Attitude of Gratitude
And Other Content From This Week
I just listened to today’s Women’s Devotional meditation on the Hallow app, written and read by Lisa Brenninkmeyer of Walking With Purpose. I’m a big fan of Walking With Purpose—I’ve always got a lot out of their online content and am loving my first WWP Bible study. Today’s devotional was extra timely, though.
It was just five minutes, but it changed my day. She used that old phrase “attitude of gratitude,” which sounds pithy and overused—but she grounded it in the verse “Every good endowment and every perfect gift is from above” (James 1:17). She talked about how we can become mired in the darkness of self-pity—or we can choose gratitude for the gifts God gave us and for the lessons he is teaching us in the things that seem like curses, not gifts.
It’s so hard to do. In the moments when I’m able to hold onto gratitude, especially for the most challenging experiences of my life, it feels like a gift of the Holy Spirit. I can only pray that those moments happen more and more.
Recently,
asked readers to share advice with a subscriber who has recently developed a chronic illness and is struggling with how to cope with a chronic illness as a parent. I commented and suggested journaling at the end of the day and writing down the small moments of joy connected with being a parent. When the way you envisioned parenthood turns out drastically different from your reality, it can be very painful. Finding those moments to be grateful for, in my experience, can make a world of difference.In honor of the feast of of Sts. Zélie and Louis Martin, parents of Thérèse of Lisieux, Elise and I talked all about St. Zélie (entrepreneur, wife, and mother) in this week’s episode of Catholic Women Lead. Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. (And, if you like it, would you mind subscribing and/or leaving us a rating and review? We’d really appreciate it!)
Content I Liked This Week:
I highly recommend these two Public Discourse pieces, one by
on how governments can support full-time homemakers and one by on how, especially for the many mothers (myself included) who are taking on new approaches to work and motherhood, we need to change work culture so that “work serve[s] the family,” not the other way around.I’m fascinated by all of the commentary on the new Barbie movie, especially as someone who grew up spending countless hours playing with Barbie dolls with my sister. This Financial Times article and this one from Bloomberg caught my attention. (Comment if you’re planning on seeing it in theaters!)
At a time when doctors (and governments) are increasingly seeking to end lives early, a return to a loving, Catholic approach to death, discussed in this National Catholic Register article about a new Catholic hospice, is much appreciated.
This (free)
newsletter from was a much-needed reminder about comparison and social media (or our own imaginary “ideal mom”). I also appreciated that Claire didn’t call out any influencers specifically (see my previous newsletters, where I mentioned the mean-spirited Momfluenced).This Financial Times article was a fascinating look at how Vogue Ukraine is approaching reporting during the war—and a good reminder to continue praying for the people of Ukraine and an end to the war.
Books I’m Enjoying:
Because of my daughter’s great love of Too Many Carrots, I checked out a few more Katy Hudson picture books from our library. They were all winners: Bear and Duck, The Runaway Egg, and Runaway Baby Brother.
I loved Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh, despite the fact that the 50th anniversary edition I checked out from the library included a postscript where she inexplicably praised Simone de Beauvoir*. It was a beautiful contemplation of womanhood and creativity, and I’d like to buy my own copy now.
*In fairness, I haven’t read de Beauvoir, but Abigail Favale’s excellent The Genesis of Gender was enough to convince me that we should not consider de Beauvoir a feminist, because she did not like the female body.