Category: Ponderings

Help for Mean, Moody Mamas

Published on by Mary Cooney1 Comment

Do you ever have those days when a dark cloud seems to be hanging over you? Perhaps you didn’t sleep well the night before or health problems are gnawing away at your energy and patience. Maybe your kids are particularly ornery and you can’t get them to stop squabbling, let alone get them to do their school work. Or maybe you had a marital disagreement which has left you feeling deflated and depressed. It sure is hard to be joyful and kind on such days, isn’t it?

Here’s an excerpt from Evangelizing Our Children with Joy that describes the importance of being joyful even in the face of tribulations.

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A Lenten Resolution for Perfectionist Moms

Published on by Mary Cooney1 Comment

How’s your Lent going? One of the things I love about Lent (no, it’s not the fasting) is that I get a second chance at that New Year’s resolution I have long since broken. Even better, I’m convinced that during Lent Our Lord gives us extra graces to persevere in our resolutions. Perhaps this is because during Lent our sacrifices are aimed at uniting ourselves more closely to His holy cross.

Last week Our Lord made it very clear what He wanted me to give up for Lent. You see, I love my kids, obviously. And I’m truly grateful to be able to stay at home with them. But sometimes, being home with them all day can be a real pain. On any given day, there are so many things my precious ones can do to annoy or frustrate me, not necessarily out of their own fault, but rather because I have the misfortune of being the perfectionist type.

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A Little Pro-Life Story

Published on by Mary Cooney7 Comments

I wanted to go to the March for Life on Friday. I really did. My husband and my older kids went to D.C. ,  and marched amongst probably hundreds of thousands of youth, rallying for the dignity of the unborn child.  I’m missing the exhiliration and excitement of the March, the feeling of being a part of a tremendous movement that will one day put an end to history’s greatest atrocity, the legalization of abortion.

But sweet little Junior has had a rough past few weeks, as babies often do during the winter. Instead of Marching in the nation’s capital, I stayed at home playing peekaboo.

However, I thought I’d share this little pro-life story:

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The Parable of the Good Shepherd According to Calvin and Hobbes

Published on by Mary Cooney2 Comments

I just had to share this one with you. My kids really enjoy reading Calvin and Hobbes. I think they relate to Calvin’s over-blown imagination and boundless energy. Inspired by this wacky and lovable cartoon character, Big-Sis and my niece drew this for a church youth group project:

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What Not to Say When Your Friend has a Miscarriage

Published on by Mary Cooney6 Comments

October. The air grows chill, and the leaves begin to fall. Pink ribbons decorate the stores reminding us that it is Breast Cancer Awareness month. Much lesser known is the fact that October is also Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness month. Statistics say that among women who know they are pregnant, 8-20% will lose their child to miscarriage by the 12th week. That’s as high as 1 in 5 pregnancies ending in loss.  There are countless women who bury the grief of miscarriage in their hearts, rarely ever speaking about it.

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A Letter from Mother Teresa

Published on by Mary Cooney3 Comments

With the canonization of Mother Teresa coming up on Sept. 4th, I thought I’d share with you a short letter Mother Teresa wrote to me. Yes, can you believe it? Mother Teresa did, in fact, write me a short little letter – more of a note than a letter, but one packed with wisdom so relevant to us busy moms.

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Today’s Your Day! St. Martha’s Feast Day!

Published on by Mary CooneyLeave a comment

Hence the extra post. July 29 is St. Martha’s Feast Day. “Martha” means “mistress” or “lady” in Aramaic. That’s you, right? Because you are the lady of the house.

So go ahead, take the day off. Skip the laundry and the house work. Relax on the porch, read a good book, spend some time in prayer.

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