A Mom and More

Does it matter if you have a room full of flowers, candles burning whole night long, visitors complimenting you for your unforgettable good deeds, hearing about how you’ve touched people’s lives, and perpetual mass offerings — when you are already dead? Oftentimes, when a close relative or friend passes away unexpectedly, we feel sad and [...]

Do you talk to your dead relatives when you visit them in the cemetery on All Saints’ Day? My mom does as if our dear departed hear her. All Saints’ Day has been one of the occasions when my mom expects all of us to be together to remember the dead in the family: my [...]

My kids want a fashionista mom. They want me to look cool and youngish (even at 50), wear clothes which blend with what they wear (not those tailored from a distant past) and censor my appearance when we go out (probably so they won’t be embarrassed that they have an old hag with them). Without [...]

Shopping is a great de-stresser and getting good finds at a fraction of their real value is a big bonus. For me and my daughter Aei, going to second hand shops has an extra benefit — it is a good bonding time for us since we are both thrifty (or rather, we have a small [...]

Life is filled with paradoxes and the gospel today (Luke 18: 9-14) states one of these seemingly contrasting truths we have to live with “… for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted…” I learned how to be really humble through an experience I went through [...]