Heidi Saxton - Life on the Road Less Traveled

May 14, 2021

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A Writer’s Rosary: The Sorrowful Mysteries

Jen Norton captures the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary in a powerful way in Surrender All. If you do not already own a copy of this full-color devotional journal, please do yourself a favor and get one! Jen was kind enough to give me permission to use her artwork to illustrate the reflections here — if you would like to see more of her artwork, or purchase prints, be sure to check out her website at Jen Norton Art Studio. Last week I introduced you to Fr. Ubald and his “Rosary of My Life.” I asked you to think of the five “mysteries” that […]

May 7, 2021

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A Writer’s Rosary: Fr. Ubald on “The Rosary of My Life”

I’ve been told (by those who have experienced both life-changing events) that there are some surprising similarities between writing a book and giving birth to a child: The process can often be painful, messy, and even a little embarrassing. But there is great joy in the end. Because of this, I like to offer a rosary on Fridays for my authors. In his book Forgiveness Makes You Free, Fr. Ubald Rugirangoga (RIP) writes about the “rosary of my life,” identifying five painful moments from his own life that he continually offered back to God (see pages 10-15). His early memories of his parents, both of […]

April 30, 2021

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What to Do BEFORE You Query

Do you have a favorite author website? I’d love it if you would post a link here! As an editor, I’m always working with authors to help them develop their ministry platforms — and a good social media presence is really essential to their success. About the picture: Until you get to know them, editors can be scary people. But we really do want you to succeed! And for Catholic non-fiction authors writing their first book, the key to your success will be how close your proposed book “fits” with your existing ministry. I’ve learned that there tends to be a high correlation between strong […]

April 27, 2021

April 27, 2021

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Happy Birthday, Brennan Manning! (Catholic Writer’s Almanac: April 27)

He was a complicated man who understood one simple truth: His Father in Heaven loved him — loves all of us — more than we could possibly imagine. Rest in peace, dear Ragamuffin.

April 26, 2021

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Things that go “ring” in the night.

“Mom?!” Bleary-eyed, I took my cell away from my face long enough to see the time. It was 4:15 in the morning. My heart leaped in my throat. “Christopher? Are you okay? Are you at work?” He had just started a new job, working 4:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Fridays through Sundays, at a bottle manufacturer about 40 minutes from our house. Although I had initial reservations about him driving that far, at that time of day, Craig and I agreed that it was time for him to start making adult choices. And so far, he seemed to be doing well. Now he was in […]

September 22, 2012

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Signs and Sacraments: When a Dress (or a Heart) Is Something More…

The other day I came across this heart-warming story about a young Jewish couple, interred in one of the work camps during World War II. She wanted to be married in a white dress, and he wanted to make her dreams come true. Sixty years and dozens of brides later, the dress was showcased in the Holocaust Museum. Made from a parachute, the well-worn dress became a symbol of love and hope in a time when hatred and despair prevailed. Like many of the signs and symbols of our lives, the worth of this sacramental of love far exceeded its monetary value. I recently broke […]

September 16, 2012

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Attachment Therapy: One Family’s Story. Guest Post by “Forever, For Always, No Matter What”

Many children diagnosed with ADHD, ODD, and other “invisible” learning and emotional impairments are in fact struggling to heal from trauma stemming from their early years. Some adoptive parents have found that attachment therapy can greatly improve the parent-child bond. In today’s guest post, Jen Dunlap shares her family’s experience with attachment therapy. If your family has had experience with this type of therapy, what techniques or books did you find most effective? Our decision to enter into attachment therapy wasn’t made lightly. It’s easy to be lulled into thinking things aren’t that bad or that we have all the answers. We ultimately made the decision that we […]

September 13, 2012

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The Things We Do for Love: “Chopped”!

When you’ve been married for more than a decade, it’s easy to fall into a bit of a routine: He nods off around 9 o’clock while I “channel surf” until I land on a decent movie or one of my cooking shows. My current favorite is “Chopped.” Each week four professional cooks vie for $10,000 prize money by creating culinary magic from a basket full of unlikely ingredients, creating first an appetizer (from grape jelly beans, conch, purple potatoes and kale), main dish (tofu, rabbit tenderloin, raddicchio, and Sambucca), and dessert (pumpernicle, lichi fruit, quail eggs, and corn nuts). Thirty minutes, starting NOW. In each […]

September 9, 2012

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Not-Quite-Silent Motherhood: A Miracle in Our Midst

One of my favorite ways to engage the Gospel is to imagine that I am a peripheral character in the story. In this week’s Gospel, for example, we encounter a man who is both deaf and has a speech impediment, who is brought to Jesus for healing. We read: He [Jesus] took him off by himself away from the crowd. He put his finger into the man’s ears and, spitting, touched his tongue; then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him, “Ephphatha!”– that is, “Be opened!” — And immediately the man’s ears were opened, his speech impediment was removed, and he […]