Our Best Back to School Ideas — From a Mom Who Misses Those Days
School started here in the desert over the last couple weeks. And it still baffles me that I don’t have any kids to send out into that sweaty hot jungle…
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The Beauty of Daily Ritual: Why What You Feed Each Day Matters
Last month I listened to this podcast that really resonated with me. Part of it was about a Divine Mother which was so interesting. But the thing that really caught…
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250 Years of America: There Is So Much Good Here
Happy 4th of July weekend, everyone! I just have to take a minute to stop in my tracks and write just a few thoughts I’ve had lately about America. Because…
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Broken Hearts, Messy Lives, and the Beauty of Moral Agency
A few weeks ago I was asked to teach our fifth-Sunday lesson on the constitution at church. It caught me a bit off guard at first. After all, this is…
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The Resilience of Motherhood and the Pietà
I’m catching the last hours of Mother’s Day in the States to share an experience I had on Mother’s Day at the Vatican this year, hours ahead of the states….
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Helping Kids Take Ownership: Learning About Locus of Control
(Updated in 2026 to add more thoughts on helping kids take ownership of their decisions as they grow, especially during this college/mission prep season.) Helping kids take ownership of their…
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Tips for Raising Teenage Boys – A Different Perspective
When my son Max turned fifteen, I was caught in that familiar swirl of maternal worry: Will he be motivated? Is he prepared for the world? Am I doing enough?…
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A Round-Up of Things I’ve Found Very Inspiring Lately
Oh man, the world is such a beautiful place. And there’s something about being out in it that has given me so much room for finding and listening to things…
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the 4th and Being “Better”
One of Lucy’s teachers at her college prep course gave us a thought I’ve been thinking about. He said he likes to ask the kids “what do you want to…
