Just a quick note today. This week, a group of college students have come to Vermilion County to facilitate a summer youth program for the Catholic parishes in our area. Each day, Mass is held at 11:15, and the parish community is invited to join the kids. So, I attended yesterday and today, enjoying the…
7 Quick Takes… It’s Been a While!
Yesterday was Friday, and I got a calendar notification on my phone. “Write 7 Quick Takes.” This shows up every single week, because somehow I thought I would get into the habit of participating in this fun blog community posting gig…but alas, I have ignored those notifications for months. So long in fact, that the…
How Does Your Garden Grow?
My home office has smelled lovely this week. The lilac bushes and peonies are in full bloom! Bruce has cut some flowers for me to enjoy in my space. Nearly every flat surface is covered now with an unfinished project or items that need to be reorganized (this room serves as an office and craft…
Once a Mother, Always a Mother
Note: I am happy to say this has been published in The Catholic Post, the newspaper for the Peoria Diocese. The link to the article can be found here. Twenty-one years ago, I celebrated Mother’s Day for the first time as a mom myself. I was just two months into my pregnancy, but already wearing maternity…
National Day of Prayer
Each year, since 1952, on the first Thursday of May, our nation commemorates the National Day of Prayer. I don’t think I heard about it very much until my adult years. Perhaps, I just wasn’t paying attention! But now I am tuned into this national event because I find it to be very special, and…
Mothers, Earth, and Babies
Today, it’s “Earth Day” around the globe. Frankly, I never think about it until the actual date (April 22nd) when various stories come on the news or my Facebook feed. So yes, I was reminded of this special day first thing this morning. The first Earth Day was 45 years ago, and has been…
What a Week at #HeartCon15
Well, it has taken me a full week to post this…but better late than never! I suppose I was just taking it easy after a wonderful week at the Heartbeat International Conference. Or more likely, catching up on various projects here at home. As I mentioned in a previous post, I ran into April,…
Heartbeat Conference Time!
One of my favorite things to do for professional development is to attend the Annual Heartbeat International Conference. I was never able to go as a board member, mostly due to the fluid nature of foster child placement. However, I attended several times as Executive Director of HELP Ministries (Women’s Care Clinic.) I went to…
He is Risen! Alleluia!
He is Risen! Alleluia! At the time I began to write this Easter post, I was in the car on the way to Rockville Indiana to visit with many of my in-laws. I have quite a few, so it is hard to see all of them at once! I wrote most of this with pen…
In Like a Lamb or a Lion?
You know the old saying about March coming in like a lion, but leaving like a lamb? (Or the other way around?) Bruce was expressing a bit of confusion about how things went this year. You see, here in Danville we received somewhere around 10 inches of snow yesterday, but it was a pretty and…