I sat with the "what should I do for Lent?" question for a good long while. The pandemic stretches on and my heart and soul have been crying for justice on so many issues for so long. I am tired and weary.  It came to me that I needed a different kind of Lent. Maybe you do too. One not focused on food and diet in the midst of intense change. One that reclaimed my own power to do good in my little corner of the world, and to support others in their bigger world work. The whole idea at the very very beginning of this blog was marrying the small c church in my home with ..read more

There has been a massive rash of toppling statues in the United States - followed by a rush to defend the fallen statues. There are two separate issues for me here: destruction of churches/church property and destruction of public statues and figures. Vandalism and destruction of churches and statues on church property likely veer into hate crime territory and should be denounced with ferocity. That is not ok, ever. Catholics are not just here to be abused and no one should ever be targeted for violence. Public statues are different. Many of those have had appeals for decades for their r ..read more

Much of the wider US population only hears about Native concerns when the news covers a conflict about a statue of Columbus, a racist mascot, or an oil pipeline. These things do genuinely matter, but I think most people have never heard of one of the root traumas that is at the heart of the desperation to defend what is Native: Indian boarding schools. Don't feel bad if you've never heard of the Indian Boarding Schools. I didn't know about them myself until I was asked to put together an exhibit on them for my college library during Native Heritage Month - despite my own grandmother and gr ..read more

I'm one of the many mixed race Catholics you might not realize are around in your parish. We can pass for one of our race categories, and mostly no one questions their first assumption until little signs are dropped. Like talking about "my tribe." Mentioning being excited for an exhibit of Native women artists coming to town. My Dad is from the Ponca of Oklahoma. We're not just rumors-in-the-family-of-Cherokee-blood natives, but on the rolls, card carrying, Natives. Our tribe is teeny tiny, and hits most of your ideas of Native culture. We invented Fancy Dance with the big feather headdre ..read more

I have been watching a tragedy unfold in the past weeks of this pandemic. It's not just a tragedy due to the virus itself. It's a tragedy of choice. It's one that has revealed an infestation present and hovering beneath the surface of many parishes. The pandemic has rooted it from the unspoken underground and brought it to light. These past weeks my heart and trust has been broken over and over again by my pastor, parish, community, and many of those I called friend. I can't deny the sickness of pride and the crippling of love that has been unavoidable to notice. It is not courage to see ..read more

With COVID-19 shut downs happening all around the country, I've heard a lot of people asking "what do I do with my kids?" We're a homeschooling family, so my kids are always home, and have been through a Minnesota polar vortex winter, tiny apartment living, and a house fire that meant living in a hotel for five weeks. Being unexpectedly stuck home with the kids means you likely didn't have time to prepare, probably can't go anywhere, and likely have some work to get done yourself (and, ya know, not go crazy.) You can do this! Here's some ideas. 1. Set a schedule I cannot tell you how im ..read more

Viral outbreaks, epidemics, and pandemics have happened throughout human history. Some require different responses to see to the end. The Catholic Church, being a 2000+ year old institution, has seen quite a few. I've heard many Catholics, and priests, calling the closure of churches and shutting of public masses to be "unprecedented." Au contraire! There is in fact historical precedent for closing churches and avoiding large gatherings during illness outbreaks. There is also historical precedent for what happens when we decide to not follow the advice of health authorities in regards to c ..read more

I'm a theater person. I've been a dancer, and now also a parent of dancers, for the past 20+ years. That's a long time to be around the performing arts, and I've seen quite a range. Over the past few years, I've gotten a lot of questions from parents wondering about dance schools for their kids. A question that comes up time and again is about modesty. How do you deal with immodest costumes? What if you don't like the choreography? Can you adapt the costume or uniform? Here's my radical answer to the whole premise of the question: I don't believe in modesty as a concept for young childre ..read more

Well 2019 was a YEAR. I've never been one to say "good riddance" to a particular year, but if I had to pick one 2019 is a solid contender. 2019 brought a house fire, being out of our home for 5 weeks, finding out we were pregnant, miscarrying, finding an ovarian cystic tumor and STILL miscarrying, miscarrying again. Lots of deaths and sickness and losses. But it also brought my first acting castings in the Twin Cities, shooting a commercial, settling into a fun new homeschool groove, the kids in therapies graduating from their therapies. Even the bad stuff brought some good stuff. Living in ..read more

Advent is just around the corner, and perhaps the cringy-est liturgical living ghost is about to appear: the Advent Grinch. I get it. It bothers you that December is filled with Christmas parties, sales, community events, and  movies. Because it is NOT Christmas, and you DON'T want to celebrate it already. However, it's probably bad for evangelization to put down the secular world trying to participate in a season it vaguely remembers and longs to hold. It seems counterproductive to be against celebrating such an important season, even if it is done a little off time. They're trying. In ..read more