I have been told over and over, “I don’t know how you do it.” This refers to my day-to-day life. I am a wife, a mother, a family nurse practitioner, and a faculty member in the nursing division. My days pre-COVID-19 were go-go-go, from dawn to dusk. I was nonstop. I didn’t think my life was unusual, as this is
It’s been said that 80% of success is showing up. Our success this semester is largely a result of all of us showing up, even if we didn’t know exactly what we were showing up for. Campus Environment, IT, and CERT showed up all summer to make sure our old and new academic spaces and systems were ready for our
One of the core values of DeSales University is hospitality, as is captured in the quote below. “Salesian hospitality seeks to accept others by honoring their human dignity and empowering them to be who they are and be that well.” This quote has me reflecting on what hospitality means to me and the ways in which I have experienced hospitality
For food, for raiment For life, for opportunity For friendship and fellowship We thank thee, O Lord -Philmont Grace I don’t know about you, but for me this week—or maybe I should say this semester? Or this year?—has been, for lack of a better word, unexpected. As I made yet another modification to my course schedule today, I found myself
“Everything happens for a reason” is a common expression that can easily lead to the idea that our loving God wills evil or seriously bad things to occur in our lives. We know that God never desires evil. In light of the past few days of an Election Week—not Night—and spikes in COVID-19 infections internationally, nationally, and locally, as well
The countdown is on. Less than two weeks of classes remain, and the holiday season is fast approaching. As I revel in the gift of 70-degree November days, it’s a good time to be reflective. I can be a chronic over-planner, but so many times this year I’ve had to toss those plans out the window. We’ve all had to
Let the world turn upside down, let everything be in darkness, in smoke, in uproar – God is with us.” – St. Francis de Sales (from Letters to Persons in the World, VI, 12) As we enter November and approach the season of Thanksgiving, most of us take time to stop and appreciate all of the people and blessings in
History has shown me that no matter what happens in the world, sports is the one thing you can consistently count on. When we sent the student-athletes home immediately after returning to campus from their spring break trips last spring, I never anticipated their season would be over. In the past, games may have been postponed, but seasons were never
I went grocery shopping the other day and accidentally left a bag of eggs and bread at the register. I didn’t realize it until two days went by and we ran out of eggs. In my frustration, I explained to my ten- year old son this example of the mistakes made when you’re rushing around and not paying attention. His
DeSales University has recently adopted the Core Values: gentleness, humility, gratitude, hospitality, and wisdom. The value that really speaks to me during the pandemic is gratitude, and I share here some of my reflections on this. The changes that have come to all our lives since March 2020 have been substantial. I have found myself praying more during this time,