From the Lorax to Hildegard of Bingen
So last night I watched a double feature: Dr. Seuss’s “The Lorax” followed by “Vision: From the Life of Hildegard Von Bingen.” On the surface this rather surreal pairing might seem just too weird for...
View ArticleThe importance of a “we” moment
Yesterday Chiara came into our bedroom early in the morning, and as she snuggled up next to me I said, “We have to go sell Girl Scout cookies today.” Here’s how the rest of that conversation went:...
View Article25 random things about me, as if you asked
This is “25 Random Things,” a Facebook meme that was circling around back when I first joined Facebook. It was kind of fun to do, so I thought I’d share it again here. What would be on your list of 25...
View ArticleManic Monday: Here, there, and everywhere
This past week has been a whirlwind of activity, and there’s no end in sight. But it’s all good. Busy, but good busy. By next week at this time, we will have passed a giant hurdle: Noah’s Eagle Scout...
View ArticleMiscarriage: loss and love 15 years later
My annual post in remembrance of the baby I never got to meet: For the past few days I’ve been looking at the numbers on the calendar, growing more and more introspective as we inched closer to August...
View ArticleNever forget. Remembering like it was yesterday.
Yesterday a friend asked people if we could remember where we were at that horrible moment 12 years ago today. I was putting laundry away in the top drawer of my bedroom dresser when the phone rang. My...
View ArticleThe Advent Games: Catching Fire
If any of you were around these parts last year, you may remember that we started our Advent season not with a prayer but with a coin toss. Because that’s how we roll here at the Poust House. We can...
View ArticleHappy St. Nicholas Day. What’s in your shoe?
The shoes were placed by the front door with care last night. Okay, to be honest, the almost-17-year-old just left them there out of habit, but the two girls were all over it. They still love the Feast...
View ArticleThe great Christmas stocking debate returns
Okay, here’s the question of the day: Is the Christmas stocking important or irrelevant? This debate rages at our house each Christmas season. For me, the Christmas stocking is key when it comes to...
View ArticleI should have known… An Ode to Olivia
I should have know you would turn out to be a determined, amazing, strong, daring girl… …when you burst into the world in record time (less than 30 minutes in the hospital) and at a whopping 10 pounds...
View ArticleIt’s never okay to play Grand Theft Auto
Grand Theft Auto, the violent bestselling video game franchise, was in the news again this week for upgrading its game to allow players to have sex with a prostitute from the player point of view. If...
View ArticleHappy St. Nicholas Day. What’s in your shoes?
The shoes were placed by the front door with care last night. Okay, to be honest, the almost-18-year-old just left them there out of habit, but the two girls were all over it. They still love the Feast...
View ArticleIt takes a village, and I love mine.
Every year, St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Delmar (like so many other area churches, Catholic and not) sponsors a Giving Tree. At the start of Advent, the tree is covered with tags, each one listing...
View ArticleIn fear I faced the real question: “Why not me?”
I am typically a “Why me?” sort of person — when my computer crashes, when a recipe flops, when I come home from the store without the one thing I went there to get. So you can only imagine how I might...
View ArticleManic Monday: Family, friends and feeling blessed
These are busy, crazy times here in the Poust House, and things only promise to get a bit crazier as we head toward the Triduum and Easter. That photo on the left is from last night’s Palm Sunday Mass...
View ArticleBringing the lost virtue of respect back into fashion
My latest story in the current issue of OSV Newsweekly: If you are of a certain age, you might remember the late comedian Rodney Dangerfield’s signature line: “I don’t get no respect.” Back then it was...
View ArticlePreach it, Denzel Washington
This is so worth 11 minutes of your time. Denzel Washington gives a commencement address that doubles as spiritual direction. “Put God first,” he told the graduates, and then went on to remind them to...
View ArticleMiscarriage: Love and loss 17 years later
My annual post in remembrance of the baby I never got to meet: For the past few days I’ve been looking at the numbers on the calendar, growing more and more introspective as we inched closer to August...
View ArticleI look at my students and see our future ex-Catholics
My post over at Aleteia today: When it comes to teenagers, you expect a certain amount of eye rolling and apathy, but put those same kids in a faith formation class for an hour and fifteen minutes at...
View ArticleTalking everyday prayer, grief, friendship and more
I had a great time on today’s episode of A Seeking Heart with Allison Gingras of Reconciled to You. We covered a lot of bases, including three of my seven books: Everyday Divine, Parenting a Grieving...
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