Association Of Catholic Bloggers

My son plans to go to his first New Year's Eve party since he turned 18. Here's a letter I wrote to explain why I'm such an obnoxious parents. Dear 18-Year-Old Brain, Thanks so much for managing my son for all these years. What a time you two are having together! I remember when you learned where your toes were, how to count, and what hot and cold felt like. I'll never forget the day you solved a complex math problem that I could not. Believe it or not, it delighted me to realize your development was surpassing my own in that way. A few weeks ago, we celebrated your 18th birthday. Congratulations! I am so proud of who you are and of all you've learned. You are a senior in high school, and so many blessed opportunities await you. Funny thing, though: you sort of thought passing that 18-year-old mark means you're all grown up. In many ways, that's true. You can now vote, join the armed services, get married, buy firearms, sue in your own name, and...

St. Cyprian. (Image via Catholic.org) I decided a few months back to sign up for a service that sends me the biography of each day's "Saint Of The Day".  Over the last few months since I signed up for the service, I've found that I look forward to seeing the emails in my inbox every morning.  Not only have these informative emails helped me to be prepared in advance for daily Mass, but more importantly, I've been able to get to know the saints on a human level.  It was such a comfort to me, for instance, to learn that St. Cyprian struggled with patience and anger - things I struggle with, also. And I loved reading that St. Thomas of Villanova did not bow to peer pressure "...h e wore the same habit that he had received in the novitiate, mending it himself. The canons and domestics were ashamed of him, but they could not convince him to change." I've been daily inspired (and mentored!) by these human examples of imperfection and their st...