Do you want to be Happy?

I wanted to divert from the virtue discussion briefly to dive further into many of the concepts that came up during the post on Humility, specifically Freedom and Detachment, but then I realized that I actually should have prefaced the whole topic of virtue with the WHY behind it. Why bother at all?! Why bother

Humility – The Soil of the Interior Life

I’ve been trying to write about humility for a few days now and I keep getting stuck. With the start of this virtue series, I determined (probably in response to a Holy Spirit nudge) Humility to be the best place to start because without it, there is no spiritual life…but I’ve had a hard time

“You can’t see my gaze because you are resting in My arms.”

I’ve been starting to journal more. I started a program that encourages it. Even though it is always rewarding, it still feels like such a chore most of the time to dedicate the time to do it, and I resist. This specific program recommends journaling your thoughts with God. It’s a mindset coaching program and

It All Hangs In The Balance

In the 12 steps, we call it “living in the grey”, in the Catholic Church, it’s called the “narrow road”. Aristotle called it the “Golden Mean”. Balance. The chiseling work of the interior life, of developing a life of virtue. It’s funny how different religions, philosophies, manners of thinking, can all be saying the same

Friendship, Loyalty, Love

The Claddagh ring. In existence since the 17th century, belongs to a group of rings called, fede rings, derived from the Italian phrase, “mani in fede”, meaning “hands joined in faith”.  The gesture of clasping hands goes back to the times of Ancient Rome where it was indicative of an exchange of vows. A powerful

“The Road of Happy Destiny”

My Dear 12 Steppers, I can only speak from experience on the subject, as we all do, and observations made along the way to mental, physical and spiritual wholeness, but I have developed a philosophy around what experiences lead one to turn to addiction. I have developed an idea of what happens to the mind

No Such Thing As “Wrong”

What if everything I do is right? It sounds kind of silly, and I’m still working through the kinks of this idea and the dangerous places it could take me…but what if, aside from moral issues like lying, cheating, killing and stealing, what if everything I do is right? Not in a pretentious, superior way,

It’s Better to Have Loved and Lost

A few years ago, a mom and dad chose to end their baby’s life before it was born.  There was something my brother said at the time, when most people were struggling for words and hearts were simply breaking, that struck my heart. He said,  “I’m sorry to hear that. It’s such a shame. They

Freedom From Bondage

Bondage. That’s how I would describe the life I didn’t even know I was trapped in these last 33 years. Trapped in my own head, fighting with people, places and things that weren’t behaving how I thought or assumed they “should” be, and feeling the pain and distress this caused to the nth degree.  Now,

What’s Your Transcendental?

Truth, Goodness, Beauty. Allow me to attempt a brief explanation before we dive in. In the Catholic church, these three properties are something that elevate our hearts and minds beyond the material and ultimately lead us to God. I love the description that they are seen as “evidence of God’s fingerprints on the world”. They