So shattered I could not see my own hand in front of my face, I was suspended in the invisible arms of a Love I had only dreamed of. Immolated, I found myself resting in fire. Drowning, I surrendered, and discovered I could breathe underwater.

As Catholics, we are urged to look to the Holy Family for they are examples of perfection and goodness. Christ shows us how to love thy neighbor and die to self while mama Mary shows us unconditional love and trust in the Lord. Mary and Joseph are models of a true and good marriage, but St Joe wasn’t perfect. What can he show us? He shows us true humility and docility to the Lord. It is because St Joseph is imperfect that I love him so much; he shows us how to be in community with Jesus and Mary.

What if the light of Christ is not a harsh, disinterested glare but the perfect light of dawn that gently transforms the shadows into peace?

Those words are hard to hear.

For Cayse’s second anniversary, we received a beautiful bouquet of flowers from my in-laws. When I received the flowers, my eyes caught the beautiful butterfly in the bouquet.

I spent the morning navigating the crowds, my heart burning within me. My faith is on fire, convinced that He is the answer to my every question, the yoke for my every burden.

When you think about Lent, does it feel as if any more suffering or penance will crush you? At Red Bird, grieving mothers and fathers are entering into this penitential season already carrying an extraordinary cross. It may feel impossible to consider adding one more ounce of suffering. We see you, dear one. May you find encouragement to come as you are, to enter into the desert with Jesus to receive the heart of the Father. We are here. You are not alone.

“From Mary we learn to surrender to God’s will in all things. From Mary, we learn to trust even when all hope seems gone. From Mary, we learn to love Christ, her Son and the Son of God.” - Pope Saint John Paul the Great

I am a daddy’s girl. I am very close to my dad. We share the same birthday, and my little Saint’s middle name is after my dad’s. My father and I share such a special bond, so I am struggling with his recent health problems.

The deepest darkness is the discouraging reality that since my love for my son will never change, the agony of his loss will not either.

In 2016, our parish opened a perpetual Adoration chapel. Despite growing up Catholic, I was in my thirties with several small children before I ever attended a holy hour. I was captivated by the reverence and rituals of Eucharistic Adoration and quickly became a regular attendee of Thursday night Adoration at our church.