Failing at Lent (and Other News)

Weekly Notes

Good morning, friends. I know I just emailed all of you yesterday, but I still had a few newsy things I wanted to share with you this week, starting with the conversation I had on Wednesday night with

Danielle Bean

. Danielle has been hosting weekly conversations throughout Lent here on Substack and was kind enough to invite me to talk about my spiritual specialty: failing. 🤣

Seriously, we had a great time talking about what it means to fail at Lent, how to trust God in the midst of our own failures, and how to approach Holy Week with a perspective transformed by our failures. I hope it’s helpful for you as we enter the final stretch of Lent. You can watch the whole thing over on Danielle’s Substack,

Girlfriends

.

In other news…

1. Chris, Kate, Casey and I had a great (and wide-ranging) conversation on this week’s episode of

   Visitation Sessions
   about Chappell Roan, motherhood, influencers, and the goodness of doing hard things. You can listen here.

2. I finally got around to listening to Lila Rose’s conversation with the fabulous Erika Bachiochi, about women, men, feminism, and the meaning of wifely submission. It was fantastic. I mentioned it to Chris, so he listened on the way to and from school Wednesday and came home determined to have his students listen to it. His words, “That’s one of the best conversations I’ve ever heard about vocations.” If you haven’t listened to it yet, it’s definitely worth an hour.

3. I always enjoy

   Katie Marquette
   ’s musings over at Born of Wonder. This week’s essay, “Don’t Get Too Comfortable,” was no exception. A good reminder to me as I sit here on the couch typing and really needing to go walk on the treadmill in our freezing cold basement.

4. Toby has officially moved up to a full time elementary student at our neighborhood Montessori school. One of the things I love about Montessori is its flexibility. Toby started spending half his days in elementary about a month ago, then would go back to Primary in the afternoons. It was a slow, gentle transition that allowed him to move up at his own pace, and just one of a thousand reasons why I am so grateful for our school. I know we are incredibly blessed to have a true Catholic Montessori school, with AMI certified guides, in our very poor neighborhood, where tuition is less than half of what it is elsewhere and where nearly all students receive financial aid. I so wish more people had this choice, though, and the more I learn about Montessori, the more grateful I am. If you’re interested in learning more about what Montessori looks like beyond the early years, this is a great quick video to watch.

5. After just two days, our Christmas pilgrimage to Rome is half full. I know pilgrimages like this are expensive and not everyone can go. But they also are a powerful experience of the Church and fellowship and what it means to be a part of the Body of Christ. They are deeply formative. There also is nothing quite like Rome at Christmas, and Rome at Christmas during the last days of a Jubilee Year is going to be next level. So if you are feeling a tug to go and God has made a way for you to go, don’t wait too long to sign up. We already have families, single women, and married couples traveling sans kids coming with us, so whatever your state in life, you’ll fit right in.

In Case You Missed It

Re-thinking the “F” Word: On Catholicism and Feminism (Full Subscribers Only)

The Weeds and Wheat of Motherhood (All Subscribers)

The Heresies of the Manosphere, Part 1 (All Subscribers)

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