90 days are a roller coaster, seem like forever, and feel like lock-up. When I discerned out of 20 years of youth ministry, my spiritual director gave me guidelines to follow: No official ministry or job for one year giving me time to heal and learn to listen to the Lord. Find a hobby, discover…
Category: Self Care
Little Girl, Rise
There are days that I allow myself to sit and wallow in my ‘unworthiness’ wondering how someone like me… an unassuming nobody, can hold any value or have anything to contribute. And, now that I’m retired/semi-retired/on sabbatical, these thoughts creep in more frequently adding new layers to anxiety and depression. Over the past 20 years,…
Why I Quit – Part 2: The Husband
[warning: this post may be very counter-cultural, even in Catholic circles. not sorry.] November 13, 1993 It sounds cliché, but I married my best friend in 1993. We have never had a fight, we’ve never questioned our vows, and we’ve never strayed from them. Over the past 25 years, the only thing that has changed…
Why I Quit – Part 1: Ministry Burnout
So many people have asked why I chose to leave my position in youth ministry, especially when I loved it and felt very called to work with young people. My answer: lots of reasons. Not that there were a lot of bad things happening. It was more like God had placed many things on my…



