We are mid-January and now we cannot go anywhere without seeing red and pink hearts…they are everywhere! Many people enjoy the upcoming holiday, while others dread the holiday, calling it, “Singles Awareness Day” instead of Valentine’s Day.

PHONES!!!  I have a love/hate relationship with my phone!  I love being able to be reached whenever in the case of an emergency, but I also hate the fact that I can be reached whenever, when it is certainly not an emergency.  I love that I have the freedom to check my emails on my phone, but I hate that I feel that I always have to be caught up on email because it is at my fingertips at all times.  I love that I can upload a picture of my family having fun to my social media account, but I hate the fact that I get trapped on that social media account and waste countless hours a week scrolling through to see what everyone else is posting.  I know smart phones were created for convenience, but I am convinced that Satan had something to do with it!  I truly believe that Satan knew that we would use these phones to destroy our day-to-day life and our real relationships.    

Leo:  “Mom, I’m done with Math!”

Me:  “Leo, that’s great!  Where is it so I can correct it to see how you did?”

Leo:  “I ripped it into a bunch of pieces and threw it in the garbage!”  (Followed by a hearty and mischievous laugh!)

October is a month that calls awareness to several causes, but two quite different causes touch my heart very profoundly.  Though these causes are not related for most people, they are for our family.  In October we call awareness to Down Syndrome, along with Pregnancy and Infant Loss.  Without one, we would not have the other.  Let me explain…

“There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every affair under the heavens…” (Ecclesiastes 3:1, NAB) This weekend our family celebrated our very last camping trip of the season.  I am amazed we were able to make it until October, living in North Dakota.  As we walked on trails, we heard the leaves crumble under our feet.  

I love the Sacrament of Marriage.  I love working with engaged couples.  I love FAMILY LIFE!  Because of this, I am always looking for ways to stay hopeful in a world where the sacrament of marriage is often looked down upon and where relationships, be it with spouses, family, or friends, are too easily thrown away.

Growing up, I believed that going to confession was one of the scariest things that I could do. I was incredibly nervous because confession is uncomfortable. We have to dig deep, reflect, sit in silence and be sincerely sorry for the things we have done that hurt another. As humans, those things seem hard, scary and many of us would much rather avoid them.