with Bonnie. —1— Happy belated Fourth of July! I watched fireworks a few days early in Astoria: —2— I am obsessed with this new song. I listen to it multiple times a day, and when I wake up it’s already in my head. It’s nice to wake up with a song I actually… Read More 7 Quick Takes: Fireworks, Gnats, and Dinosaurs
God created Mary as daughter, mother, and spouse: Daughter of the Father, mother of the Son, and spouse of the Holy Spirit; Daughter of Anne and Joachim, mother of Jesus and of us all, and wife of Joseph. Likewise, all women are called to be the daughter, mother, and spouse of God, in ways that… Read More Over at Ignitum Today: Mary: Daughter, Mother, and Spouse of God
Statement on the Supreme Court Decision from the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal: In the midst of present day moral confusion and the cultural attack on the Christian way of life in the United States and around the world, there is a real temptation to discouragement and even despair. As the news continues to report… Read More Conversations on the Supreme Court Decision
This will be my last post in this series—I was aiming to write every day in June, and I managed to do so! I’ll keep posting periodically but not every day. There are certain places that contain so many memories that they leap out from every corner whenever you visit. Notre Dame became one of… Read More A Few of My Favorite Things, #30: Notre Dame’s Campus
The Rosary is my lifeline. I don’t always pray it well, and I don’t always give it the attention I should, but when I do, it is an incredible source of grace and peace, and it has helped me to be calm and focus on what truly matters in times when everything seemed uncertain. The way in which… Read More A Few of My Favorite Things, #29: The Rosary
While I have not the slightest bit of athletic skill, I love watching Olympic athletes perform at a high level. It’s exciting to root them on, and often it inspires me to persevere and perform well at my own pursuits. It’s amazing to see what people are capable of with hard work, passion, and dedication. I vividly remember… Read More A Few of My Favorite Things, #28: Watching the Olympics
I’ve realized that a lot of my favorite books are introspective coming-of-age novels that follow a protagonist through different stages of their life. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is the prime example of this. I also love Richard Llewellyn’s How Green Was My Valley—the use of Welsh phrases in that one gives the prose a lyrical bent, and it’s… Read More A Few of My Favorite Things, #27: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
I learned watercolor painting in college. I’m not very skilled at drawing or painting people, but I can draw buildings decently well. I like painting from time to time—it’s relaxing, and it exercises a different creative muscle than what I usually use with writing or music.
Okay, so I’m trying to be a little better about this, but I have always been wired to be a night owl. And I have never been a morning person. At all. Consequently, I love sleeping in on the weekends. I like the quiet hours at the end of the day, time that I have… Read More A Few of My Favorite Things, #25: Sleeping In
work in progress 