Sometimes I imagine the Holy Spirit as a butterfly sitting on my shoulder, brushing my cheeks with its wings, whispering softly in my ear.

As I sat there watching them play in the water, I could almost feel the last bit of that sweet summer freedom slipping away. This was likely our last pool day of the season. The busyness of autumn is looming large.

Does macaroni and cheese taste different based on the shape of the noodles? My son pointed out that I hardly ever make macaroni-shaped macaroni and cheese—and right away everyone else at the dinner table chimed in.

Governors are using migrants and refugees as tools to try to punish political leaders and jurisdictions for their more supportive positions on migrants and asylum-seekers.

The September issue of the Catholic Review magazine may appear different to regular readers. Over the summer, our team overhauled the logo and inside pages of the magazine. But the beauty is not only skin deep.

The Rosary offers the moral power of Jesus who showed us a God who was love, and offered a peace that the world cannot give.

The Maryland State Fair calls to me like a siren song. I know that it will be crowded and expensive and hot. But I can’t help myself. It’s almost as if I have to go.

And so, here we are in 2022, a fourth “first day” for our 5-year-old, launching into kindergarten with hopes, dreams and expectations of “normalcy” resting on her little outer space backpack laden shoulders.

One of my son’s friends gave me three enormous zucchinis from his garden, and I was so excited. We don’t have a vegetable garden, mostly due to time and partly due to the enthusiastic wildlife in our yard. These were the largest zucchini I had ever seen.

There’s already a Queen of Christmas. She’s your mother and mine—and Jesus’. She’s the queen of heaven and earth.