Just 10 years ago I was sitting at my own shower, opening gifts for our son who was waiting for us in China.

To me, the most mundane, unoriginal and programmed words uttered to someone who has lost someone else through death is, “Sorry for your loss.” Really? Is this the best we can think of?

My sons and I have been staycationing this week, and I don’t know how we can ever fit this week into only 7 Quick Takes. Sit back, buckle up, and let’s go!

I don’t remember when we first heard about the Utz factory tour, but was have been wanting to go for years.

The Good News that Jesus brought us is timeless – more timeless even than musical classics such as “Yesterday” or “The Long and Winding Road.”

You don’t know me, and I don’t know you. But I can’t wait for us to get to know each other a little bit every day.

Spanning a time frame from the fourth century to the present, the carefully-selected works show how some of the Church’s greatest clergymen applied the word of God and the teachings of the Church to moments of crisis.

The butterfly bush that was my Mother’s Day gift has started to bloom! I’m looking forward to seeing the butterflies come from far and wide to visit.

One of more profound memories from my priesthood involved a visit a few years ago with an elderly man in the hospital who was dying.

I am no longer in control of my children’s faith. I was then; it’s impossible now. I can pray about it – and I do. I ask God to pull them back into His arms. Touch them with His grace and mercy. Help them to see it’s the only way to joy.