I have watched Disney’s Mulan, which turns 25 years old this year, twice in the past ten days. On a family getaway last weekend, my kids watched this arguable last of the Disney classics based on the sixth century Chinese Ballad of Mulan—in which a young girl dresses as a man and enlists in the Chinese army to spare her elderly and ailing father, who has no son to fight in his stead—with their cousins over cupcakes. This week, we... Read more

Last week, Marie Kondo said that she is “no longer quite as tidy” now that she has three children. The queen of tidy, whose books and television show have instructed we mere mortals in the art of tidying since 2014, has apparently joined the rest of us in mom mode, where overflowing to-do lists mean overflowing drawers, as non-urgent chores get pushed off again and again in deference to the never-ending stream of things that cannot wait: the kid with a... Read more

In October 2021, Pope Francis convened the Synod on Synodality, a two-year process of listening to the reflections, thoughts, and concerns of Catholics worldwide. Participating parishes and dioceses were expected to convene by May 2022, to reflect on where the Church is and where they feel that it is going, and to share a summation of thoughts from their community with Church leadership. Now, bishops and other Church religious and lay leaders are meeting for “continental sessions,” that will synopsize... Read more

Ten years ago this week, I got married. Before my wedding day, though, I went to the movies with my mom, to see the December 2012 release of Les Misérables, the latest cinematic version of the 1980 musical that is based on Victor Hugo’s 1862 novel. Les Misérables is about the trials and triumphs of the heroic ex-convict, Jean Valjean, who breaks his parole and then spends an exemplary life running from the overzealous detective, Javert. It is set in... Read more

At the end of It’s A Wonderful Life, Christmas is celebrated; Clarence gets his wings; the Building and Loan books are rectified; the community turns out en masse to support their dear friend as he has always supported them; and George learns to appreciate the meaningful life he is living and the many blessings that are his. George Bailey, Continued What do you suppose happens to the Bailey family next, after the camera cuts away? If we were to follow... Read more

Over last week’s holiday, after the Thanksgiving turkey had been eaten and the Christmas tree had been decorated, I tackled the weekend’s work: at least ten loads of clean laundry, piled high in baskets; Christmas lists; and the coming week’s dinners. While folding, list-making, and cooking, I probably should have listened to Marie Kondo’s new book, Kurashi at Home: How to Organize Your Space and Achieve Your Ideal Life. Neither my ideal space nor my ideal life should involve quite... Read more

My two older sons are less than two years apart. This past summer, newly seven and nearing five-and-a-half, they had swim practice early each weekday morning. Afterwards, most days, they whiled away the hours until lunch playing endless innings of baseball—sometimes alone, sometimes with their neighborhood playmates—in our back yard. I was often just through the screen door, watching my youngest son (then an unsteady walker, safely ensconced in his outdoor playpen with trucks and stackable blocks) and working in... Read more