Laura Kelly Fanucci
Recent Posts
Where have you found yourself in the Christmas story this year? . . . Some years I’ve been like the wise men. Seeking. Searching for a sign. Stranger in a strange land. Some years I’ve been like the shepherds. Having to trust what others have told. Wondering what to believe. Some years I’ve been like…
READ MOREWell, so that is that. Now we must dismantle the tree, Putting the decorations back into their cardboard boxes – Some have got broken – and carrying them up to the attic. The holly and the mistletoe must be taken down and burnt, And the children got ready for school. There are enough Left-overs to…
READ MORETwo of my dear friends recently gave birth to babies. Thanks to the technology of Facebook and Google Chat, I knew of each labor as it began. I waited impatiently for updates over the hours. I rejoiced with a loud whoop when I read that baby had made a safe entrance to this side of life.…
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To be perfectly honest, the days of newbornhood – while amazing and awe-inspiring and full of love for a sweet new soul – have not been for me a time of deep connection to God. My foggy head would spin with a swirl of nursing and diaper changes and laundry and sleep. Some days I…
READ MOREWhen the baby was first born, I could spend hours just staring at his brand-new self. I marveled at his movements. Jerky leg kicks. Graceful arm stretches. Twists and turns, quick and sudden. Even now, two months later, his muscles are still learning how to move, figuring out what it will mean to reach and roll. Once…
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Dear sweet boy, Tomorrow you’ll become a Christian. Your wriggling arms and legs will be plunged into a warm pool of water, and your lovely dark head will be slathered with oil. A candle will be lit, and a white gown will be worn. Your family and friends will gather to celebrate, and your life…
READ MOREOne of my favorite things about newborns is the thousand faces they make in a minute. Especially as they sleep, they cycle through this amazing array of expressions: from peaceful to puzzled to pensive, all in mere seconds. One moment their eyebrows are arched in wonder; the next they’re scrunched in agony. As if the…
READ MOREWaiting can seem so passive. What is a waiting room for but sitting impatiently, staring at the clock, flipping idly through a magazine, wondering when your turn will come? And yet we all know that times of waiting quickly fill up with lots of activity. We wait for Christmas or birthdays to arrive with all…
READ MOREEach day I rise with the same question in mind: will today be The Day? I go about the day’s routine: work, play, eat, sleep. All the while wondering: will the water break? will the contractions start? When and how and where? There will be a Last Moment before it all begins, the rush of…
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“Oh, honey!” She shrieked as she came running towards us, nightgown flapping. “Look at you!” I smiled, the meager smile of a large pregnant woman, bracing herself to hear the usual round of “you’re due when?!” or “you’re sure it’s not twins?” Be nice, I admonished myself. She’s a sweet neighbor. Let the comments be. But…
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The Holy Spirit can be hard to pin down. God’s presence with us, everywhere and always, sure. But many of us wonder what that means, what that looks like. Flames of fire? Speaking in tongues? Here’s what Scripture has to say, which speaks to the Spirit’s presence during labor: Brothers and sisters: The Spirit comes…
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The prayer that got me through the toughest part of my labor with my first baby was—quite unexpectedly—part of the prayer of the breastplate of St. Patrick. This was a prayer that I was familiar with but never felt any particular affinity for. Yes, it was a lovely prayer; yes, it came from my Irish…
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