Hallowe’en. I love it. I can’t wait until the trick-or-treaters start coming to the door tonight, though I wish it were warmer for their evening sojourn. But what is this Hallowe’en holiday? Where does it come from? Why do some Christian churches speak against it? To understand the origins of Hallowe’en, we need to start with the practice within the Catholic and Orthodox traditions of naming saints. Certain people are seen to be especially holy and, because of their deep faith, able to perform miracles. These people, through a long church process of discernment are beatified or named as saints within...

We human beings are vulnerable creatures. No other creature needs tending and nurturing for as long as we human beings do. Most creatures are fending for themselves within a few hours, though some need a year. But no other creature is as dependent upon adult creatures for nurturing and protection. We need almost two decades before we take on adult responsibilities. Then even as adults we are vulnerable. We don’t have the hard shell of a tortoise, or the claws and jaws of a lion, or the stealth of a cougar or the power of a grizzly.   We like to...

500 Good Things! Now there’s a challenge. On paper or on computer, challenge your family to work together to name 500 good things: a piece of music, a ladybug you saw, a kind word offered, a surprise, getting out of bed in the morning or going to bed at night. Good things don’t have to be complex. The little joys in life are what we need to notice and cherish.   We as human beings are hard-wired to notice and remember what is wrong and dangerous and frustrating. It’s a survival thing. Cave men & women needed to feel alarm and...

What do you do when there is no “enthuse” left in your enthusiasm? Has it been awhile since you’ve felt real joy or laughed deep down from your belly? Are you in a situation where your head tells you that you should be smiling and enjoying yourself, but you actually feel totally neutral?   Such a state of lack of feeling is quite natural after all we’ve been through in the past 15 months, or after any situations filled with huge feelings such as the death of a loved one or the loss of a job. Think of all we felt...

©Susan Lukey 2014   I’d like to always be able to make things better for my kids. I’d like to keep them from pain and hurt and disappointment. I’d like to keep them from making mistakes and facing the consequences. I remember, when they were little, seeing their beautiful little faces squish up into tears and wanting to do anything to bring their smiles back. Even now, as they move through the teen years, it still breaks my heart when I see them hurt or disappointed or distraught. I’d like to always be able to protect my kids from the trials...

©Susan Lukey 2014   My Bluetooth in the van doesn’t recognize how I say home. I ask it to call “home” and it says “unrecognized.” My son listened to me saying “home” the other day and said, “Mom, you say it with an “L” in it – that’s why the voice recognition system doesn’t know the word.”   “Home” with an “L” in it. I like that. Maybe that’s what makes a house a home – the “L.” “L” for love- a place of rest, a place of joy and laughter, a place where tears and sorrow are shared, a place...

©Susan Lukey 2014   What a joy to hold a tiny baby girl in my arms this past Sunday for baptism! There is something so precious about an infant who is so totally dependent, totally vulnerable. As I hold the child, I am overwhelmed by the desire to hold gently this child’s vulnerability and to protect her.   Human children are born into this world vulnerable and stay dependent upon us much longer than any other species. We can easily lose sight of just how vulnerable they are as they pursue greater and greater independence. We celebrate the first smile, the...

©Susan Lukey 2014   There are times in life when there is very little “Go” left in your “Get-Up-And-Go.” You can be an active, healthy, energetic person one day, able to take on new projects, organize your days to accomplish a million things, ready to get kids to activities and parents to medical appointments without missing a beat. But then something happens that knocks your breath, your energy, out of you. And suddenly you find that you are not able to handle what you used to be able to hand, not able to accomplish as much in a day as you...

©Susan Lukey 2014   Teenage & menopausal hormones!!! Those are in full swing in our house. all at the same time. And one of the biggest symptoms is a hard time sleeping at night and feeling rested in the morning. God bless Dad who manages to quietly sit and drink his coffee, grounding us in his stillness, while the rest of us gradually greet the day through a path of morning grumpies and grouchies.   While a good sleep at night is part of the rest our children need, it doesn’t end there. To feel fully refreshed, our children also need...

©Susan Lukey 2014   I love being a Mommy-Fix-It. I’m a solutions person, an ideas person, a possibilities person. If there is a problem, an issue, or something broken, I’m at the ready with a smorgasbord of options to fix the situation. Mommy-Fix-It to the rescue. Like a superhero swooping in, I’m at the ready to dive in and reveal all the possible ways to solve the problem, adapt to the situation or change the situation to make things work out. Mommy-Fix-It to the rescue! In fact, I’m sure that I heard my children say those very words when they were...