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Bloggers

Meet the Faith & Family bloggers. We invite you to join us in encouraging and helping the Faith & Family community grow in faith!

Danielle Bean

Danielle Bean
Danielle Bean, a mother of eight, is Editorial Director of Faith & Family. She is author of My Cup of Tea, Mom to Mom, Day to Day, and most recently Small Steps for Catholic Moms. Though she once struggled to separate her life and her work, the two …
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Rachel Balducci

Rachel Balducci
Rachel Balducci is married to Paul and they are the parents of five lively boys and one precious baby girl. She is the author of How Do You Tuck In A Superhero?, and is a newspaper columnist for the Diocese of Savannah, Georgia. For the past four years, she has …
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Lisa Hendey

Lisa Hendey
Lisa Hendey is the founder and editor of CatholicMom.com, a Catholic web site focusing on the Catholic faith, Catholic parenting and family life, and Catholic cultural topics. Most recently she has authored The Handbook for Catholic Moms. Lisa is also employed as webmaster for her parish web sites. …
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Arwen Mosher

Arwen Mosher
Arwen Mosher lives in southeastern Michigan with her husband Bryan and their young children Camilla and Blaise. She has a bachelor's degree in theology. She dreads laundry, craves sleep, loves to read novels and do logic puzzles, and can't live without tea. Her personal blog site is ABC Family. …
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Rebecca Teti

Rebecca Teti
Rebecca Teti is married to Dennis and has four children (3 boys, 1 girl) who -- like yours no doubt -- are pious and kind, gorgeous, and can spin flax into gold. A Washington, DC, native, she converted to Catholicism while an undergrad at the U. Dallas, where she double-majored in …
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Robyn Lee

Robyn Lee
Robyn Lee is the managing editor of Faith & Family magazine. She is (yikes!) an almost 30 year-old, single lady, living in Connecticut with her two cousins in a small bungalow-style kit house built by her great uncle in the 1950s. She also conveniently lives next door to her sister, brother-in-law …
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Hallie Lord

Hallie Lord
Hallie Lord married her dashing husband, Dan, in the fall of 2001 (the same year, coincidentally, that she joyfully converted to the Catholic faith). They now happily reside in the deep South with their two energetic boys and two very sassy girls. In her *ample* spare time, Hallie enjoys cheap wine, …
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Fr. John Bartunek, LC

Fr. John Bartunek, LC

Fr John Bartunek, LC, STL, received his BA in History from Stanford University in 1990, graduating Phi Beta Kappa. He comes from an evangelical Christian background and became a member of the Catholic Church in 1991. After college he worked as a high school history teacher, drama director, and …
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Guest Bloggers

Kate Lloyd

Kate Lloyd
Kate Lloyd is a rising senior, and a political science major at Thomas More College of Liberal Arts in New Hampshire. While not in school, she lives in Whitehall PA, with her mom, dad, five sisters and little brother. She needs someone to write a piece about how it's possible to …
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Elizabeth Foss

Elizabeth Foss
Elizabeth Foss, an award winning columnist for the Arlington Catholic Herald, published her first book, Real Learning: Education in the Heart of My Home in 2003. The book is now in its third printing. Her popular blog, In the Heart of My Home is a source of inspiration and support for Catholic women …
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Coming Up for Air

and waiting for grace

Ever feel like you’re just treading water? Or (worse) that you’re sinking below the surface?

I woke up yesterday morning gasping for air.

I couldn’t pinpoint my problem exactly, but off the top of my head I could tell you that I was away last weekend, we’re finishing up our school year, we’re transitioning into summer activities, we’re going full-force (at least 2 games a day) with baseball, we’re having some work done on the house, and my dishwasher is broken. (Just between you and me, and my husband whom I tell every 5 minutes, I think the dishwasher thing is my biggest problem.)

The irony of flying to Ohio over the weekend to encourage moms to find peace and balance in their family lives only to return home and feel like a hot mess of motherhood myself was not lost on me.

So I took a deep breath. And I started crossing things off my lists. I eliminated anything that I don’t absolutely have to do this week.

I find this so hard to do.

Some stubborn, prideful part of me never wants to admit that I can’t get everything done. That I get tired. That I have physical, mental, and emotional limitations.

But of course we all need “rescuing” sometimes. Even if we must do the rescuing ourselves, it’s important to recognize our limitations. Because none of us does anything on our own anyway. The times when I feel like I am soaring through life are only possible because God carries me through them.

All that I do requires grace.

Sometimes, for my own good, God allows me to feel just a little bit hungry for it before He delivers.


Comments

Page 1 of 1 pages

 

old joke:

What do you call a sassy teenager?
A dishwasher.

 

Thanks Danielle! this is really encouraging- and I am so impressed by so many of the women commenting here-that you can get so many worthwhile things accomplished! I appreciate very much though that you have kind of touched on the superwoman syndrome that so many women must suffer under in the current feminist clime. I think we thrive on some sense of contro,l and of course our daily survival mandates a significant amount of control of our schedules, environments, weight, finances, children, lives etc. But the thing I think we need more than anything as 21st century Christian Catholic women is to never fall into the misguided groove of controlling the externals in lieu of the internals-I guess that is why we are so privileged to be tethered by grace, and to recognize that we are. This post made me think of Psalm 139:7-14 Where can I go from Your Spirit?...We are fearfully and wonderfully made—-in need of grace every moment!

 

Very true!  I’m a control freak by nature, and I’m sure that pride is at the root of it.

 

Joining with you in the suffering caused by a broken dishwasher!  Repairmen have been here twice. 

If only I could remember to write everything down that I have to do.  I would be so much better about prioritizing.  Thank you for your candid reflection.  I have much work to do (or not).

 

Not to focus on the dishwasher thing (because I know that is not the heart of your post) but it made me think of my mom- growing up we did not have one.  When we asked her why she didn’t get one, she would always reply, “Why do I need a dishwasher?  I have five?” I don’t have one (although I hope to remodel down the road and put one in!) and I definitely get many looks of pity when people hear this!  Thanks for your reflection, Danielle!  (By the way, I live in DC, but I encouraged a good friend to attend your talk in Ohio and I cannot wait for her to fill me in!)

 

Just wanted to say I appreciated meeting you last weekend in Ohio.  Your point about not comparing yourself to others because God made us individuals to achieve our own potentials really hit home with me.  When life gives you a broken dishwasher, make it a home-ec project!  God bless!

 

Danielle, when you have those overwhelmed moments, don’t forget that you have fellow moms across the country that include you in their daily prayers because we are so grateful for the support and encouragement you provide to us.

 

Oh THANK YOU Lindy! That is so sweet—you just made my day! grin

 

Danielle…. I hope things are feeling a little bit more do-able for you as the weekend approaches. I absolutely loved your talk in Dayton, especially because of the very simple, yet profound wisdom you called us to remember. I have been praying and re-focusing a lot as I’ve reflected on your comments. I think you are so well-loved because you are so real and down-to-earth. You truly are an inspiration to so many, in your brilliance AND in your candid sharing of your real-life challenges. Hang in there! GOD is in charge. And, I do a lot of praying while I wash dishes. Maybe God wants you there! smile


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