Thoughts from a writing mom

  At our Parish, before Mass, we introduce ourselves to those sitting around us and we ask for their prayer intentions. (I know, I know. This makes so many of us uncomfortable. But this can be really powerful, too. We were made for community and when you really think about this it IS a good thing.) Yesterday I turned around and met Janet, an elderly woman with a warm smile who I had not met before. Her prayer request was for those who are suffering from loneliness during this holiday season. I told her that I would pray for that intention during Mass, and I did. Then I went about the rest of my day. This morning after school drop off Janet and her request popped into my mind.   I know that this time of year can be incredibly difficult for those who are lonely. I said a little silent prayer again for the lonely, and then yesterday’s gospel reading came into my mind.   In case you missed it, the gospel yesterday: Matthew 25:31-46. Jesus said to His disciples: “When the Son of

  Have you ever googled “workout motivation”? Oh, I have. I sometimes wish that motivation was something I could bottle up and take a big gulp of. I want to WANT to work out, but sometimes I just don’t. Know what I mean? I want all that comes with exercise. I want to feel good, I want the health benefits and I want to like the way I look in my clothes. I want the stress relief that it promises. The endorphins. I want to BE fit. But, you know, I don’t always want to do what it takes to be fit. They say motivation doesn’t last, and that’s true. That is why exercise has to become a habit in your life. You have to be disciplined. There is no getting around that. There is no easy button. But, there are some nudges that can be found if we look for them. I am always inspired by the busiest people I know who are also the most fit. Active moms being one example of this demographic, I wrote about them a while back during the craziness of 2020 (that blog post can be found here http://myon

  We just ended a season of little league baseball and softball. Well, regular season ended. We just started All Stars for our youngest. Having multiple kids in sports is B-U-S-Y. We were at the ball fields every night of the week and most of the day each Saturday. The youngest had a few different tournaments, and if you know the softball tournament world you understand that you live at the ball fields those weekends. Games on Friday night, all day Saturday and all day Sunday. The baby’s second to last regular season tournament was exhausting. It was a hot weekend, my husband was working nights the first part so I was solo with all of the kids at the fields the first night, and then the second day I was literally at the fields for 9 hours. There was no time for laundry, no time to get ready for school for the week, no time for the rest I desperately wanted. Getting home that night we hardly had the energy for showers before it was time to go to bed. The next day would be a Sunday a

Epiphany (according to Merrium-Webster) 1.         January 6 observed as a church festival in commemoration of the coming of the Magi as the first manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles or in the Eastern Church in commemoration of the baptism of Christ 2.         An appearance or manifestation especially of a divine being 3.         A (1): a usually sudden manifestation or perception of the essential nature or meaning of something     (2): an intuitive grasp of reality through something (such as an event) usually simple and striking     (3): an illuminating discovery, realization, or disclosure   B: a revealing scene or moment   This morning we attended our regular 10 am Mass at our home parish, St. Patrick’s in Hutto where we celebrated the feast of the Epiphany. This is known to many as “three kings day”, or the day the star led the three wise men to baby Jesus. Our pastor is on a well-deserved vacay, so presiding over Mass was visiting priest Fr. Charles McMillin (