Recent Posts
Trusting in Divine Providence No Matter Our Circumstances
We might know in our minds that God has the attributes of being all present, all knowing, all loving, and all merciful. But if we can come to know these also in our hearts, then I believe it becomes easier to trust in Divine Providence. And knowing that we’re living...
How Can I Love My Loved One Struggling with Addiction?
“Lord, please don’t let me lose my love for my husband,” I would pray. After years of living with a man with active alcoholism, I felt anything but loving. In fact, I was often in despair, full of fear, grief, and resentment, and on my knees with this prayer on my...
How Can I Tell My Husband Is Lying? How to Trust a Lust Addict
It was an argument over a grocery order. My husband and I were in the early days of my discovering his lust-driven secret life. Because he did not choose to disclose to me all of his deception at once—a concept called “trickle truth”—it seemed that every time I turned...
Applying St. Ignatius’ Rules of Discernment to the Recovery Journey: Part Two
Rule 1 of St. Ignatius’ “rules of discernment” stands alone in many ways, describing the experience of one who is moving in the wrong direction, away from God, and towards vice and sin. In a modern sense, this first rule also describes those of us who are diving into...
The Role of Fear in Food Addiction
The first time I let a craving pass without giving in to it, I shook all over. In spite of wanting food with a desperation I’d never before let myself experience, nausea surged up in my throat. I cried. I felt like a twitchy rodent caught in a trap, and all I wanted...
We Are God’s Masterpieces in Recovery!
Do you know that God loves you just as you are? He loves you in the present moment, the moments past, and the moments to come. He is the divine artist who has been creating a beautiful and wonderful work of art that is you! Holy Scripture declares it: “You formed my...
Pray, Hope, and Don’t Worry So Much!
Notice in reading the Gospels that whenever Jesus is facing something difficult, He prays. In one of His most human moments, Jesus struggles in agony in the garden of Gethsemane. Before his arrest, He endures a night of extreme stress that we cannot imagine. He even...
The Extraordinary Benefits of Eucharistic Adoration (Part 1)
As Catholics, we receive the Eucharist during Mass. However, there is another opportunity for us to experience the Blessed Sacrament through Eucharistic adoration. The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains the importance of incorporating adoration into our prayers...
Applying St. Ignatius’ Rules of Discernment to Recovery: Part One
In my own recovery, I have found many helpful tools in St. Ignatius of Loyola’s Spiritual Exercises. I could almost call the Exercises a recovery program for addiction and codependency. Within these exercises, St. Ignatius offers rules for the “discernment of...
How to Take Custody of the Mind & Stay on the Path of Recovery
Taking custody of the mind is a topic that always piques much interest when brought up in recovery meetings. Those of us who struggle with addictions, compulsions, and unhealthy attachments recognize the mind as a battlefield. I was introduced to the concept of...
Trusting in Divine Providence No Matter Our Circumstances
We might know in our minds that God has the attributes of being all present, all knowing, all loving, and all merciful. But if we can come to know these also in our hearts, then I believe it becomes easier to trust in Divine Providence. And knowing that we’re living...
How Can I Love My Loved One Struggling with Addiction?
“Lord, please don’t let me lose my love for my husband,” I would pray. After years of living with a man with active alcoholism, I felt anything but loving. In fact, I was often in despair, full of fear, grief, and resentment, and on my knees with this prayer on my...
How Can I Tell My Husband Is Lying? How to Trust a Lust Addict
It was an argument over a grocery order. My husband and I were in the early days of my discovering his lust-driven secret life. Because he did not choose to disclose to me all of his deception at once—a concept called “trickle truth”—it seemed that every time I turned...
Applying St. Ignatius’ Rules of Discernment to the Recovery Journey: Part Two
Rule 1 of St. Ignatius’ “rules of discernment” stands alone in many ways, describing the experience of one who is moving in the wrong direction, away from God, and towards vice and sin. In a modern sense, this first rule also describes those of us who are diving into...
The Role of Fear in Food Addiction
The first time I let a craving pass without giving in to it, I shook all over. In spite of wanting food with a desperation I’d never before let myself experience, nausea surged up in my throat. I cried. I felt like a twitchy rodent caught in a trap, and all I wanted...
We Are God’s Masterpieces in Recovery!
Do you know that God loves you just as you are? He loves you in the present moment, the moments past, and the moments to come. He is the divine artist who has been creating a beautiful and wonderful work of art that is you! Holy Scripture declares it: “You formed my...
Pray, Hope, and Don’t Worry So Much!
Notice in reading the Gospels that whenever Jesus is facing something difficult, He prays. In one of His most human moments, Jesus struggles in agony in the garden of Gethsemane. Before his arrest, He endures a night of extreme stress that we cannot imagine. He even...
The Extraordinary Benefits of Eucharistic Adoration (Part 1)
As Catholics, we receive the Eucharist during Mass. However, there is another opportunity for us to experience the Blessed Sacrament through Eucharistic adoration. The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains the importance of incorporating adoration into our prayers...
Applying St. Ignatius’ Rules of Discernment to Recovery: Part One
In my own recovery, I have found many helpful tools in St. Ignatius of Loyola’s Spiritual Exercises. I could almost call the Exercises a recovery program for addiction and codependency. Within these exercises, St. Ignatius offers rules for the “discernment of...
How to Take Custody of the Mind & Stay on the Path of Recovery
Taking custody of the mind is a topic that always piques much interest when brought up in recovery meetings. Those of us who struggle with addictions, compulsions, and unhealthy attachments recognize the mind as a battlefield. I was introduced to the concept of...