The beginning of a new year is a perfect time for renewal, and it is with that thought in mind that many of us will be making New Year’s resolutions. These resolutions tend to focus on making meaningful and lasting changes that will ultimately better our lives. Some of the most common include losing weight, exercising, becoming organized or quitting a bad habit. These are important and worthwhile goals to focus on and I have made similar resolutions for myself in the past. However, one area of our lives often needing improvement, but we tend to forget about is our relationship with God. Knowin ..read more

Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite days of the year. The reason has evolved as I have gotten older, but it remains a day that brings me immense joy. When I was a kid, one of the main reasons I looked forward to the day was watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Growing up in New York, the parade was a big part of the holiday. The weeks and days leading up to Thanksgiving would be filled with news stories about the preparations the city was undertaking to get ready for the big day, previews of the balloons and floats, and on the night before, they would show scenes of the bal ..read more

Our financial situation did not allow for a big family vacation this summer, but we did manage a quick two-day getaway with the kids the week before school started. It was a great trip but as we approached the second day, we realized that we were not ready for it to end. So, knowing that we only had a four-hour drive home, we decided to take our time and enjoy the day. Once we agreed that we had done all that we had set out to do, we ate dinner, fueled up the minivan and pulled onto the highway just as the sun was beginning to set. As the sky darkened, it did not take long for the kids to fall ..read more

Saturday morning cartoons were a highlight of my childhood. I would wake up early, make a bowl of cereal, and settle in for hours of tv magic. My entire morning would be planned so I would not miss a minute of the fun. One of my favorite cartoons to watch was The Bugs Bunny Show, which had a particularly catchy and memorable theme song. “Overture, curtains, lights This is it, the night of nights No more rehearsing and nursing a part We know every part by heart.  Overture, curtains, lights This is it, you’ll hit the heights And oh what heights we’ll hit On with the show this is it.” That s ..read more

Update of a post originally published 12/24/21 Christmas Eve was a magical night when I was a child. My family would gather at my great aunt and uncle’s house for a big Italian family Christmas celebration. All my relatives would be there and there was more food than you could imagine. I can still picture those celebrations, hear the loudness of the conversations, and smell all the wonderful food. It was an event I looked forward to but as the excitement would build throughout the night, all I could think about was getting home and going to sleep. At that age, the highlight of the evening was ..read more

I look forward to the days where my schedule allows time for me to pick up my kids from school. It gives me an opportunity to greet them as soon as they walk out of the building and then ask questions about their day on the ride home. My younger kids are usually more excited to see me and are more eager to share details about their day. As they get older, the excitement of seeing me wanes and it does not matter who is picking them up, they are simply happy to be finished with school. I feel blessed to have a daughter who is still young enough where, at the first sight of me, she begins a sprin ..read more

My family and I recently returned from a twelve-day road trip to the east coast where our travels took us to some of our nation’s largest and most historic cities. It was a once in a lifetime experience but the planning and lead up to the trip was incredibly stressful. Previous family vacations were highlighted by one or two destinations, but this trip involved more logistical planning as we were visiting five distinct locations each with different hotel and event reservations. It also involved several long days on the road as we traveled from city to city. Some families fly to their destinati ..read more

A couple of years ago as I was embarking on a process to grow deeper in my faith, I began to ask myself, “Am I doing Lent the right way?” After thinking about how I had approached the season of Lent in the past, I realized that I tended to focus my attention on what I was giving up rather than what I was receiving. Many of us associate Lent with the act of giving something up, which is an important practice that helps us understand how we should approach these 40 days, but the season of Lent is so much more. In accordance with Jesus’s teaching in Matthew’s Gospel, the Church calls us to partic ..read more

When I was a child, Christmas Eve was a very magical time. My relatives would all gather at my great aunt and uncle’s house for a big Italian family Christmas celebration. If you have ever seen the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding, my family was similar to the characters depicted in the movie only the Italian version. I can still picture the images of those celebrations, hear the loudness of the conversations and some arguments, and smell the scents of all the wonderful food. Throughout the night, the excitement would build and I could not wait to get home and go to sleep. At that young age, the ..read more

Update of a post originally published 12/13/2018. There are many things that occupy our time in the weeks leading up to Christmas. Shopping, baking, decorating, attending parties, sending cards – the list of preparations can seem endless. Once Thanksgiving is over, our tendency is to shift right into Christmas without even thinking. Our minds begin to race, we start to stress about getting everything done and we worry that we will run out of time. We become preoccupied and can easily lose sight of how we should approach this wonderful time of year. While the above tasks are an important part o ..read more