Lent

Lent and parenting

Lent: What We Need Is Here

By Laura Kelly Fanucci | February 18, 2015

And we pray, not  for new earth or heaven, but to be  quiet in heart, and in eye  clear. What we need is here.  – from “The Wild Geese” by Wendell Berry  Deep breath. Eyes closed. Flying leap. Each new Lent feels like this. Jumping into the unknown. Flinging ourselves into the arms of the divine.…

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motherhood and mortality

Morbid? Motherhood & Mortality

By Laura Kelly Fanucci | March 18, 2014

“Mommy, I don’t want to die.” His big blue eyes stare up at me, full of—what? Worry? Seriousness? Wonder? We’ve been revisiting this conversation for months, variations on a theme: Mommy, I don’t want to go to be with God. Mommy, I want to live to be 100. Mommy, I don’t want you to die.…

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parent prayer Ash Wednesday

A Mother’s Prayer for Ash Wednesday

By Laura Kelly Fanucci | February 13, 2013

God of Ash Wednesday, whose hands first gathered dust to create us, whose Spirit breathed new life into brittle bones, whose fingers traced the sand to save a sinner, take the dirt of my life— the tempers lost, the doors slammed, the complaints muttered, the harsh words thrown, the dark doubts seethed— take all these…

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Ash Wednesday parent

Ash Wednesday: Every Parent’s Nightmare

By Laura Kelly Fanucci | February 23, 2012

Last night I lingered in a long line of blinking tail lights to turn into the parking lot. I wondered about the growing crowds at each year’s Ash Wednesday services. What packs the pews this evening every Lent? As I waited, I thought of four young girls killed in a weekend car crash. Freshmen roommates, victims…

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ways to live lent as parent

How to Live Lent as a Busy Mother

By Laura Kelly Fanucci | April 3, 2011

We moms who want to nurture our relationship with God—but also lead busy lives with children—often find ourselves caught between a rock and hard place. Prayer practices seem to require 1) undivided chunks of time; 2) quiet; 3) a peaceful environment. I don’t know about you, but those three almost NEVER occur at our house.…

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