Today I drove by a pharmacy whose property is regularly peppered with “day laborers.” I have yet to see someone actually out hiring people, but I imagine it must happen since every time I pass by, there are always 5 - 20 men standing around waiting. Of course there are more...
My older daughter attends a Lutheran preschool. During the summer the school runs a camp that is more play-based. What our family loves is that they keep the religious content present in both programs. What I especially enjoy is discovering my daughter singing a religious song...
Anyone who has spent much time around our family knows that we are regulars at a particular wholesale warehouse chain. Though you might not think a family of four needs to buy goods in bulk, there are actually quite a few things we regularly purchase to stock our home. Almost every...
I am a regular advocate for children in Church. I think the practice shapes children at a young age and enlivens worship for the community. Though distracting to some, the noise of children makes me feel like the church is alive and joyful. That is why I always encourage parents with young...
Last week I was taking a walk for a bit of exercise on my day off. I was trucking along when all of a sudden a fragrance hit me – the smell of honeysuckle. I stuttered to a stop just so I could inhale the scent a little longer. Honeysuckle is one of those scents that takes me back to a...
As a parent of two young children, I have had to readjust how I do about pretty much everything. Grocery shopping is one of the trickiest. My current method is to put my oldest in the shopping cart seat (luckily she is still small enough for that) and to put my youngest on my chest in a baby...
I was fine until my older daughter’s teacher saw me without the baby, realized I had dropped her off at nursery school, and then asked if I was okay. I really was fine. But as soon as I tried to tell her how fine I was, my eyes moistened. I kept my response short for fear that my eyes...
One of the more regular inquires I get as a priest is about how to pray. The truth is there are so many different ways to pray – ranging from formal methods to totally unstructured methods – that our conversations usually have to include what they have tried already and some teaching...
This week marks the beginning of my maternity leave. My life has already dramatically shifted from getting ready to be away from church for 12 weeks, to getting our family and home ready for a new baby. It is a time of anticipation, busyness, excitement, and a bit of anxiety. As I assured my...
As I approach my delivery date, many people have asked me whether I am ready. I think they usually are asking one of two things (or both): 1) Have I accomplished everything I need to do to welcome the baby?, and/or 2) Am I ready to no longer be bearing the physical burden of pregnancy? It is the...
