Alex, 11, as we pull in the driveway after school: “You guys used 30 pronouns in the time between the stop sign by the pool and here.” Me: “Were you counting?” Alex: “Yes, and that was another one.” ** Julianna, 9, in the van, listening to Puff the Magic Dragon on the beat-up Peter, Paul &…
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Division and Unity
How did we get here? We lost the willingness, if not the ability, to empathize with the pain of the Other. #Election2016
Read MoreTen Simple Ways To Model Mercy For Your Kids
Modeling #mercy doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Here are ten simple ways to teach your children to live #mercy.
Read MoreWhen you are completely blank…
…you lead with a big congratulations to the Cubs and their devoted fans! It’s been harder and harder to come up with blog posts lately, because I’m trying to figure out what I have to say that people actually want to hear. It’s become such a block for me that last Thursday, I forgot about blogging…
Read MoreThe Problem Of Teaching A Child The Faith
It’s got to be tough to be the kid who has two musical parents who are extremely involved in their church. He has a set of gifts that are his birthright—a great ear, the ability to pick out tunes in multiple keys and sometimes even harmonize them, plus a blossoming skill on the piano and…
Read More#Boycottpolitics2016
For weeks, I’ve been debating stepping into the online political fray. I have a lot of opinions, and I’ve been driving around town distilling them into a collection of pithy one-liners that, as a Catholic rather than a Democrat or a Republican, would be certain to offend virtually every single person I know. Conventional wisdom…
Read MoreThe Courage To Be Still
There are 553 books on my Goodreads “to read” list. I have at least three more flute pieces to write, and I have four novel ideas, one awaiting another major revision, and one that is 3/4 drafted. Every Tuesday and Thursday, we have two kids out of the house at 6:45 a.m. to get…
Read MoreCarrying The Future
I know I’m not saying anything revolutionary here, but the world is really screwed up. I’m also aware that this is nothing unique to this particular era, this particular election cycle. The world has always been a screwed up place. Maybe this is maturity—spiritual or otherwise—finally allowing me to reserve a piece of my…
Read MoreGhosts Who Snuggle and (Somewhat) Related Musings
I had a strangely vivid dream last night. I was a ghost, but apparently a very strong one. I was snuggling with my kids, and I could carry a phone, although when I tried to wander too far, I lost my grip on it. And there was something about guys getting ready to load hay…
Read MoreIf I Were Planning An Epic American Road Trip…
I’m in the midst of writing a road trip book right now, and it was ridiculously fun to plan my main character’s route across the country. So I thought today I’d share a few of the gems I discovered—places I hadn’t heard of before, but which have been given a place on my “someday” list.…
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Kathleen M. Basi 