jencoito

Sacred Souvenirs

“Then you shall be radiant at what you see, your heart shall throb and overflow, for the riches of the sea shall be emptied out before you, the wealth of nations shall be brought to you.” Isaiah 60:4-5 I didn’t expect to cry as soon as I pulled into the city limits. I was excitedContinue reading “Sacred Souvenirs”

Contagious Generosity

“Give this to the Sisters to buy fruits and vegetables for their children in the orphanage.” My 6-year-old pressed the contents of her piggy bank, all 67 cents, into my hands. Our youngest son’s godmother had been on a two month sabbatical: teaching and leading retreats for her fellow Sisters in Africa. Each week theContinue reading “Contagious Generosity”

Picture Perfect

Decorating for Christmas with three children is not the idyllic scene you see portrayed in the Hallmark Channel movies. The festive tunes playing in the background were interspersed with fights over who got to hang the next ornament, the positioning of the nativity figures, and the shattering of Christmas dishes as the toddler decided to unpack that box. Between the cleaning, unpacking, decorating, and reboxing the wrappings, Christmas decorating was an all day affair. I look around and the ornaments are heavily clustered in the 6-year-old eye level area of the tree. Our nativities have Nutcrackers and Santa Pez mixed in with them. No one is going to submit my living room for any prizes or visit it on a holiday home tour.

What Makes You Real?

What makes you real? Our third grader got this question wrong on his Velveteen Rabbit quiz last week, which prompted me to look up the childhood classic as we prepared for the end of book test. What makes you real? According to the wise old rocking horse in The Velveteen Rabbit: “Real… is a thingContinue reading “What Makes You Real?”

PREGNANT PAUSE

You too must be patient. Make your hearts firm, because the coming of the Lord is at hand. – James 5:8 During pregnancy everyone (and their mother) feels the need to offer all kinds of advice, from what to eat to what to name the baby. I politely ignored all the people who criticized myContinue reading “PREGNANT PAUSE “

Donuts for Dinner (and other ways the False Spirit Works)

The clock hands keep moving later and later. I step on a monster truck and trip into the couch. Six times before dinner, two times after dinner, and another three times before bedtime. That is how many times I asked for help cleaning up the toys. I want to throw up my hands and exclaimContinue reading “Donuts for Dinner (and other ways the False Spirit Works)”

Sustaining Hope in the Midst of Anxiety

Afflicted “There was a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years. She had suffered greatly.” Mark 5:25-26 My anxiety is hemorrhaging out of me. Over time I have learned to deal with my triggers in more effective ways. But some days, like today, it hemorrhages. It bleeds into my prayer, it floods my mind, itContinue reading “Sustaining Hope in the Midst of Anxiety”

Scattered

Wednesday in the Easter Season I was involved with training other students to serve small, Ignatian faith communities on my Jesuit university campus. After graduation, that evolved into leading a summer program for campus ministers and peer leaders who would come together to pray, learn, and envision how they might serve the spiritual needs ofContinue reading “Scattered”

Broken Locks

Wednesday in the Easter Season But during the night, the angel of the Lord opened the doors of the prison,led them out, and said,“Go and take your place in the temple area,and tell the people everything about this life.” – Acts 5:19-20 Our daughter has no doorknob. We went through a phase where she lockedContinue reading “Broken Locks”

Real or Fake?

“And it happened that while they were conversing and debating, Jesus himself drew near and walked with them.” Lk 24:14-15 “Zombies aren’t real. Neither are aliens.”“Well if that’s true then neither are leprechauns, the Easter Bunny, or Santa!”“What about the tooth fairy?!”“What is real?!?!” This heated exchange over what’s real and what’s “fake” continued forContinue reading “Real or Fake?”