Gifted and Graced with Kimberly Hahn

Kimberly Hahn is speaking at a nearby church tomorrow. It is a conference for women only called Gifted and Graced . I am so excited to go! I think it is so necessary for women to get together to talk, pray and celebrate being women. Same goes for men. I think it is wonderful for men to get together in faith.

Kimberly Hahn is the wife of Dr Scott Hahn. Their conversion story is in a beautifully written book called Rome Sweet Home.

Parting Words

"Do you really want that to be the last thing you say to me and the last thing I hear?" This is a question I often asked my daughter when she would try to storm out of the house or to her room after an, "I hate you!" or some other hurtful phrase. I'd say, "What if this was the last time you saw me or I saw you? Is that what you'd want either of us to remember?" She often felt I tried to "guilt" her by asking this. I wasn't. I've just learned you never know when is the last time you will see someone or they you.

An acquaintance's husband collapsed and died the other day. Collapsed without warning, as far as I know. I hope they parted that morning with loving words and loving feelings. I hope they both felt appreciated and cherished. We don't know the day or the hour.

Always let your parting words be loving.

O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for the young woman in her grief and for the repose of her husband's soul.

Forgiving Infidelity, Part 2

What would it take to forgive infidelity? According to my stat counter, many people are searching for the answer and found my harsh stance. Hardly helpful, so I started thinking.What would it take? I think it takes commitment, strength, humility, vulnerability, forgiveness, and selfless love. Lots and lots of all those things, not to mention prayers, support, maturity and hard work. All the opposites of the act of infidelity itself.

My friend Shelby's husband cheated on her and then divorced her. She was willing to forgive and work on their marriage. He was not. She has never said a bad thing about him, ever. She loved him unselfishly. He was too in love with himself to love her. She is so strong and full of courage.

My other friend Leah's husband is an alcoholic, a pathological liar who is verbally abusive, violent without a work ethic or manly pride in supporting their family. He is a waste of skin. Yet there is something in him she loves and so is willing to work at their marriage. She puts them in front of herself. She is strong and loves unselfishly and without reservation or conditions.

I used to think it was strong to sever a relationship with someone who hurt me. Now I know that it is weak and cowardly. Not forgiving is easy. Pride and self have primacy of place and bar the way to forgiveness and truly loving another. I admire my friends for their strength and maturity. I want to learn from their examples and put others ahead of myself. I want to love even when it hurts and it would be easier to give up.

For anyone suffering from infidelity, you have my prayers, support and admiration for seeking a way to forgive.

I Knew You

I saw a bumper sticker today that said, "Before I knit you in the womb, I knew you". It made me think about the stir Nancy Pelosi caused quite a while ago saying that she has studied the question of when the soul enters the body of a child and believes that only recently has it been thought by the Catholic Church that it is at conception. She, of course is grossly mistaken. Life begins at conception.

"I knew you". Unlike motor companies and other manufacturers, God doesn't need models, concept sketches or prototypes (unless you count Adam. Just kidding!). How could God know us unless our soul existed before we were created physically? "I knew you". He knows us because He created our souls. Body and soul are put together at conception. How cool is that: "I knew you".

Please pray for the conversion of Nancy Pelosi and other abortion supporters.