Of Kindergartens and Kings

Of Kindergartens and Kings

January 29, 2024No Comments
"Why can't I just stay home with you, Mommy?" my son would ask me, day after day. I wrapped him up in a big bear hug. "Well," I explained, "I am not a good teacher. I want someone who knows what they're doing to teach you." Still, I thought about it. Maybe I could homeschool my son instead.
An Unexpected Diagnosis

An Unexpected Diagnosis

January 23, 2024No Comments
And then on December 27, 2021, my son received a special needs diagnosis. This unexpected life change gutted my mental stamina for writing about tough topics. I needed to refocus my energy on helping our son.
The Cloistered Heart, Part 2

The Cloistered Heart, Part 2

August 3, 2023No Comments
"Heart cloister can be lived by single or married persons, religious or clergy or lay, male or female. Because we carry our enclosure with us, we can be united in heart with God wherever we may be." - The Cloistered Heart Way of Life, by Nancy Shuman
The Cloistered Heart

The Cloistered Heart

July 25, 2023No Comments
Cora had assured me that twelve women were presently following this cloistered way of life. She’d also written that the Cloistered Heart was a “call” – something given to a person by God. Jesus, are you calling me to this way of life? I wondered.
Song of Songs

My Two Valentines

February 14, 2023No Comments
I wrote as if I had an audience. As if someone else would someday want to know what had happened to me on November 29, 2013. My heart told me that this little “thing” was the real thing—the first flowering of my betrothal to Christ, and a gift that would never be taken away from me, as long as I lived.
Digging Deeper

Digging Deeper

January 14, 2023No Comments
I studied the month of June with dread. What would happen in two weeks, when I started having those alarming symptoms again? I felt a bit like a werewolf fearing the full moon.
You Are Not Alone

You Are Not Alone

November 16, 2022No Comments
I wondered if Jesus was also trying to show Father Philip that he was not alone. A small band of parishioners were still present, keeping vigil with Father and Our Lord until the very end.
A Fresh Vista

A Fresh Vista

August 5, 2022No Comments
I’d spent the last two years staring at the same four walls, the same few faces, the same sidewalks, parks and streets. In order to produce new writing—new art—I needed a fresh vista.
My Poverty and God’s Providence

My Poverty and God’s Providence

February 17, 2022No Comments
I left the convent on the Lord’s orders: “Go home and tell your family all that I have done for you.” I’d given Him complete reign of my life: all obstacles removed, no holds barred. And so He acted freely in it, turning even the smallest details of my life into signs and wonders.
Layperson In Training

Layperson In Training

January 5, 2022No Comments
When I asked Father what I should do now, I’d expected him to give a more vague answer. Instead, Father welcomed me deeper into the parish community, by inviting me to volunteer and get involved. He made me feel included, which I liked, but also challenged.
No Going Back

No Going Back

December 29, 20211 Comment
I was only one day out of the convent, but already I knew: there was no going back. My 19 months in the cloister had changed, healed, and marked me. Maybe you couldn’t see this mark, like you could my oddly cut hair and cheap new clothes. This transformation went far deeper than physical appearances.
First Night Home

First Night Home

December 21, 2021No Comments
Each new color and sound struck my senses with painful intensity. After 19 months of white walls, silence, and lowering my eyes, just standing in my mother’s kitchen was sending me into sensory overload.