Mind Games
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Hold on to your hats and glasses, cause this essay is going to be a bumpy ride.
This isn't like what you have read from me thus far.
Our Happy Jar and a New Year's Fresh Start
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“A few years ago, when my elder son was newly able to write his name and a few other scribblings of words, my family started a tradition called “Our Happy Jar.” I cleaned out a large Mason jar and filled it with colorful scraps of paper. “
Read MoreAdvent meditation: Dreaming with St. Joseph
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You speak to us in dreams. Sometimes it is the only occasion you find us still and quiet. Quiet enough to hear your voice. Still enough to grab our attention.
You whisper to us throughout the day, reminding us you are present and that you delight in us. But we cannot hear you.
Read MoreEbenezer: Marking God’s Protection with a ‘Stone of Help’
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I was driving home on a major street in downtown Seattle when a middle-aged man riding his bike to work slipped on a light-rail track. He, along with his bike, tumbled across the double yellow line and into oncoming traffic — specifically, my car.
Read MoreTo Give and Not Count the Cost
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My heart always sinks at the line in the Prayer for Generosity, “to give and not to count the cost,” because if I am truly honest with myself, I know I am always calculating the cost.
Read MoreFamily Thanksgiving Rituals
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Read how families can create sacred moments at Thanksgiving. Read my article for Loyola Press here.
Read MoreOur Guardian Angels
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October 2 is the Feast of the Guardian Angels. Read my reflection on Guardian Angels and how I’ve experienced my own in this essay for Catholic News Service’s Faith Alive series.
Read MoreSharing a Moment with a Stranger on Vacation
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Entering Westminster Abbey on vacation with my 10-year-old son, I overheard a man with an American accent ask, “Can we take photos?”
“No, sorry, sir,” the docent apologized.
I remembered being disappointed my last visit when I realized no photos were allowed.
Read MoreMade For Love Podcast: The Catholic Family on Vacation
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I was interviewed for United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Made For Love podcast after my essay on vacations in Busted Halo. Host Sara Perla did an amazing job editing me. I sound like a lovable neurotic which is exactly me. Listen and Enjoy here.
Read MoreA Friendship Formed in Silence
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Delighted to have my writing published in Relief Journal for the first time. “Shemaiah Gonzalez paints a Eucharistic portrait of the tenuous first steps to human connection.”
Read MoreHow I Learned to Let Go of My Worries on Vacation
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I can't be the only one who stresses out on vacation, right?
Read MoreFour Hidden Places I’ve Found God
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In my practice of looking for God, it’s rarely in the spotlight moments that I find him. It’s in the small, hidden places that God chooses to reveal himself. Here are a few I noticed.
Read MoreAnticipating Pentecost: ‘Veni Sancte Spiritus’
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The first time I sensed the presence of the Holy Spirit, I was four years old.
Read MoreLamentation: The Weight of Grief
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There is no way to prepare for the visceral images of six life-sized terracotta sculptures mourning over Christ’s body. The grief is palpable as viewers find themselves nearly frightened of the masterpiece. This grief is not quiet.
Read MoreA guided meditation on Christ’s last words
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Holy Week invites us to walk through the sufferings of Christ. Christ said very little when he was betrayed. He did not attempt to defend himself, but “humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross”
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Waiting in Liminal Space
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“There have been times where liminal space became more like a burial shroud than a cocoon. I stayed in a relationship, friendship, or in bad habits, waiting in this space for as long as I could, never pushing forward, until I grew used to my surroundings in languish. Even in its awkwardness, there is a sacredness in liminal space."
Read MoreWaving to a Stranger
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Do you wave to strangers? I do!
Well, not all the time.
Read about an experience I had while in Sabbatical in Italy over at Ignatian Spirituality.
Read MoreA Familiar Comfort From Our Lady of Guadalupe
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Read how Our Lady of Guadalupe connects me to my past and my future.
Read MoreThree Advent Traditions to Slow You Down
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Advent, the four-week period preceding Christmas, starts Dec. 2 and is a time to slow down as we wait in hopeful expectation for Christ’s coming. It’s a time to take stock of what’s important in our lives, casting away extra commitments and wasted energy we’ve added throughout the year.
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