Category: Faith

Elizabeth

Mother Mary, pray for us.

Faith

When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me, speaking words of wisdom. And in my hour of darkness, she is standing right in front of me, speaking words of wisdom.

I don’t know if Paul McCartney actually had a relationship with Jesus or Mary, but the first few lines of Let It Be are poignant, regardless.

Women of today need the wisdom of Mary.

It’s a bit difficult to sell this point, I admit, to those who haven’t become her friend already. The “meek” quality of her example, so often highlighted in the Christmas story, which is the only exposure some people have to her, can be off-putting to modern women. But maybe it’s not the meekness that we need to imitate these days, at least not primarily.

What we need is….

Elizabeth

St. Zelie Martin

Faith

I’m pretty sure I have mentioned St. Zelie Martin at least a few times. She is one of my very favorite saints. She is the namesake of one of my miscarried babies, and a woman who captivated me from the first moment I heard about her. I consider her a mom for all moms: any mom or would-be-mom can look to her for inspiration, encouragement, comfort, and intercession. In case you’re not very familiar with her, I’d like to introduce you to her….

Elizabeth

Word of the Year

Faith

Do you pick a word of the year? I have in the past, but it’s never really stuck. I never think about it early enough to put meaningful thought into deciding on my word, so I tend to go for the random word generators, and then if a word doesn’t “speak to me” immediately, it feels silly and shallow, and I either nix the whole idea of a word of the year that year, or I put it on the back shelf of my mind and eventually forget about it altogether.

Recently, however….

Elizabeth

On My Prayer Time Being Interrupted Again

Faith

Me: How come you can sit here and drink your coffee and watch TV and the kids leave you alone, but if I go sit down to drink my coffee they gravitate toward me like I’m a magnet?
Justin: There’s still an invisible umbilical cord.
Me: *facepalm*

Remember when I was pondering if I was allowed to enforce Mommy Quiet Coffee Prayer Time, with how young my children are?

I came to the conclusion that for me and these children, now, it’s not something I’m willing to enforce. Still, sometimes an opportunity presents itself for just-me quiet time, and I try to take it. This morning, for instance….

Elizabeth

I didn’t get a picture.

Faith

I picked out a darling, bejeweled, dark red dress and a sparkly black sweater for her at the second hand store. I convinced her to wear the sash that came with it in her hair like a headband tied with a bow below her ponytail. Her baby sister was in an off-white ruffley dress with tiny blush pink roses sewn (and carefully safety-pinned, one of them) on, also with a matching headband. My dress was black; an off-white shiny scarf as a shawl brought the plain (nursing-friendly) dress up to level with my fanciest pearl earrings…

Elizabeth

Take up your cross daily.

Faith

Or, a thoughtful and realistic Lent for a stay-at-home-mom.

“Deny yourself, take up your cross daily, and follow me,” said Jesus, not just to the apostles, but to anyone who at the time or in future would claim to be his disciple.

Me: *raises hand, though feebly*

That doesn’t sound like fun. That’s the part about discipleship that’s hard, and so counter-cultural.

“Take up your cross. Daily.”

I’ve been pondering this phrase this Lent. Luke’s sleep has been so … what word, even … hard to cope with, I guess, since switching him from crib to toddler bed…

Elizabeth

Bedtime Theology

Faith

Little minds ask surprisingly big questions. Miryam often springs them on me at bedtime, during our snuggle time at the very end of her routine. I’m sure it’s partially a stalling technique, but also partially because when we say bedtime prayers, she gets to thinking about this kind of thing.

Ever since my great grandpa died earlier this year, Miryam has been curious and pretty casual about death. She asks me a lot of questions about Heaven, when we’re going, who and what will be there, etc.

Recently, she asked…