My uncle Angelo died a year ago on the Feast of All Saints. He was a young 70, and even though he had some health issues and accidents over the years, it was still very unexpected.
Protecting or Preparing our Children for Pain
Last week as the kids and I arrived at Operation Kindness animal shelter for our weekly hour of volunteer work, I noticed Big Sugar was in a room off the front lobby. Big Sugar is one of our favorite dogs at the shelter.
Summer of Angst
This summer my family is experiencing a whole lot of angst. Small scale going to kindergarten angst and large scale my mother is on her deathbed angst.
Jesus with Gray Hair
Jesus with gray hair? That’s not an image I’d ever imagined, not until my six-year-old granddaughter created one.
Staying in the weighty matters of death on Good Friday
On Palm Sunday, during the reading of the passion gospel, my three and a half year old learned that Jesus died. On the one hand, I was swelling with parental pride for his calm attentiveness and understanding of the story. But on the other hand, I was worried about how this new information would begin processing in his young mind.
Preparing Children for the Passion
It can be difficult for our children to the stories of Holy Week. Here are some tips for preparing children for the Passion.
Changing the Subject: Parenting on Ash Wednesday
Every year my sermon for Ash Wednesday comes down to one thing: this business of smearing ashes on our faces? It’s for us, not for God.
Remembering Those We See No Longer on the Feast of All Souls
A very long time passed between the day we buried my father and the installation of a headstone on his grave, for a variety of […]
What happens when a godparent dies before the child is grown?
As a family gathers around the baptismal font, the words asked of the godparents are some of the most poignant queries. “Will you be responsible […]
Grandpa’s Tent: Talking with children about death
Last night my husband and I went to see the movie based on Fred Roger’s ministry, Won’t You Be My Neighbor. In the 1980s, his show […]