A few years ago, I attended a retreat at Ignatius House in Atlanta, GA and Father Greg Boyle, SJ directed the retreat. He told many stories but the one story that seems to have embedded itself into my heart is the one that he tells above. Father Greg is a hero to me. I believe […]
Praying a novena with 12-step guidance. […]
In the first pages of every book is a dedication page. Authors use this page to offer up the work that they have created to someone they hope to honor. During the final stages of edits, I was asked to begin thinking about who I wanted to dedicate my work to. My answer came quickly: […]
Back in July, my parish book club read my book, Helping Families Recover from Addiction. After they finished, they invited me to speak to their small group (5-7 people). When I walked into the room there were almost 10 people present. By the time we started, that number climbed to 20. I believe that my […]
I remember the day that I decided to stop being afraid. Even though it was a quiet decision, deeply held within my being, everything shifted. I try to remember what brought me to it but it remains elusive. Maybe it was a shift in tactic; from fleeing to fighting. Maybe it was a mustard seed’s […]
On a particularly crisp Autumn night, our meeting-room filled to capacity. There were no available seats left in the rows of tables arranged together to form a square. We started our meeting with the Serenity Prayer: “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things that I cannot change, the courage to change the things […]
A few years ago, one of my friends was looking to buy a pony for the riding program at her farm. She found an ad for something that might fit in with her program online. When she arrived at the farm to check out the pony, she saw something that changed everything. There was a […]
My husband and I drove to a family gathering, the Saturday after Thanksgiving. He was able to see his cousins and aunts that he doesn’t get to see often. Because we don’t live in the same state as these family members, we don’t know about their day to day lives. So, there is a lot […]
There is a patch of light that comes through my window, late in the afternoon. On cooler days, the dogs find their way upstairs to bask in that light. Sometimes, I join them. I like to imagine that the warmth that soaks into my skin is a loving embrace from God. I imagine Him with […]
Last week at a meeting, a woman came in and asked if we’d seen the rainbow on our way in. “Yes, I did.” I said. “It was so beautiful that all I could do was sigh.” She said. “But, I think that God is only a sigh away.” She continued. “I’ve got to write […]