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Who Are My Mother and Brothers
This scripture (Mark 3:31-35) has been rolling around in my head recently. To me, his reply of “Who are my mother and brothers?” always feels out of character for me. They told Jesus his mother and disciples are waiting for Him. What’s with the rhetorical question? Why is He denying them? However, when you look…
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Christmas and Being Childlike: A Little Slice of Heaven On Earth
How did God do it? Make His birthday a time when we would all become childlike? Yes, of course, there are plenty of responsibilities that come along with Christmas. I would go so far as to say some of the childlike activities might even feel a bit of a burden by the time you are…
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“Do Not Be Afraid” of Mary For She “Has Found Favor With God”
Nicole explores how Mary can enhance your faith by God’s designs As my new book launched, I became increasingly aware of Protestant friends that would not feel comfortable reading the book because Mary was in it. I felt a nudge to write a God-centered, scripture-centered, reflection-centered invitation to get to know Mary better. I hope…
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Last One Standing
With Thanksgiving over and Advent upon us, my Christmas decorations were awaiting me in our little side attic. My children were relentless in begging me to put the decorations out. I would deflect and tell them soon. The question was again and again, “Can we decorate for Christmas today?” I would reply with, “How much…
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Strengths, Weaknesses and Trusting What God Is Working
During my teens and my 20s, when people would ask about my strengths, number 1 on my list was: good listener. I was a person who had little desire to lead a conversation, but could sit and listen to others unload burdens, share funny stories, or boast about exciting things in their lives for hours.…
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Hard to Satisfy
“All rivers go to the sea, yet never does the sea become full. To the place where they go, the rivers keep on going. All speech is labored; there is nothing one can say. The eye is not satisfied with seeing nor is the ear satisfied with hearing.” Ecclesiastes 1:7-8 When will we feel we…
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The Lost Sheep & St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta
“I do not agree with a big way of doing things. To us, what matters is an individual.” – Mother Teresa “We fear the future because we are wasting the today.” – Mother Teresa in Where There Is Love, There Is God Have you ever thought about the one lost sheep? The one Jesus says…
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Risk: What To Give When There Seems Little Worth Sharing
The focus of today’s Gospel (it’s the one about the talents if you don’t know the Catholic daily readings for today) is on servants given talents: 5 talents, 2 talents and 1 talent. If you know the story, the ones with multiple talents double their portion, but the servant with 1 talent goes and buries…
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Rejoice: Essential for a Life in Love with God
I had the sweetest moment with my daughter this weekend. She has been doing an interdenominational Bible study with a group of friends. They decided to read Philippians together. (Just one of the many reasons I love Tennessee, impromptu Bible studies.) She needed to wrap up her reading over the weekend and asked if I…
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Mary Has the Faith We Need
“Mary, teacher of prayer. See how she asks her son, at Cana. And how she insists, confidently, with perseverance. And how she succeeds. Learn from her.” – St. Josemaria Escriva I spend a lot of time thinking about how to explain Mary to a Christian who is not Catholic. I do this in part because…
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When Enough is Enough
Nicole Berlucchi looks at the struggle of trying to be enough when we feel inadequate. Enough. It’s a funny word. We say enough when we want someone to stop something. Enough is also that elusive thing when we want to feel like we’ve fulfilled everything needing fulfilling. And enough, of course, also means that no…
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Trust-Building During the Waves of Life
Why We Long for the Predictable When Things Get Unpredictable and Long for Change When We Have Grown Bored of Easy Humans are a hard bunch to keep happy, to keep feeling safe, to keep focused. We long for a break in our hectic schedule. We long for something to do when nothing is planned.…
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How a Woman’s Body Prepares Her for Motherhood
I woke up this morning thinking about this. It was nothing that had been on my mind previously, but I felt it deeply and wanted to record it and remember it and come back to it. I woke up thinking how pregnancy prepares us for everything that comes in motherhood. I thought about how all…
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Wounds, Laps and Mothering
During prayer this morning, I was reading a blog post from Father John Riccardo which included an excerpt from The Weight of Glory. It talks about how heavenly glory is really about being childlike and feeling glorious because of the way your Heavenly Father dotes on you. At least that was my takeaway. It made…
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The Rosary: Our Own Experience of the Visitation with Mary
The Visitation between Mary and Elizabeth is one of my favorite stories of the Bible. I’m not sure why I am drawn to it…if it’s the idea that Mary, after finding out she will be the Mother of God, forgets herself to go care for her cousin, or if it’s this idea of Mary bringing…
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Holy Healing
“You, O Lord, are my lamp,my God who lightens my darkness.With you I can break through any barrier,with my God I can scale any wall.” Psalm 18:29 NABRE Pentecost is here. How is the Lord burning up darkness in your life on this fiery day? I have been continuing to examine my very young self.…
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Happy Humility
“Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” Matthew 23:12 “So humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. Cast all your worries upon him because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 6-7 I often hear this verse and think of narcissists…
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Love Leads
“I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I will lay down my life for the sheep.” John 10:14-15 NABRE The title, Good Shepherd, promises much in and of itself: protection from danger, being led by Jesus, being in…
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Trusting Brings Understanding
“Those who trust in Him shall understand truth, and the faithful shall abide with Him in love: Because grace and mercy are with his holy ones, and his care is with the elect.”Wisdom 3:9 It’s easy to read scripture and want to interpret it to serve our own desires. I have done it many times…
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Wisdom Given Generously
“But if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and he will be given it. But he should ask in faith, not doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed about by the wind.” James 1:5-6 NABRE…
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Hope That Brings Strength to Make You Soar
They that hope in the LORD will renew their strength,they will soar on eagles’ wings;They will run and not grow weary,walk and not grow faint.Isaiah 40:31 The Lord promises us more in many places in the Bible. In this case when we place our hope in Him, we will find ourselves doing more than we physically…
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Always Working: Universally
“Just as you know not how the breath of life fashions the human frame in the mother’s womb, so you know not the work of God which he is accomplishing in the universe.” Ecclesiastes 11:5 NABRE I have gotten to a point in my life where when I am surprised, I often pause and think…
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Piercing Peace
“Have no anxiety at all, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7 NABRE There have been many “Peace by with you” lines in recent Gospels as the…
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Unending Mercy
The Lord’s acts of mercy are not exhausted, his compassion is not spent; They are renewed each morning—great is your faithfulness! Lamentations 3:22-23 These promises give a lot to us, but they also ask a lot of us. Being full trusting every second of the day, never allowing a doubt to creep in….believing you are…
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Rely on Him, God Provides
I removed his shoulder from the burden…In distress you called and I rescued you;I am the LORD your God…Open wide your mouth that I may fill it…I will satisfy them with honey from the rock. Psalm 81:7-8, 11, 17 This psalm immediately conjured an image of baby birds waiting to be fed by their mama in…
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We Are Not Alone In Our Pain
“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted, saves those whose spirit is crushed.” Psalm 34:19 I know when we are experiencing pain, it can be almost hurtful to hear the Lord is close. many people, in fact, feel the opposite, they feel the Lord abandoned them, forgot them. I have been there. I have witnessed…
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Chosen & Appointed
“It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.” John 15:16 NABRE This verse came up two days in a row for me, so clearly needed to…
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A Promise A Day Keeps the Devil Away
Man, when I started looking into the promise I was going to write about today, there are already too many. I figured out this morning there are ~40 days until Pentecost with us being ten days into Easter. I think I can manage to write a post a day. However, please be forgiving if I…
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God Loves to Emphasize His Point
“O God, you chose the Virgin Mary as the figure of the new Israel, from whom is born the new David. Victorious in his battle with an enemy far more terrifying than Goliath, the Lord Jesus keeps the promise of the prophet: sorrow and mourning will flee. In this new world marked by joy, make…
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Unforgiven Gifts
This month has been hard. I’ve been wrestling with a lot of things, career decisions, relationships, wounds, viruses, and just a general sense of the Lord piling on for a reason. Get close, Nicole. Don’t go closing yourself off from me. I have a plan. I was blessed to go to Holy Thursday Adoration at…
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Burning Light, Burning Love
In the Magnificat recently, I was struck about a quote that said the blinding light of the Father is revealed in the face of Jesus. I imagined, then, the look upon the woman who was healed by touching his tassel. The look upon the woman at the well. The look upon the woman who was…
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Are Mountains the Roots of Heaven?
I continue praying with my word of the year: mountain, and after an amazing Women’s Retreat led by Jennie Guinn, I walked away with an image that I created based on Fr. Dan Reehil’s talk. While I don’t think he mentioned the roots part, the roots became a focus for me, but I wasn’t quite…
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Emptying Ourselves: A Gift to Receive in Order to Give
When we clear away Christmas decorations, we feel an emptiness in our homes, sometimes it feels good, sometimes it feels weird or unwelcomed. The question is what are we doing in the emptiness?
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How I Pray with A Word of the Year
I look for a word or scene in scripture catching my attention … this year…mountains kept coming up, no pun intended!
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That We May Imitate What the Institution of the Eucharist Contains and Obtain What It Promises
Visit Tribe of Many Arrows on Etsy. These images are used with their permission, and I am grateful for these beautiful creations accompanying my reflections this month. Today, we look at the fifth Luminous Mystery of the Rosary: Institution of the Eucharist. The gift of Jesus giving Himself physically so that He can remain with…
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That We May Imitate What the Transfiguration Contains and Obtain What It Promises
Visit Tribe of Many Arrows on Etsy. These images are used with their permission, and I am grateful for these beautiful creations accompanying my reflections this month. Today, we look at the fourth Luminous Mystery of the Rosary: Transfiguration. The Transfiguration has always been a mystery I have wrestled with in terms of being able…
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That We May Imitate What the Proclamation of the Kingdom of Heaven Contains and Obtain What It Promises
Visit Tribe of Many Arrows on Etsy. These images are used with their permission, and I am grateful for these beautiful creations accompanying my reflections this month. Today, we look at the third Luminous Mystery of the Rosary: the Proclamation of the Kingdom of Heaven. This is a tough mystery to capture through a scripture…
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That We May Imitate What the Wedding Feast at Cana Contains and Obtain What It Promises
Visit Tribe of Many Arrows on Etsy. These images are used with their permission, and I am grateful for these beautiful creations accompanying my reflections this month. This is the final week of the “That We May Imitate What They Contain and Obtain What They Promise” series will take a daily look at one mystery…
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That We May Imitate What the Baptism of Jesus Contains and Obtain What It Promises
Visit Tribe of Many Arrows on Etsy. These images are used with their permission, and I am grateful for these beautiful creations accompanying my reflections this month. This is the final week of the “That We May Imitate What They Contain and Obtain What They Promise” series will take a daily look at one mystery…
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Rosary Round Up: Take Some Time to Think About How You Can Imitate the Glorious Mysteries in Your Life
This week we took time to reflect on each of the Glorious Mysteries and how we might be called to imitate those mysteries in our own lives. Today, we revisit some of the ways we can unite our lives to the Lord’s glory and live with our eyes fixed on heaven, knowing we have His…
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That We May Imitate What the Coronation of Mary Contains and Obtain What It Promises
Visit Tribe of Many Arrows on Etsy. These images are used with their permission, and I am grateful for these beautiful creations accompanying my reflections this month. For the month of October the “That We May Imitate What They Contain and Obtain What They Promise” series will take a daily look at one mystery of…
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That We May Imitate What the Assumption Contains and Obtain What It Promises
Visit Tribe of Many Arrows on Etsy. These images are used with their permission, and I am grateful for these beautiful creations accompanying my reflections this month. For the month of October the “That We May Imitate What They Contain and Obtain What They Promise” series will take a daily look at one mystery of…
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That We May Imitate What Pentecost Contains and Obtain What It Promises
Visit Tribe of Many Arrows on Etsy. These images are used with their permission, and I am grateful for these beautiful creations accompanying my reflections this month. For the month of October the “That We May Imitate What They Contain and Obtain What They Promise” series will take a daily look at one mystery of…
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That We May Imitate What The Ascension Contains and Obtain What It Promises
Visit Tribe of Many Arrows on Etsy. These images are used with their permission, and I am grateful for these beautiful creations accompanying my reflections this month. For the month of October the “That We May Imitate What They Contain and Obtain What They Promise” series will take a daily look at one mystery of…
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That We May Imitate What The Resurrection Contains and Obtain What It Promises
Visit Tribe of Many Arrows on Etsy. These images are used with their permission, and I am grateful for these beautiful creations accompanying my reflections this month. For the month of October the “That We May Imitate What They Contain and Obtain What They Promise” series will take a daily look at one mystery of…
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Rosary Round Up: Take Some Time to Think About How You Can Imitate the Sorrowful Mysteries in Your Life
This week we took time to reflect on each of the Sorrowful Mysteries and how we might be called to imitate those mysteries in our own lives. Today, we revisit some of the ways we can unite our sufferings to the Lord’s Passion and imitate His humility, prayerfulness and perseverance to do the will of…
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That We May Imitate What The Crucifixion Contains and Obtain What It Promises
Visit Tribe of Many Arrows on Etsy. These images are used with their permission, and I am grateful for these beautiful creations accompanying my reflections this month. For the month of October the “That We May Imitate What They Contain and Obtain What They Promise” series will take a daily look at one mystery of…
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That We May Imitate What The Carrying of the Cross Contains and Obtain What It Promises
Visit Tribe of Many Arrows on Etsy. These images are used with their permission, and I am grateful for these beautiful creations accompanying my reflections this month. For the month of October the “That We May Imitate What They Contain and Obtain What They Promise” series will take a daily look at one mystery of…
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That We May Imitate What The Crowning of Thorns Contains and Obtain What It Promises
Visit Tribe of Many Arrows on Etsy. These images are used with their permission, and I am grateful for these beautiful creations accompanying my reflections this month. For the month of October the “That We May Imitate What They Contain and Obtain What They Promise” series will take a daily look at one mystery of…
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That We May Imitate What The Scourging at the Pillar Contains and Obtain What It Promises
Image used with permission of Tribe of Many Arrows. Check them out on Etsy: TribeofManyArrows – Etsy. For the month of October the “That We May Imitate What They Contain and Obtain What They Promise” series will take a daily look at one mystery of the Rosary and how we have the opportunity to imitate…
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That We May Imitate What The Agony in the Garden Contains and Obtain What It Promises
Image used with permission of Tribe of Many Arrows. Check them out on Etsy: TribeofManyArrows – Etsy. For the month of October the “That We May Imitate What They Contain and Obtain What They Promise” series will take a daily look at one mystery of the Rosary and how we have the opportunity to imitate…
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Cooking Up Faith Series: Pre-Packaged Is OK Too
Much to my annoyance, at the announcement that instant mac n cheese was for dinner, my kids cheered. I’m sorry…but I am a above average cook. I have bombed sometimes, but generally what I cook is good, above average good. Regardless of this, many nights I have at least two of my four kids seated…
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Rosary Roundup: That We May Imitate What the Joyful Mysteries Contain and Obtain What They Promise
I hope you’ve enjoyed this week’s reflections on how to imitate each of the mysteries. Today, I am including some reflection points and questions for you to dive more deeply into each of the mysteries, considering how you might imitate it and obtain the fruits of each mystery. How are you being called to imitate…
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That We May Imitate What The Finding of Jesus in the Temple Contains and Obtain What It Promises
Image used with permission of Tribe of Many Arrows. Check them out on Etsy: TribeofManyArrows – Etsy. For the month of October the “That We May Imitate What They Contain and Obtain What They Promise” series will take a daily look at one mystery of the Rosary and how we have the opportunity to imitate…
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That We May Imitate What The Presentation in the Temple Contains and Obtain What It Promises
Image used with permission of Tribe of Many Arrows. Check them out on Etsy: TribeofManyArrows – Etsy. For the month of October the “That We May Imitate What They Contain and Obtain What They Promise” series will take a daily look at one mystery of the Rosary and how we have the opportunity to imitate…
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That We May Imitate What The Birth of Jesus Contains and Obtain What It Promises
Image used with permission of Tribe of Many Arrows. Check them out on Etsy: TribeofManyArrows – Etsy. For the month of October the “That We May Imitate What They Contain and Obtain What They Promise” series will take a daily look at one mystery of the Rosary and how we have the opportunity to imitate…
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That We May Imitate What the Visitation Contains and Obtain What It Promises
Image used with permission of Tribe of Many Arrows. Check them out on Etsy: TribeofManyArrows – Etsy. For the month of October the “That We May Imitate What They Contain and Obtain What They Promise” series will take a daily look at one mystery of the Rosary and how we have the opportunity to imitate…
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That We May Imitate What the Annunciation Contains and Obtain What It Promises
Image used with permission of Tribe of Many Arrows. Check them out on Etsy: TribeofManyArrows – Etsy. For the month of October the “That We May Imitate What They Contain and Obtain What They Promise” series will take a daily look at one mystery of the Rosary and how we have the opportunity to imitate…
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Because She Said So
If you are a mom, chances are that you have uttered the phrase, “Because I said so” in response to your children asking why they have to do something you’ve told them to do. Turn off the TV. Why? Because I said so. Get off your screens. Why? Because I said so. Clean your room.…
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Cooking Up Faith Series: Rest Is Needed for Whole Pasta and Whole People
Last year my husband and I got really into Stanley Tucci’s Finding Italy so much so that we decided we were going to start making pasta on a regular basis as a family. We purchased all the tools, the 00 flour, and got ready for the magical process to begin. On our first go round,…
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Mom Will Take Care Of It
We have a dog, Ryman. And much to the dismay of all my dog-loving friends, this dog has not grown on me in the way that “I could not imagine life without him” (many swore I would feel this way). I never wanted him, my kids did, but as I predicted, I’ve become his primary…
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Cooking Up Faith Series: Family Recipes, Family Prayers
I have already mentioned one of several family recipes passed down through my family—some odder than others. Among our favorites are my dad’s grandmom, Nanny Rayer’s, meatballs and sauce and my mom’s grandmom Avery’s blueberry muffins. The recipes are considered sacred in a way. Are these Nanny’s meatballs? Are there great grandmom’s muffins? If the…
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Cooking Up Faith Series: Seasoning with Saints
I had the absolute pleasure of being a guest on a friend’s podcast, Tripping Over the Saints (episode coming soon). Her podcast is an opportunity to discuss your favorite saint, which was so hard for me. There are so many saints I love and who have influenced and spiced up my faith life. Seemed like…
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Cooking Up Faith Series: Bread and Rising
I went through a baking bread phase after a reading a book where the main character baked bread when she was stressed out or needed to think through something. I thought it sounded like a romantic way to deal with stress. Of course, as a completely inexperienced baker of bread, the process seemed to add…
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Marriage Is Not Black and White; It’s Blue and Brown
When I was driving home from Mass the other day, I was thinking about marriage, about how we sometimes want a solution to be THE solution to our problems. Like there is one recipe…follow these directions and you will end up with the perfect marriage. But alas, that is not the case, every marriage is…
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Call Your Mama
This morning, the older gentleman who preached for our Communion Service, ended by pulling out his rosary and saying, “And don’t forget to call your Mama!” I smiled. I call her every day, but still cannot put my finger on when that habit formed. I always had a Rosary close by. I think most cradle…
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The Mustard Seed of Marriage: I do
I have written a book about marriage through the lens of praying the Rosary and obeying the will of God (which I am working on editing and refining and hope to have in your hands in the somewhat near future). The book has me thinking so much about marriage, not only my own, but other…
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Change Your Tune, Not Your Tone
The one place I still struggle with my bilateral cochlear implants is with music; I cannot tell if I am singing in key with others. This weakness came up in conversation recently, but my husband gently verified that I do in fact sing off key. A few days later I was saying prayers with my…
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Cooking Up Faith Series: Unexpected Ingredients
My Grandmom Rayer used to make a macaroni salad for every BBQ we had as a family. When she passed away, my mom was trying to mimic the salad, and I said, “It doesn’t have green olives in it.” My mom surprised said something like That’s right. She did put green olives in it. Internally,…
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This Life is Like a Road Trip
As we pulled up to the traffic light of the main road in our hometown after a 16-day whirlwind road trip of visits TN-PA-NY-NJ-PA-TN, I hadn’t been paying close attention to how close we were to home. Nothing compares to knowing you are close to home, that familiar bed, not having to live out of…
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Cooking Up Faith Series: Soak in It To Soak It In
Recently, we had friends over for dinner, and made this amazing flank steak recipe which we hadn’t had in a while. Thankfully, I had pulled out the recipe to check the ingredients needed in advance, because when I read through the recipe it said must marinate for at least 24 hours. When I was assembling…
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What Are You Hiding?
When I went to clean my sons’ bathroom the other day, I discovered an absurd amount of toothpaste smeared and crusted to both the floor and the underside of their rug. Needless to say, I was not delighted by this discovery. After explaining to the boys that this would’ve been much easier to clean up…
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Under Pressure
The Tuesday after Memorial Day weekend had my internal barometer reeling. I am an introvert. The need to recharge after a great amount of social interaction is real. May was very full, from First Communion parties to 5th grade promotion activities to weddings to end of school activities. It was like a pressure cooker, letting…
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Trusting When It Comes To Trimming
My daughter specifically requested I write a post about her since the boys and their boxes in the bathroom made headlines. I spent some time thinking about her and the variety of ways I could write about her: she is very curious and asks a lot of questions, she is very interested in other cultures…
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Cooking Up Faith: The Model from the Mold
When Joe and I were engaged, we were gifted a cooking class at a pretty fancy cooking school. We attended the class with about six other couples. Upon arrival we were shown a finished product of what we would be preparing that evening. The one thing that stood out the most was a potato with…
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Maintaining Mudrooms and Preserving Prayer
I don’t know if you have a mudroom at your house, but ours is the last place you pass through before leaving for the day and the first stop when you get home for the day. It’s the place shoes and socks are stored, coolers, beach and pool bags, hats, sports equipment, umbrellas and more.…
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Cooking Up Faith Series: Food from the Source
One of the best things about living in Tennessee is access to farm fresh food, but we really hit the jackpot in our new house which is just a mile and a half from a farm which sells its beef and pork right there on property every Wednesday afternoon. Yesterday I went there and they…
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Soul Crushing
Soul crushing brings to mind the worst thing that has ever happened to me or when things turn out completely opposite of how you expect them to. It makes you think of draining the life out of you, loss of hope, despair…Soul crushing came to mind after a recent exchange with one of my aunts.…
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Cooking Up Faith Series: Let That Simmer
If you’ve ever made soup, sauce or chili from scratch, often a recipe will say, bring to a boil and immediately reduce to a simmer. This is to get the dish heated up to boiling to ensure the remainder of the cooking happens just below boiling—a simmer. If you aren’t familiar with simmering, it’s usually…
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Something Stinks
Last week I started to notice an odor in our pantry. I couldn’t quite figure it out at first. The smell was unpleasant, but not something I could identify. Most of the food in our pantry is nonperishables, aside from two baskets of breads and produce, plus some dog food and treats. Because of this,…
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Cooking Up Faith: Balance the Bitterness of Onions or Life
Onions are an ingredient I cook with often. Whether sloppy joe’s, soups, sauces, fajitas, kabobs, salads or dressings, they are kept in supply in our house: sweet, red, yellow, shallots, scallions. I use them all. A little known fact about onions is that their smell, bitter taste and propensity to make you cry comes from…
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Overflowing Trash Cans and Regret
Too-big boxes lazily shoved into their tiny bathroom trashcan, that’s what I spotted when I walked in my boys’ bedroom bathroom. My inner organizer immediately wanted to grab those boxes out of the trash and take them down to the recycle bin, but instead, I resisted and left them there. The boys would remove those…
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Cooking Up Faith Series: Something about Sunshine
In Tennessee, it seems like weather is finally turning a corner. Cold temps appear to be a thing of the past (at least I’m hoping as much). Last night I went around the corner to a local farm and picked up some skirt steak (they were out of flank) to grill up for steak fajitas.…
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Where Was Mother Mary?
Last year during Lent I prayed the Magnificat from the Bible daily. Originally, I had started at the place of Mary’s words, but one morning, I noticed that the verse actually starts with, “And Mary said.” It caused me to ponder what drew me to that line: “And Mary said.” I thought about how it…
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Something in the Water
Happy Easter! I don’t know how your Holy Saturday was in your part of the country, but ours was gray with a steady drizzle or rain. Our Church Easter egg hunt was scheduled for 1 pm in the afternoon and I had to get my teenager to Church at 11:30 am to help with set…
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The Day After Death
This morning I was sitting in a different place for my prayers and as a result went to the Laudate app to pray my rosary instead of using my beads. The Joyful mysteries popped up and even though I know Saturdays are normally for the Joyful mysteries, I felt a kind of resistance to praying…
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The Vulnerability to Be Loved
Today in prayer, I was brought to a place of vulnerability. The Triduum is really full of vulnerability on the part of Jesus and the disciples. We have the washing of the feet, the Eucharist, the Agony, the Passion and Crucifixion and the darkness of the closed tomb. In many Catholic Churches today, we will…
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Wet Towels and Discernment
Right before bedtime last night I was looking for a roll of toilet paper to place on the empty holder in my boys’ bathroom. As I opened their cabinet, I found a pile of wet towels stuffed under the sink and the toilet paper adjacent to said towels, had grown in size and the layers…
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The Expectation of Perfection That We Think Is For Our Comfort*
Life would be so much easier if it happened just as we want it to. A couple of days ago I straightened up the downstairs of our rental house. The house is a little cramped because we have more furniture than the house can hold. The place never feels clean, but I have at least…
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So glad you are here!
Hi, I’m Nicole Berlucchi, Catholic Christian wife, mom of four kids and one dog, based in the Nashville, TN area. I am an author, writer, avid reader, and a lover of God’s great creation.
I write about listening to the Lord, prayer, growing in faith, marriage, motherhood, Mary, and more! Sincerely, my hope is that my words will invite you to, “Come and see” who Jesus is and how much He loves you and desires a relationship with you. He has plans big plans. Let’s discover them together by reading his Word and listening for His voice in our lives. Catch me on Instagram as well: @nicoleberlucchi.
My new book, Magnify Love: Unlocking the Heart of Jesus in Your Life and Your Marriage, is out now!
Thanks for visiting!
First time to the site? Take time to read my favorite Psalm…Psalm 27… You’ll learn how I feel about the Lord.
Mamas In Spirit with Lindy Wynne is doing a Lenten Series called HEAL. The series kicked off with Dr. Bob Schutts, and I was part of week 2. The entire series has a number of powerful witnesses and experts to help us with our healing journey this Lent. Listen to my episode with Lindy now. You can also find the podcast on Apple, Spotify and other podcast services.
I used to blog here on WordPress. Check out some of my blog archives below, but know that my writing is now published on Substack: More Love, More Life, More Glory To God and Go Tell the World About Mary.
