Minnesota Mom

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The Seven Sorrows of Mary

by Filed Under: Minnesota Me, Spiritual Growth, The Faith 5 Comments

Beneath the cross the Mother keptBleak vigil under darkened skies.Upon the cross her Son hung nailed,Stabbed through by crowds of hostile eyes.“And your own soul a sword shall pierce,”The old man in the Temple said,The Spirit’s sword, the word of God—God’s word be done, was all she said.*Whenever I find myself anxious and overburdened, I try to … [Read more...]

The Triumph of the Cross

by Filed Under: Current Affairs, Friends of the Heart, Gratitude, Minnesota Me 8 Comments

Subtitled: This & That on a MondayToday is such a powerful feast day. Think about it. Our salvation came—and comes—via the cross. Do we dare embrace it? And do we ask for help to embrace it?* * *I am still thinking about the events of September 11, 2001 this morning. Have you had a chance to read the comments on my post? Wow. My heart goes … [Read more...]

Food for Thought

by Filed Under: Minnesota Me, Spiritual Growth 1 Comment

“Faith thinks not as the ego thinks but as God thinks. Faith lives by the light of the self-sacrificing love of the Crucified. Faith works for the benefit of others, even and especially those who have nothing give in return except the opportunity to serve.”(Today’s meditation from Magnificat magazine.) … [Read more...]

Taste and See

by Filed Under: Anecdotal, Felicity, Minnesota Me, My Girls 9 Comments

My little Felicity is taking ballet lessons now and could there be anything cuter than a six-year-old ballerina? No, ma’am, there could not.She is, in the words of Fancy Nancy, ecstatic about the idea.So on Friday afternoon we stopped by the mall to pick up a pair of ballet slippers. (Even at Payless they cost 20 bucks! This will be an expensive … [Read more...]

Where were you?

by Filed Under: Cultural Commentary, Current Affairs, Minnesota Me 19 Comments

Has it really been eight years? I remember September 11, 2001 as if it were……well, as if it were the horribly inauspicious day that it was.The morning dawned bright and sunny here in Minnesota. I went for a walk while the rest of my family slept, and brought home a caterpillar to show the children. Its fuzzy little body was cradled carefully in my … [Read more...]

Photography by Jem

by Filed Under: Jem, Minnesota Me, Our Children's Gifts 9 Comments

Sounds like a studio, doesn’t it?My 10-year-old son has definitely taken a turn for the artistic, and I love that he loves taking photos because he will often run to get the camera when the “main” photographer is otherwise preoccupied.He’s gotten some great shots of Anthony that way.Many great shots of Anthony.Many, many great shots of Anthony.A … [Read more...]

Where There’s Smoke…

by Filed Under: Hearth & Home, Keeping It Real, Minnesota Me, Motherhood 11 Comments

We’ve been putting out some fires lately, in ways many and diverse.Take our most recent family meal as an example.Dinner was fairly late last night—around 8:00 p.m., I guess. (We strive to be like the Europeans in this house.) I was as busy as a mother always is this time of day—passing the fussy baby from sibling to sibling and trying desperately … [Read more...]

The First Meet*

by Filed Under: Growing Up, Joe, Minnesota Me, Motherhood 15 Comments

The photo is blurry because the photographer was crying.And that’s what an emotional sap I’ve been.Where are you going, my little one, little one?Where are you going, my baby, my own?Turn around and you’re twoTurn around and you’re fourTurn around and you’re a young [boy]Going out the door.Nanci Griffith (“Turn Around”)How come no one told me that … [Read more...]