Intentional-ish

I almost named this post “How to make sure your wife is still talking to you after Thanksgiving”, but it lacked a certain something, you know?  I’ll be honest with you, my particular brand of holiday feminism set in late in life- I didn’t know any better. In a family with five women and one lone Dad, what the men were or weren’t doing during the holidays wasn’t really on my radar- all the fun was in the kitchen.  Now that I have four children, aged seven and under, things look quite a bit different from my end. Holidays just weren’t meant to be spent planning, shopping, prepping, cooking, serving, and cleaning (all while minding kiddos) with no end in sight.  Husbands, fathers, thrilled-to-be-childless-bachelor uncles, college-aged-home-on-break-menfolk hear me: this is a holiday for the enjoyment of all , and your participation is not just wanted, it’s required.   So, what can you do to be a holiday hero?  Read on friends. 1- Play with the kids ...

Did anyone write me a letter, asking if I am concerned about my parish, my diocese, my Church? Did I receive articulate, heartfelt petitions asking me to stand up and take notice?  To rethink the plans and actions of my little flock? I'm laughing... but it's not a funny laugh.  Of course no one did. Nobody has to guess if I'm furious.  Anyone who knows me already knows I am down-deep-in-my-bones furious with a red heat crawling up my spine as I read and listen.  Why don't I know the same about my clergy?   If you need me to WRITE YOU A LETTER to tell you that abuse, intimidation, obfuscation, and lack of authentic moral life are not acceptable in my clergy- you're already fired.  If you don't know these things intrinsically, if you don't speak about them willingly without mothers and fathers begging you to take action- you're already fired.  If you're "shocked"- you're fired.  You knew, or you should have known.  It's your j...