Relishing a 7th Birthday with Mustard June 24, 2026By Rita Buettner Catholic Review Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Open Window Did she like mustard? We didn’t know. Did she want a stuffed mustard? Maybe not. But we had a feeling this was the right gift.
Not to Burst Your Balloon June 22, 2026By Rita Buettner Catholic Review Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Open Window Getting someone’s attention at the balloon counter was tricky, but when I finally found an employee, I asked her to fill up six red balloons.
Little Love Messages from God June 15, 2026By Rita Buettner Catholic Review Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Open Window God often has something else up his sleeve. And he likes to make sure we know that he sees us and that he’s walking right by our side.
Special delivery June 10, 2026By Rita Buettner Filed Under: Commentary, The Domestic Church I know there are people who say that a child learns best when they need to deal with the consequences. But I think there are enough hard consequences in life. The lessons I want to teach my children are to respond with compassion.
We are his family June 5, 2026By Rita Buettner Catholic Review Filed Under: Uncategorized Whenever I think of Father Paul, I think of him smiling—that gentle smile that reflected his care for his parishioners and his great sense of humor.
A Wasp on the Elevator June 2, 2026By Rita Buettner Catholic Review Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Open Window My son and I were hurrying to an appointment, and the parking garage was packed. We snagged a spot on the top level of the garage and walked over to the elevator. I don’t always have much faith in elevators, and I would prefer to take the stairs, but we were in a rush, and […]
When Life’s Impossible, Talk to St. Rita May 22, 2026By Rita Buettner Catholic Review Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Open Window Sometimes you feel like you’re faced with a problem with no apparent solution. That’s when we can turn to St. Rita.
I’m OK, you’re OK…well we’re mostly OK (on springtime transitions) May 18, 2026By Rita Buettner Catholic Review Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Open Window I wouldn’t want to hold our children back. Or maybe I would, just a little bit, to keep them close a little longer.
The Final School Lunch May 14, 2026By Rita Buettner Catholic Review Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Open Window Forever ago—or maybe it was just the other day—I packed a lunchbox for my 4-year-old to take to school.
A surprise painting May 14, 2026By Rita Buettner Catholic Review Filed Under: Commentary, The Domestic Church “I love thinking of how God was watching, guiding us toward one another, always knowing how it would come together. He must have enjoyed seeing how we connected over a much-loved painting of a little girl and a dog.”
The Mom Friends You Need May 8, 2026By Rita Buettner Catholic Review Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Open Window Before becoming a mother, I had no idea how important my relationships with other mothers would be.
An overnight trip to see an off-off-off-off-off-off-Broadway musical April 29, 2026By Rita Buettner Catholic Review Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Open Window Back in the fall, my sister Maureen reached out to tell us that her son, a junior in high school, had landed an actual role in his school musical.
