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Last night we threw the cutest Valentine’s party for our Middle School youth group. Pink and white streamers, red table cloths, flowers, heart-shaped candy, cookies, and cupcakes with pounds of icing piled to the ceiling. Ok, the teens definitely didn’t need that much sugar, but we were there to celebrate a day of love: Valentine’s Day.
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I always have the worst dates.
Seriously, the movie How To Lose a Guy in Ten Days has nothing on me. My dating disasters have been frequent and broad in their range of humiliation…
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Wow, the number of replies from my Single on V-day post has been overwhelming. Thank you all for your emails, comments, and facebook wall posts! I’m so thankful that my words are reaching those who need to hear them, and I hope to bring some more light to this issue of singleness and longing.
Confession: I’ve rarely have had a boyfriend on Valentine’s Day. No roses were ever found in my locker; no sweet card in the mail; no date to get excited about. And as I think about that, I have to be honest. There have definitely been years when I felt like just covering my body in black clothing from head to toe and playing a funeral march as I walked around on V-Day, ALONE…AGAIN!
Depression: the Untold Story (Part 2)
When I was a drug rep, the Nov-Jan time frame always saw the highest spike in antidepressant prescriptions. In fact, statistics show that 20% of teens struggle with depression before their adult life. And 1 in every 4 adults is on an antidepressant. Continue reading
All of us have our bad days once in a while. I know myself that there have been times in my life when facing another day didn’t seem possible. But what happens when the dark days never seem to end? What happens when hope seems lost, and the funk and negative spirit that used to be a momentary thing become a constant reality?
It’s a New Year!! The Christmas chaos dies down just long enough for us to celebrate hopefully with an epic New Year’s Party. We gather around with friends and family, watch thousands of people squeeze together like tightly packed sardines at Time Square, and wait for the ball to drop…
Then the moment comes: 10-9-8…3-2-1! The ball drops and and everyone cheers: “HAPPY NEW YEAR!” Horns blare. Couples kiss. And we Continue reading
Walking down the gravel road at 6:15 a.m., my warm breath turned to fog in the cold air as I rushed to the chapel doors. The hour of silent morning prayer with the monks was my favorite part of my personal retreat at the Congregation of St. John.
Pulling open the thick oak doors, my eyes adjusted to the complete darkness of the chapel. I could only see the faint silhouette of seven monks (and their pointing hoods) as they knelt in prayer on the bare stone floor. Continue reading
At 3:45 a.m. my phone rings. “GET UP!” my sister yells down the line. “I’m not going,” I mumble, as I pull the covers back up over my head. “You have to come!” she yells. I can hear the loud Christmas music blaring from the car radio. Eventually, she gets her way. I throw on a fluffy sweatshirt, Continue reading
“Oh, Mary, keep praying. It’s so beautiful!” The vibrant, young Carmelite nun in the “old school” habit spoke these words that ultimately changed my life forever. Wait, I know what you’re thinking. Beautiful? The Catholic Church? That’s exactly what I thought – Continue reading