March 12, 2011
March 12, 2011
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40-Day Challenge: Beauty (Day 4)

Begin with the Prayer of Abandonment True confession time: If I get disgruntled with my messy house, I invite someone for dinner. At least that way I know I’ll be motivated to get the house clean.  Am I the only one who does this?  Beauty, truth, and goodness are considered “primary” or “natural” virtues, in that all of them draw our attentions back to the One from whom all Beauty, Truth, and Goodness flow.  As children of God, our souls are drawn toward that which is beautiful and well-ordered. When we make an effort to reflect these qualities in our world, we become sacramentals of grace […]
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March 11, 2011
March 11, 2011
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Exceptional Marriages: For when your marriage needs a little help!

Today Greg and Lisa Popcak had me on their radio program to talk about the 40 Day Challenge.  It occurs to me that I should mention to you “40 Day Challenge Gals” that the Popcaks have a phone counseling service for couples that need a little extra help.  Getting marriage counseling is a good step — getting authentic Catholic counseling (if you’re Catholic) is indispensable!  Find out more about their ministry, “Exceptional Marriages,” here. The Popcaks also have a number of books for you do-it-yourselfers out there. One of my favorites is Holy Sex! You can order the Popcak’s books through their website, too.  God bless […]
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March 11, 2011
March 11, 2011
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40-Day Challenge: Acceptance (Day 3)

Begin with the Prayer of Abandonment. The other day I opened the front door and found my two kids engrossed in play, drawing chalk pictures on the front stoop.  Oblivious to my presence, their conversation became louder and more strident, until at last Sarah stood up and faced her brother, fists on hips. “How many times do I have to TELL you?” she shouted. “When are you going to LISTEN to me? It’s my job to take care of you, and it’s your job to listen – and if you won’t listen, you make my job very difficult!”  Christopher didn’t even look up.  He just […]
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March 10, 2011
March 10, 2011
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40-Day Challenge: The Silence of Scholastica (Day 2)

Begin with the Prayer of Abandonment. Let’s begin with a story. It’s a true story — all the best stories are true stories — about a sister who loved her brother very much. Her name was St. Scholastica, the twin sister of St. Benedict. Each of them had pledged themselves to religious life, and the rules of the cloister were such that they saw each other only once a year, for less than a day at a time. On one occasion, after many years of this routine, Scholastica begged her brother not to return to the monastery as the day wore on, but to continue their conversation […]
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March 9, 2011
March 9, 2011
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Ash Wednesday: Memento Mori

   “Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”  This call to remember our own mortality helps us as Christians to set our priorities with an eye on eternity. Today for the first day of the 40-Day Challenge, over 700 women clicked on the first day’s reading. I was especially touched by the comment of “Lori,” who has dedicated the challenge to her husband, who has separated from her. Please join me and Lori in praying for a miracle in her husband’s heart.  Jesus, we trust in you! If you would like others to pray for you during the course of this challenge, […]
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March 9, 2011
March 9, 2011
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40-Day Challenge: The Prayer (Day 1)

Happy Ash Wednesday!  Ready to take up the 40-Day Challenge? “Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” These are the words that fall on our ears as the ashes are placed on our foreheads today. Life here on earth is temporary — we have a limited time to learn and do and become everything God wants before our lives are over. For many of us, God provides a partner — a spouse — to expedite the process. Through his loving eyes, we see reflected the beauty and gifts God wants us to share with the world. When those eyes are filled with other emotions […]
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March 6, 2011
March 6, 2011
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The 40 Day Challenge: Are You Ready?

This week I’ve been reading Servant of God Archbishop Fulton Sheen’s Love, Marriage and Children, and was struck by how much this man – a celibate who died more than thirty years ago – understood about contemporary married life.  (His profound understanding of the human condition is undoubtedly the reason his nationally syndicated radio and television programs, which aired from 1951-1968, drew more than 30 million people each week.) As we prepare to enter the penitential season of Lent, the forty days of preparation for Easter, many people think about what to “give up” during this time. For some it’s chocolate or alcohol – for others it might be […]
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March 2, 2011
March 2, 2011
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The Five Loves of Marriage and Family Life

This week I’ve been reading Love, Marriage and Children by Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen. Although the book was first published in 1954 (I got this copy from the seminary library), the dear man’s words struck me as fresh and insightful. Honestly, the realities of marriage and family life haven’t changed all that much in fifty years. We still have to work at giving ourselves 100% to those we love, and to practice the virtue of self-donation, which is at the heart of every authentic expression of love. Fifty years ago, Archbishop Sheen was one of the most widely recognized religious figures in the media; today […]
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February 25, 2011
February 25, 2011
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Yes, I’m His REAL Mom

The other day on AnnArbor.com, I wrote this post about Christopher sending a handmade Valentine’s Day card to his birth mom — and made the exact same card for us.  Three adult adoptees wrote in comments on the article, each of them affirming that I am indeed my children’s “real” mother, and that one day Chris and Sarah will come to see me not as their “adoptive” mom, but simply their “mom.” I wish I shared their confidence. One of the down sides of open adoption (or any adoption in which the child is old enough and has the means to get in touch or stay in touch with his or her […]
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