Reflection season
The power of the pause
It’s been going on for a few weeks now: reflection season. It’s the time of year when I grin at the pile of Christmas cards and photos that traveled many miles to make their way to my mailbox. (Thank you good people!) And this is the season when I read online summaries and scroll through highlight reels from folks I admire and appreciate. (So many of you!!)
Also, I enjoy skimming the lists shared by friends saying which books they read in the past year. (And of course I squeal with delight when really well-read folks say that my memoir, For Love of the Broken Body, was one of their favorites!!)
Here’s what’s important: The pause that people take at this time of year to capture the moment (an end of a year, holidays, the start of new year) and connect with those important to them is a holy gesture, an ancient way of remembering made new. In the same manner the early Christians wrote letters of encouragement and correction to each other during the Roman Empire, and little by little through expressions of Christian charity the Church was built, the kindom of God proclaimed. When we reflect and reach out to one another, we are doing the same.
One definition for holiness is “morally and spiritually excellent.” It is morally and spiritually excellent to reflect and notice the ups, downs, and transformations. It is virtuous to notice the blessings, how God has been at work in our lives and to give thanks. It is sacred to reach out to people we appreciate and express affection, to connect and to foster the development of relationships. It is good to name our hopes and intentions (resolutions, goals?) for the coming year, to consider how we can live more faithfully according to God’s will in our daily lives.
And today is Feast of the Epiphany, a time when we open ourselves to realizations about the presence of the Light of The World glowing bright. (Yes, The Light of the World still shines even when the worst seems to be true, such as the news of the USA waging another war and now occupying a country that has the right to its sovereignty. May there be peace in Venezuela and throughout the whole world!)
After mass today the dear Sister I was sitting next to grabbed my hand, held it tight, and looked into my face with deep tenderness. She said, “May you be blessed this year with many epiphanies.” I grinned and thanked her and wished her the same.
Dear friends, I also want to pray that you are blessed with many epiphanies too. May you be graced with the time and space to pause and reflect, to consider how the holy is illuminating your path.
Here’s some questions that might serve you before the season of reflection ends:
In the past year, when have I felt like my truest self?
When and where have I felt most connected to what’s True, Beautiful and Good? (In other words, when have I noticed the presence of The Holy and Divine?)
If I had to give the past year of my life with a title, what would it be and why?
How did my experiences in the past year change me?
What lessons and newness am I bringing with me into 2026?
How do I hope to embody my wisdom in the coming year?
As for me, 2025 was pretty amazing and rich with transformations and blessings. I made the spiritual exercises at the beautiful Eastern Point Retreat House in Massachusetts. (Wow!) Then for a variety of ministry and community endeavors, I traveled to California, Wisconsin, Iowa, Italy, Illinois, Uganda, Kenya, Texas and Washington D.C.
I got to see Pope Leo up close in St. Peter’s Square and attend a papal mass! I got to see the source of the Nile at Lake Victoria in Jinja, Uganda! I got to return to my alma mater and speak about my book!
In 2025 I also moved back to La Crosse, Wisconsin from Chicago, released my second book (2026: A Book of Grace-Filled Days), gained a new ministry role (Candidate Director), and welcomed a new woman into our Franciscan community. It was a joy to connect with new people when I got to lead workshops and retreats, speak, and serve in a variety of places. At the end of 2025, I was thinking of all the people I got to know and see, and I found my heart overflowing with gratitude. I am a pretty lucky Franciscan Sister for many reasons, one being that I am very rich in relationships!
SOME UPDATES
The main thing buzzing in my media ministry lately is that the podcast (Messy Jesus Business) I’ve been hosting for over 5 years has come to a conclusion. (Phew!) The final episode was number 100! And if you’ve never listened to the show, you may want to tune in to get a taste of the messy goodness. You can listen here, or on other podcast players, such as Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc. Enjoy!! (Oh and yes, the website with the blog posts is still going— check it out!)
Plus my memoir, For Love of the Broken Body, was reviewed in a couple more publications!
“A Nun’s Memoir of Brokenness and Recovery” (The Christian Courier)
“Book Review: For Love of the Broken Body” (Pax Christi USA)
I think I forgot to share this earlier, but The La Crosse Tribune published a beautiful photojournalism story about what our Franciscan community is like nowadays, and featured me and other Sisters.
And, I am pleased with how my recent poem “Canticle Update” came together. See pages 28-29 in this magazine to see the amazing art accompanying it by Amy Klein. :)
THANK YOU FOR READING, REVIEWING, AND BUYING MY BOOKS
My spiritual memoir hasn’t yet been in the world for two years. I am still learning what it’s like to be an author. I am learning how to not let the (disappointing, frankly) royalty statements define the success of the book, because I believe that service to God isn’t about quantities or profits, but faithfulness. I’ve heard that people are still reading and discussing the story and reflecting on their own brokenness, and I am completely delighted by this. This is why I wrote the book and shared my vulnerable story, so thank you!!
And, it’s been a total joy to hear from many of you lately saying that you are enjoying my second book: A Book of Grace-Filled Days: 2026. Thank you again! :) I loved this project and learned that my preference is probably writing prayer books, so maybe there will be more of that in my future? It’s up to God.
Anyway… I hope you all Have a Blessed 2026, rich with grace and goodness, and the deep peace of Christ!
LAST WORDS
Let the peace of Christ control your hearts, the peace into which you were also called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, as in all wisdom you teach and admonish one another, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. — Colossians 3:15-16
I think I missed your move from Chicago back to La Crosse! Welcome back to the upper Midwest! Northfield is on the way from La Crosse to Minneapolis. Let me know if you're ever making the trip and there's coffee or lunch on me!