Last week, my office was rounding out an “Olympics” style competition. My team was in third (last) place. I hadn’t done too much for the cause and had all but given up — until it was announced that there would be a Hail Mary opportunity to win. On Friday, 100 little blue ducks would be hidden around the office for us to find, each worth 5 points. Some quick math made it clear: if we found 65 of these ducks, our little (losing) team could come from behind and win.

So at 8 am on Friday, I gathered with a tiger team of coworkers, and we hit ground running. By the competition’s end, we had found 72 little ducks. Victory was ours!!

I share this because after a morning spent scouring plants and windowsills and desks for little blue ducks, I went out to grab a coffee and found myself seeing flashes of blue all over the street, on mailboxes, and in trees. My mind was so fixated on these silly ducks that I couldn’t stop looking for them, everywhere.

What is the point of this? Well, this whole silly competition reminded me that what we look for, we find. Are you looking for little blue ducks? Then you’ll certainly be more likely to find them. Are you looking for evidence that God loves you and is taking care of you? When I am, I see Him much more clearly. On the inverse, if I want evidence that nothing works out or I’m not doing enough, the enemy is more than pleased to point my eyes in the direction of my failings and disappointments. What am I looking for? What do I find?

So this week, let’s look for the little blue ducks of God’s providence! He’s always moving; let’s be on the lookout :)

In Christ,

Jane

What I’m loving lately

I loved this reflection

Also this

Any good summer sandal recs?

Putting out a call for summer sandals you can walk in!! Please reply / comment and let me know!

Back in the ice cream game!

A few years ago, I got quite into making ice cream — thanks to a Salt and Straw cookbook and ice cream maker from my parents. But that ice cream maker has been dormant for almost three years… until last week! For my friend’s baby shower, I was determined to make my very favorite Lemon Buttermilk Custard with Blueberry Jam ice cream, and it was DIVINE. I also made Sea Salt and Caramel Ribbons, which is also life-changing. Here’s to a summer of ice cream!

Summer Bingo

My friends and I are putting together Summer Bingo cards and I wanted to share mine with you! So fun! (Also, yes, “Vegetables” is summer bingo item because we all need to remember to eat our veggies).

Prayer intentions

• For my friend’s son

• For a special intention

Can you believe it’s already JUNE?!?!?

My friends and I have decided that this is going to be “Lucky Girl Summer.” We text each other to share our “LGA”s (lucky girl alerts) whenever something serendipitous, lucky, or fun happens to us. It’s the best because 1) I love celebrating lucky moments and 2) it makes me pause, reflect, and appreciate them when they occur!

I saw a note a few months ago that said “The best way to increase your luck is to expand your surface area.” And I just loved that, because it’s TRUE! I can’t begin to recount all of the ways that “expanding my surface area” has made my life richer, even recently: showing up to a party on my own introduced me to a bunch of new, wonderful friends. Sharing my love for Survivor led to a new friend who let me borrow his life-size Survivor games for a party. Sending an email opened an exciting door for me at work. Talking incessantly about how much I love Count of Monte Cristo has created an unofficial book club with 5+ of my friends who are now on the journey with me! Lucky lucky lucky.

And I think the summertime is the BEST time to expand our surface areas. To go on a trip, say yes to the coffee, show up at an event, introduce yourself — the wider our surface area gets, the more opportunities show up and the more doors open! The better weather means that people are out and living their best lives, and it’s an amazing time to embrace whatever your city or community has to offer.

This past week, I experienced a whole bunch of “expanded surface area” moments. On Wednesday night, I joined my dear friend Alison at the CIC to chat about her book! It was a miraculously clear night and so much fun to see friends and celebrate Alison’s accomplishment!

On Thursday night, I hosted a party for my friend, Anthony, who is entering the Dominican order this summer! We had so much fun making a 15-decade rosary for him, picking his “priest name” (he was very excited to hear our ideas), and celebrating his new adventure.

And then this weekend I headed to NYC on a little “Artist’s trip” (I’m reading Artist’s Way and there are few places as creatively inspiring as NYC). It was a 12/10 weekend with my friend Kelly (who gave me the grand tour of Hoboken, its farmers market, and all of its churches!!) — complete with Ruby’s, Sezane, many churches, Don Antonio, Central Park, and Operation Mincemeat on Broadway. It was also the first time I went down to see NYU and visit my old apartment since graduating, and it was so sweet.

I attended Sunday Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral (the best) and ended up walking a few blocks with a Sister of Life who lives in the house where I used to volunteer — she was, of course, a joy. Every moment of this weekend was a gift — I’m so grateful to be just a train ride away from NYC!

This whole week was a reminder of the importance and goodness of community, of saying yes to things that are fun and exciting. And that's my intention for the summer — to have a lot of fun!

So, how can we expand our surface area this week? Let’s set a few goals for the summer and get ready for the luck!

In Christ,

Jane

What I’m loving lately

The gifts of the Rosary

In a bible study last week, my friend said that praying the rosary makes her feel more “decisive and courageous.” And I thought, wow, I would love to be more decisive and courageous! Thanks to that little reminder, I didn’t skip my Rosary all week. It might be the framing/encouragement you need :)

Nuxe Oil

This summer I have fallen back in love with the Nuxe Prodigiuse Oil — I love putting it on my arms when they’re out, it gives them a lovely glow and smells divine. You can buy it at Ulta or Anthropologie or online! I want to try the shimmering one too.

Hallow recs?

I absolutely LOVED the Detachment series from Hallow, and now that it’s over I’m feeling the gap. Do you have a favorite Hallow series or meditation? Please comment / email me and share!

Archbishop Hicks in NYC

I was able to attend mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral this weekend, and I heard the city’s new Archbishop preach - he is excellent. I loved the invitation he offered at the end of his homily on “Magnifica Humanitas”: “How will you be magnificent this week?” A great invitation!

How we live matters

I loved a quote I heard from Fr. Pine last week:

“The way we live either develops our character or undermines our character.”

Woof.

A very good read on AI

There have been so many great think pieces over the past week about the church and AI — but this one, by far, was my favorite. I loved this reflection:

In the years ahead, each of us will have to discern the lines which separate technology that truly serves us as human persons, made for communion, from technology that does not serve us. But the most important lines we will need to discern aren’t between software programs. They are within our own hearts.

Prayer intentions

• For my grandma, Nomi’s, surgery tomorrow!

• For a special intention

I get questions all the time about the actual mechanics of how I (try to) live and share my faith at work. And so I thought I would gather my thoughts here.

I think I’ve always been relatively comfortable talking about my faith, but the biggest sea change came during business school. I remember the very first day of orientation, we were broken into small groups to share some writing we had been tasked with before showing up. The first question was “What is the purpose of life?” I did not know that I would be called upon to share my answer with a group of people I had literally just met, and I didn’t have the time to rewrite it before it was my turn to share. I looked at these strangers, cleared my throat, and began: “I believe the purpose of life is to become a Saint.”

I thought I would be laughed right off campus, but instead, they asked thoughtful questions, shared some of their own faith journeys, and received what was probably an unexpected response with so much grace. That set the tone for me for business school: I didn’t really hold back. I shared my faith pretty openly. And when I returned to the workplace, that attitude continued.

I think (hope) the primary way I share my faith is by how I act. I try to work hard, be kind and patient and diligent, and to avoid complaining. I strive to be thoughtful and generous, to bring excellence to my efforts. Integrity and honesty are givens. I take accountability when I make a mistake and work to make it right. These all might sound like “no duh” but I work at a very competitive, high-intensity company and choosing virtue often takes extra effort (obviously, always worth it).

Second, I share my life. If you ask me what I did this weekend, I’m going to tell you that I went to Mass, attended my friend’s baby’s baptism, and went to a Pentecost party. If you ask what I’m reading, I’ll tell you it’s Fr. Jacques Philippe (Thirsting for Prayer is rocking my world). If you ask where I’m going at 5:20 pm, I’ll point out the window at the church dome. I take a genuine interest in the lives of others, and they typically take one in mine. (Mine tends to have a lot of church things.)

And what is the fruit of these two actions? Conversation. I can count on one hand the number of days I have been in my office and not talked about faith. Almost every single day, someone comes by my desk to show me a picture of a church they saw on vacation that made them think of me, to share a prayer request or miracle they experienced, or to bring up our beloved pope. I have prayed in phone rooms with colleagues, gone on walks to talk about how God is moving in our lives, and offered encouragement during frustrating and discouraging days. Once, I even had a colleague pull me into a team room between meetings and ask me to sponsor her as she joined the church. To think of doing this job and not talking about faith seems almost as crazy as reading this might feel to some of you.

So where to start? I think the simplest answer is to just say yes to the Spirit. If you’re in conversation and feel called to share something, do it. Be brave! Be honest about what’s important to you, how you spend your time, what’s getting you excited. It’s okay to have opinions, to have conviction, to share who you are.

Now, I’m rarely the one who brings up faith at work. It’s a part of who I am, and the people around me know that, and they’re the ones who start the conversations. I imagine it’s like if I were a fan of some big sports team, and people knew they could connect to me on that — except the sport is heaven and everyone can be a winner! I love the phrase, “There are no atheists in foxholes,” and I think it’s true more broadly: when people are going through something, are stressed or worried or afraid, it’s a gift to be able to receive them and give them something I know works: prayer.

This week, I encourage you to share something new about yourself at work. Maybe that’s your faith, or a new interest, or a goal you have for the summer. We have so much to share with the world — do not hide your light under a bushel basket! I’m in your corner.

In Christ,

Jane

What I’m loving lately

DC friends - event tomorrow!!

I’m so excited to join my friend Alison as her conversation partner on her new book, Was it Something I Said?, at the Catholic Information Center tomorrow night! You can RSVP for the free event here.

Pentecost treats!

I saw Be a Heart’s Pentecost cake years ago and I have always wanted to try it, and this year I went to a Pentecost party where it was the perfect dessert! Also, I just happened to pick up the cupcake with St. Jude — my #1 guy! Come, Holy Spirit.

May 30 is St. Joan of Arc’s feast day!

St. Joan of Arc’s feast is on Saturday! I love her so much — and I found out this week that Baz Luhrmann is making an epic movie about her life, filming right now — please pray that it is good!! She’s truly a hero. You can learn more about her in this “The Rest is History” Podcast (it’s a four part series but I devoured it) or in one of my favorite books of all time, Mark Twain’s Joan of Arc!

Magnificent Humanity mic drop

I’m about 40% through Pope Leo’s encyclical on human dignity and the use of technology and AI — it’s so beautiful. One moment I loved:

Work is not considered simply as a problem to be dealt with or a means of generating income, but a fundamental good for the person, a principle of economic activity and the key to the entire societal question. Through work, human beings bring their freedom, creativity and capacity for cooperation into play, contributing to the cultural and moral elevation of society. In light of this, the various kinds of job insecurity, fragmented career paths and automation must not be evaluated solely in terms of efficiency, but in relation to the dignity of the worker, the right to sufficient remuneration and the genuine possibility of participating in society.

Wow. I’ll share more thoughts next week, when I’ve had a chance to finish the whole thing and sit with it a bit!

Why I love being Catholic in DC

This was a real text I received last week:

We have a “priest band” in the diocese, and it’s called “Upon this Rock.” I love it here.

Prayer intentions

• For a special intention

On a sweltering August day in 2015, my brother Cooper and I ventured to the new ice cream store in our hometown. They were testing out a funky nitrogen-inspired concept, and as ice cream aficionados, we had to check it out.

We walked into the store and ran right into a friend of mine, Alyssa, from college. She was catching up with her friend (Melissa) who had just returned from a summer as a White House intern. I listened, captivated, as Melissa told us all about her summer in DC and the incredible time she’d had serving in the First Lady’s Office. I left the shop with some really good ice cream — and a brand new dream.

Next week marks 10 years since I myself started my time as a White House intern, inspired by that ice cream shop run-in! The experience truly did change my life — today I live and work in DC (my favorite city in the world, other than Paris), and spend much of my time with the friends I made that summer. That job taught me how to work hard — to keep my head down, solve problems, and get things done. It taught me that God’s plans for us are so much more fun than we can imagine. But most importantly, it taught me that we can never anticipate the ways that God is leading, illuminating, and working on us.

I went to that ice cream shop to spend time with my brother and to try something new — and unexpectedly, one of the most life-changing conversations of my life occurred! It was just a regular day in August! We never know what the day ahead of us holds. We don't know how God will use the people, places, and experiences around us to shape our dreams, our desires, and our goals. We also don't know how God is using us to do the same for the people around us!

So today and this week, let's embrace the reminder that every day is a unique gift from God. That paying attention to our desires, responding to inspirations, slowing down, being present, and taking the headphones out — these all open the way for God to move and work and act in our lives. I love a holy hour — my favorite place is adoration — and God speaks there, but He also speaks in the friend I saw wildly waving at me through a bus window, the song that came up on my playlist right after I thought about it, and the sweet baby who handed me a flower on the corner.

Here’s to a beautiful week ahead — may we be open to the little inspirations that abound!

Oh, and this is your sign to go get some ice cream ;)

In Christ,

Jane

What I’m loving lately

Remarkably Bright Creatures

I was a huge fan of the book, and now I’m a huge fan of the movie, now available on Netflix! So wholesome, so sweet, so heartwarming. It really felt like a big warm hug.

The joy of caring

I volunteer on Monday mornings with my church’s homeless ministry, and over the past 2 years have become friends with many of our regulars. One of them has started tending a local garden, and this morning he came in and was so excited to show me the honeybees he’s bringing back to life. The previous garden-tenders had allowed the bees to die off and their home to fall into disrepair — but my friend was nursing the colony back to life. It was such a life-giving conversation and a reminder of how much purpose we can find in caring and nurturing what God has placed in our path.

Lime Bikes

I forget how much I feel like a kid whenever I get to zip around the city on an e-bike. I went on FIVE e-bike adventures this weekend and each one of them was an absolute delight. I’m excited for a summer full of bike adventures!

Survivor Finale tomorrow!!!

Tomorrow is the Season 50 Survivor finale — yay! I am so excited about it. You have 24 hours to catch up, ready… go!

Quite the reminder

Shoulder scarves

In the sweltering DC summer, I often wear strappy dresses but prefer to cover my shoulders in church / at work. This means carrying a lot of little cardigans and sweaters. HOWEVER this weekend I experimented with this gorgeous scarf covering and I think it might be my new go to — much, much more pleasant to wear soft silk that a cashmere cardigan when it’s 80 degrees outside!

Marty: Life is Short

Okay I promise I did more than watch Netflix last week, but this documentary was truly SO good. I have loved Martin Short for ages and didn’t realize how much loss he had experienced: his parents and brother before he turned 20, and his wife after 30 years of marriage. This documentary is packed with sweet home videos (and Catherine O’Hara <3 ) and was such a beautiful reminder to have fun and enjoy the ride, embracing the ups and the downs, and how grief can unexpectedly lead to deeper and fuller life. I loved it.

All grown up

My father has been providing us with day-by-day Ring camera video updates on the four baby birds that hatched in a little nest on our deck. This week, they took flight! So sweet and beautiful to be on this journey with them. A Ring camera put to great use!

Prayer intentions

• For a special intention

There’s a beautiful scene in the new Devil Wears Prada movie where Anne Hathaway’s character realizes she’s said something she regrets to someone she loves. She tells a friend that she doesn’t know the perfect thing to say to remedy the situation. Her friend looks at her and says, “You don’t have to say the perfect thing. You just have to say something.”

As I've written about a lot this year, I feel like the Lord has been calling me over and over to release my perfectionism. I want to say the right thing in the right way, to not hurt anyone's feelings, to make everyone feel happy, heard, and loved. And that’s a good desire! But the reality is that I am not perfect — because nobody is perfect! And that means I do and say things that aren’t perfect… all the time.

That’s a hard pill to swallow. In (and after) my moments of imperfection, I find myself getting discouraged with the ways I come up short. But if I have learned anything this year, it is that we don't have to do or say the perfect thing. God simply calls us to do our best, to love people, and to love Him — and then we can leave the results in His hands.

I don't know if you're in a situation where you're afraid that you might do or say something that isn't perfect, but I (and God) promise that we do not need to be afraid! No one is perfect, but I found so much peace in Romans 8:28: “God works all things for our good.” It’s in situations where I feel most confused about the “right thing” to do that I have felt the Lord's hand and goodness and seen His activity most brilliantly. Paul says himself: “God’s strength is made perfect in our weakness.”

This week I encourage all of us to be not afraid of our weaknesses, but instead to open our hearts up to allow the Lord to work within them! We only have to do the things He’s asking us to do and to do them well. As my friend Nicole used to say, “Do your best and let God do the rest.”

Here’s to a week of doing our best!

In Christ,

Jane

What I’m loving lately

Parchment paper

This roll of parchment paper has truly changed my life. I use it to wrap gifts and flowers and boxes and books. It works for all occasions! And it’s only $6.99 for 100 feet. Here’s the one I bought on Amazon: Parchment Paper roll.

Are these the cutest shoes in the world?

I think so. I’m obsessed with my new Rothy’s!

Arthur Brooks and I are on the same wavelength this week

Support Devon on mission!

My beloved friend Devon is going on mission for a year, teaching in Belize with SOLT! I wish I could join her, but the next best thing is walking alongside her and supporting her financially — please consider joining in her support here! Include her name, Devon, in the comments. She’s $4000 away from her goal!

Nick Jonas on a Worship Song

Okay, Nick, I see you! I loveeeee this song, and I’m so happy to see him praising the Lord! His dad was a pastor, and Nick has shared that he experienced a lot of hurt from the Christian community as the Jonas Brothers became more famous. This return to worship makes me so happy, and this song is SO good. “I lost the plot every time I played God.” Woof.

Prayer intentions

• For Erica’s belated birthday!

• For all the wonderful Moms in our lives (and on this newsletter!)

• For Mary and Dina who are recovering from surgeries

• For a special intention

My word of the year is wonder, and a big part of that has been celebrating the little gifts and lessons I encounter each day! I think of them as “little luxuries” — so here’s a collection of the little luxuries I’m enjoying right now!

• “I’ve got time!” I was deeply inspired by Mari Andrew’s recent post “Take your time,” in which she explored the joy and generosity she experiences when she gets to tell someone, “I’ve got time!” She says it in line at the grocery store, when someone has a story to tell her, or in the face of random inconveniences. It’s a luxury to have time, and it’s a luxury to offer that time, unburdened, to others. This week, I’ve been trying to say “I’ve got time!” as much as possible. Not only do I think it’s a gift to hear that, but it makes my life more fun, too! Those words led to catching up with friends after Mass, enjoying spritzes on my friends’ patio, and being able to sit with a friend who is grieving and hear beautiful stories about his loved one. Time is a gift! And we have more of it than we think.

• Coffee before work. I’ve enjoyed taking a long walk to my favorite coffee shop in Georgetown before going to work. It takes about 40 minutes round-trip, and I get to see so many beautiful little houses and trees and kids heading off to school! It’s a great way to start my morning.

• Letting my hair air dry. I pretty much never have time to let my hair air dry, but when I do, I feel so rich! There’s nothing better than a long shower and sitting down to read or call a friend or cook a meal, and then knocking out the final dampness with my Drybar hot brush (one of my very favorite tools).

• Celebrating three new restaurants below my office! Three new spots just opened near my office in the past month. That’s so exciting because it means that working in the office is so back! We lost so many great restaurants during Covid, and I’m excited to give these new spots a try.

• Noon Mass. When time permits, I love going to noon Mass! It’s a perfect 30-minute break in my day, and I love running into friends for a quick catch-up!

• Making myself breakfast and lunch! I’ve gotten back into smoothies, and I love the Ballerina Farm protein powder, which I mix with spinach and almond milk, ice, and sometimes bananas for brekkie. For lunch, I’ve been loving making little rice bowls with my chicken and Soyaki sauce from Trader Joe’s, as well as yummy pastas.

• Wearing fun upcycled clothes. Something is in the air — I have been gifted so much clothing in the past two months! My friends’ spring cleaning is my treasure :) I especially love my new half-length trench coat, fun new workout tops, a fun spring jumpsuit, and some summer dresses!

• Friends out and about. It is so nice to walk around my office and my city and run into friends! There’s something so beautiful about being in a place where you feel known.

• Watching flowers unfurl in my living room day after day, I used to disappear for four days at a time, and now I get to experience a full week of flowers instead of just new and then… dead lol. Now I get to see their whole lifetime, at least from the moment they land in my vase. Swoon!

• Absolute gift life hack: Uber Eats-ing gifts. This weekend, I was tight on time and needed to run to Georgetown to pick up a personalized Le Labo candle. I went online and was SHOCKED to discover that they’re on Uber Eats?! Within 20 minutes, and for a $5 delivery fee, the personalized candle was gift-wrapped and at my door. What a GAMECHANGER for gifts!

• Paid Substacks. Last night I took a wander around my Substack and realized how many (amazingggg) blogs I am paying for! At first, I thought, “This is crazy, I should not be spending $40 a month on Substacks.” But then I realized — what’s the point of making and saving money if I don’t get to spend it on things I really love and believe in — like my friends’ art! It’s probably the happiest $40 I spend every month — I get little treats of their writing in my inboxes every week or two, and I’m always delighted, challenged, and edified by their work. Here are a few of my current favorites:

  • Caroline Lunne’s Noticing — I LOVE her fashion and home recommendations, seeing how she decorates her cute little house in Charleston, and she’s inspired me to do The Artist’s Way!

  • Alison Chepardek’s Elevate Etiquette — Alison is a dear friend! And her Substack is always so timely and educational. She mixes modern etiquette with so much style and inspiration. I’m a big fan!

  • Claire Swinarski’s Catholic Feminist — I’ve been a Claire Swinarski fan for a long time, and her Substack continues to deliver thoughtful, grounded reflections on our faith and the world

  • Emily P. Freeman’s Soul Minimalist — I love Emily and her podcast, “The Next Right Thing.” Her reflections are so good, and her posts are so thoughtful. A great, reflective read always!

What little luxuries are you enjoying right now? Reply to share, or comment below!

In Christ,

Jane

What I’m loving lately

Hello from Richmond!

Last night I bopped down to Richmond, VA to watch the Cal Bears Men’s Club lacrosse play in the National Championship finals! It was a delight to be there — especially because one of my best friends’ brothers is also on the team! Although they didn’t win, it was a BALL of a time. Go Bears!

Incoming: Bishop Boxie!

One of my favorite priests in the world, Father Boxie, was just called to be an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Washington, DC! I cannot tell you how much joy this news brought me on Friday. Fr. Boxie is one of the most brilliant, humble, generous, and kind priests I've ever met. I cried watching his comments at the press conference, starting at 22:50 here:

Prayer intentions

• For Caroline’s birthday this week

• For a special intention!

Last week, I found myself stuck in a loop, thinking about everything that needed to get done and all the ways I wasn’t measuring up. It seemed that my good intentions were falling flat, and I couldn’t help focusing on everything going wrong and ignoring what was going right.

But then, something clicked.

On Wednesday evening, I listened to a gorgeous podcast by Fr. Pine, who used the following analogy: Imagine your failings and frustrations as weeds in a garden that you need to pull up. But if all you do is weed the soil, you’ll end up exhausted and with an empty patch of dirt. If instead you focus on planting and nurturing the seeds of virtue, we’ll fill the garden with good things, beautiful flowers that delight us and others. When weeds pop up (and they will), they’ll be crowded to the periphery, and much easier to pluck up and toss aside — leaving a beautiful garden in their place.

Maybe the secret to working through my frustration was not circling the problems — instead, what if I focused on what was good?

We hear this in Paul’s letter to the Philippians:

Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice! Your kindness should be known to all. The Lord is near. Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

We’ve all heard these verses over and over — but this week, it was the next verse that got me:

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me. Then the God of peace will be with you.

Not only is Paul entreating us to rejoice, to bring our anxieties to the Lord, but he also immediately shifts the focus to what is good.

If I say something I don’t mean, instead of dwelling on it with shame, I can apologize and focus on planting seeds of encouragement, truth, and love with my speech.

If someone says something that hurts my feelings or makes me feel small, I can remember how many people in my life love me and make me feel beautiful, smart, and beloved.

If I read something that stresses me out or makes me feel fearful, I can remember that God is in control and dwell on the good deed I saw in my neighborhood this morning.

This is not toxic positivity — we cannot ignore the hard things, the ways we need to grow and love others better. This is an invitation instead to recognize our shortcomings, commit to doing better, and trust that God is taking care of everything. It’s focusing on gratitude, which pulls us out of ourselves and back into the reality God has for us.

This little shift moved my heart to focus on all of the joys of the week — the way friends showed up and came into town to celebrate me, the prayers and kind words and generosity I received on my birthday, the encouragement I was emailed from a boss, the sparkle of the sunshine after a thunderstorm. The circumstances didn’t change, but now I had the space to see that God was allowing them to help me grow in sanctity — a true gift.

How could a shift in perspective serve you this week?

In Christ,

Jane

What I’m loving lately

Gregory Pine Conversation Podcast

This podcast is far less about having good conversations and far more about the goodness and joy of pursuing the life of virtue. The image of tending weeds/flowers I wrote about above came from this podcast:

A good reminder!!

A friend wrote something this week that I loved:

If the enemy is out to steal my joy, he would have me constantly running through the hurt, worshipping my wounds, playing out scenarios & making (even well-founded) assumptions.

If the King is out to heal me, He would have me feel the wound & give me permission to focus on everything He’s given because it’s not on me to make it right anymore. The tension is tender, it’s not about suppression — it’s surrender.

Wow.

Our brothers won their Lacrosse Championship!

My best friend and I have younger brothers who play on the same college lacrosse team, and we watched them advance to the National Championships (in our lucky hats, thank you, Caroline Lunne!)! What a joy! Go Bears!

This SONG!!

I’m obsessed with this song, and with Raye’s whole album. When I first heard this, I had a moment, “Wait, this is Psalm 30?!” It is — Raye is taking us to church!! This is a perfect bop and walk to work song!

Survivor, live

I have DREAMED of having a Survivor party for years, and this weekend it happened! I am so grateful for the friends who came in and came out to celebrate, for my friend Ben, who was a PERFECT Jeff Probst, and for the millions of acts of Providence that made this happen (no rain despite a thunderstorm forecast, a friend who owned a bunch of Survivor puzzles I could borrow, everyone’s commitment to the theme). It was a joy.

Prayer intentions

• For Raquel and her family

• For my friend Anthony, in the final stages of applying to seminary!

• For a special intention

For a while, one of my best friends, Erica, has wanted to move. While visiting her in San Diego, I toured an apartment complex with her (a very dangerous activity for me, since I love the beach). But it wasn’t the right fit, so we left.

As we drove out of the development, a prompting pushed her to pull into a nearby neighborhood. I whipped out my Zillow and saw many more cute little apartments and townhomes available in the same area as her dream apartment complex. She applied to those, then went back this weekend and applied to some more nearby spots. In one day, she toured an absolute dream of an apartment, submitted an application, and was accepted that same evening. When I heard the story, I thought, “Wow, God moves fast.”

And He does! Sometimes I feel like I get a prompting or inspiration, and it’s like stepping into a rushing river that sends me to a new place as soon as I open my mouth or offer up a prayer. There are countless experiences in my life where I thought, “Hmm, I would love to do this or have that or enjoy this experience,” and literal hours later, an opportunity to do just that falls out of the sky.

I'm reading The Artist’s Way right now, and the third chapter is all about the idea of synchronicity, which is exactly what Erica experienced above. I can think of so many moments in my life when I just barely began to ask or pray for something, or have taken a baby step towards a goal or a dream, and God showed up almost immediately. In those moments, I almost want to laugh at myself and all the times that I fight so hard to make things work or push my plans uphill, and all the agitation that comes along with it. I'm reminded that if God wants something to happen, He will do it. God is efficient!

That doesn’t mean good things don’t take work, or we should give up when things get hard, but I’m trying to be more aware of all the ways God shows up.

For example…

Today is my birthday (yay!), and I knew I wanted to pray a Holy Hour on my birthday eve. I had the idea this weekend, and barely an hour later, I received an email that the church around the corner from me just happened to be hosting a Monday night Holy Hour! I have been thinking of getting into tennis for a full year, and last weekend my friend invited me to come and play with her, and we had a BALL. I told God I wanted to spend more time with kids, and I was able to hang out with my friend and her girls the next day. I can’t begin to share all the random times someone has just shown up or sent me something or said exactly what I needed to hear, when I needed it. On and on.

The pattern here is that I asked God for those things. I felt a pull, and I said: “Lord, this could be fun!” And then He did it. Of course, there are many things He has said “No” and “Not yet” to, but the wild, abundant, consistent pattern of His “Yes!” means that I can trust Him totally, completely.

Is there something you want to ask for, but you’re afraid to hear the answer? Sometimes it’s even scary if the answer is yes. This week, let’s practice asking God for what we want — He delights in giving us good, abundant, generous things!! And He is honored when we trust Him to provide.

In Christ,

Jane

What I’m loving lately

The Count of Monte Cristo

My “big book” of the year is The Count of Monte Cristo, and I’m so into it. I love the story — it’s funny, fast, and action-packed. It’s also 1200 pages, so something I learned in my last few “big book” adventures is to make it super accessible — I have it in hardcover, on my Kindle, and on Audible. That way, I can chip away at it whenever inspiration strikes, whether I’m on the move, cleaning, running, etc! Also, many classic books are $0.99 since they’re now public domain, so it won’t break the bank! A great way to keep momentum, and stay in the story :)

What makes a great team player/employee?

I thought this was an awesome episode on what to look for in others (and in yourself) to be a better team player. Are you hungry, humble, and smart? Which one is your strength, which one needs a little more work? A great reflection for me on how I show up on my teams!

Field day

My friend Shanna hosted a “field day” for her birthday, and it was so dang fun. There’s something wonderful about getting outside and playing a bunch of field games (e.g., dodgeball, relay races, scavenger hunts) as an adult. I know it was so much work for her, but it totally paid off. A good reminder that going the extra mile and doing something different is a gift to everyone who gets to be part of it!

Transitions

It's been a total joy to be back in DC this week, the first time I've been here all week in maybe 10 months! I filled up every night because I was so excited to be back, and it was a bit exhausting. A friend of mine reminded me that transitions are always hard (even if they're good ones), and it was a good reminder to give myself some grace (and space to rest!)

God’s AC

My AC went out last week (during a major heat wave) and it was very stressful. But then, out of nowhere, the temperatures in DC dropped to the 50s (with a freeze warning last night!). Every time someone complains about how cold it just got, I smile and say, “It’s because my AC went out and God loves me, so we all get free AC!” It’s all about perspective ;)

Wonder of the week

The Dupont Circle fountain has been filled with water again, so I paused on my way to work to sit on a bench and enjoy it. The weather last week was PERFECT — ideal to enjoy the sun and take a little pause in my morning.

Prayer intentions

• Today is my birthday! Please pray for me and the year ahead :)

• My friend Mary’s injured knee! For a speedy recovery

• For April’s birthday on Friday

• For a special intention

Last week, I celebrated a little self-directed “Spring Break.” I took off work, enjoyed Easter at home with my family, then spent a few days at the beach in San Diego with my best friend. It was heavenly — slow mornings, lots of reading, very little screen time, the ocean, good people, and yummy food.

It’s been a really busy few months (read: all of 2026), and the past month or so has brought up anxiety in me: Am I doing the right things? Am I being obedient to God’s Will? Am I loving people well enough?

So as I entered into this “week off,” I found myself gravitating towards reflections on divine providence. “Divine providence” is the idea that God is in and above all things and that He is always providing. It’s the belief that we do not need to grasp for control because we have a loving, good God who watches over our lives and provides exactly what we need, exactly when we need it. I’ve seen the evidence of providence across my entire life. God shows up faithfully, consistently, and abundantly, often in ways I wouldn’t expect, but in His wisdom and goodness, He provides exactly what I need.

So if I feel like I’ve read every book on divine providence (a few times over), then what’s my hesitation? Why do I worry? I think there are two roadblocks I face when wrestling to live in the peace of divine providence: it’s simple, and it’s scary.

Divine providence is simple.

Trusting in divine providence is deceptively simple. As St. Jean-Pierre de Caussaude offers in Abandonment to Divine Providence (pdf / book):

In reality sanctity can be reduced to one single practice: fidelity to the duties appointed by God. Now this fidelity is equally within each one’s power whether in its active practice, or passive exercise. The active practice of fidelity consists in accomplishing the duties which devolve upon us whether imposed by the general laws of God and of the Church, or by the particular state that we may have embraced. Its passive exercise consists in the loving acceptance of all that God sends us at each moment.

In summary:

• Actively: Do your daily duties.

• Passively: Accept the circumstances, crosses, inconveniences, joys, and blessings that are presented to you.

That’s it.

It seems almost impossible that life could be that simple. So much advice pushes us to do more, to sign up for a new program or challenge, to pick up new ascetic practices, and to suffer more to grow. But God, in His loving, gentle kindness, instead offers us another way: embrace the present moment, and live in hope.

I had a wonderful spiritual director a few years back who told me, “God is always doing the right amount in you. The enemy is always trying to do more or less.”

The gift of our faith is that God is always working in our lives. I’ve learned that the more we stay attentive to Him and to the attractions and desires that are in our hearts, the more we can do His will. If something doesn’t work out, we do not lose peace because we know that He is in charge. If an opportunity arises that we’re excited about, we can step towards it with hope (and detachment), trusting that God gives us everything we need to accomplish His will.

So if we can accept the simplicity of divine providence, perhaps the bigger challenge is the following:

Trusting in divine providence feels scary.

A few months ago at work, I was in charge of a major client event in another city. We had a bunch of supplies that needed to be present at the location, so I asked a few team members to help me coordinate, mail, and pick up the supplies. On the morning of the event, I found out that the supplies had been forgotten/were mailed to the wrong place. As I fumed in the back of the room, I vowed to myself, “This is why I can’t trust anyone.”

It is only natural to superimpose the weakness of others (and our own fickleness) onto God. But God is not an imperfect human who cannot be trusted — on the contrary. God is absolutely, completely, totally trustworthy. And He has a view and vision of the world and our lives that is well above our own: “My ways are not your ways, my thoughts are not your thoughts. As high as the heavens are above the earth are my ways above your ways, and my thoughts above your thoughts.”

In that instance at work, we were able to access an industrial printer and re-print the supplies in the nick of time (God’s providence strikes again). But that didn’t prevent my anger, frustration, and hurt — because I had worked hard to make the supplies perfect. But was it really necessary? No. Did anyone notice other than me? No. Have I also made mistakes and let people down? Yes. Was everything more than fine in the end? Yes.

Trusting in divine providence means releasing control over what is provided, because we can trust the Who. And that is far more important, because we often don’t really know what it is that we want. As C.S. Lewis says,

It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.

Our lack of control is a very good thing — because if we always got what we wanted, when we wanted it, we’d likely end up with many things that are not actually good for us (see: my lists of prayer requests over the past decade). God is the giver of good things, and His perspective grants Him a wisdom we don’t (and can’t) have.

So how do we live from this place, of living the truth of divine providence? Fr. Jean-Pierre is at it again:

In the state of abandonment the only rule is the duty of the present moment. In this, the soul is light as a feather, liquid as water, simple as a child, active as a ball in receiving and following all the inspirations of grace. Such souls have no more consistence and rigidity than molten metal… They are before God like a perfectly woven fabric with a clear surface; and neither think, nor seek to know what God will be pleased to trace thereon, because they have confidence in Him, they abandon themselves to Him, and, entirely absorbed by their duty, they think not of themselves, nor of what may be necessary for them, nor of how to obtain it.

In conclusion, Am I doing the right things? Am I being obedient to God’s will? Am I loving people well enough? I don’t know — I hope so!! What I do know is that I am striving to live God’s Will for my life, and that is enough. He can take everything and make it beautiful; He works all things for good! So there’s no need to be anxious about whether I’m doing enough, because I trust that He is using it all.

Here’s to a week of resting in divine providence — I’m in it with you!!

In Christ,

Jane

What I’m loving lately

Big ice roller girl

Adjusting back to the East Coast timezone is always a bit of a struggle for the first few mornings… thankfully I have an ice roller and she has been a LIFESAVER this week! I have this one but recommend anything you can store in your freezer.

A phenomenal podcast on Divine Providence

If you want more on Divine Providence, I highly recommend this episode of the Thomistic Institute Podcast!!

And a reflection on provision

I loved this reflection from Emily P. Freeman:“Look for Provision.” The more we name our needs, the more we become aware of how God is responding (hint: He’s always responding).

Obsessed with my new robe!!

The Easter Bunny got me this bathrobe I’ve been eyeing for a month from Brooklinen. I got very used to hotel robes and needed one of my very own! I got the “Storm” color in size small — but I LOVE the stripes too!

Coachella

I’ve never quite desired to attend Coachella (more of a Stagecoach girl), but DANG I had so much fomo this weekend watching the replays from Sabrina Carpenter and Justin Bieber on YouTube. They were both so much fun, their music is a bop, and I kind of wish I could zip out there for weekend 2! Thank you, YouTube, for the gift of the livestream!

No crying on the yacht

I cannot explain to you how much I love this sweater I saw in Target last week (okay, mostly I love the saying on the sweater). I feel like “no crying on the yacht” is going to join the “not my circus, not my monkeys” elite level of idioms because it’s hilarious and also true. A good reminder for me — so many of the things that stress me out are things I prayed for! We are so blessed, let’s minimize the tears on the yacht and celebrate being out on the waves.

Wonder of the week

I’m going to go back to sharing my wonder of the week, in honor of my word of the year! This week’s wonder: Long runs with no rush. I loveeeee a run with nowhere to be — and last night I took a nice long meander around the monuments, stopped to check in on Lincoln, and enjoyed the spring-y evening. I think this is going to be a “slow down” spring for me, and I’m all in.

Prayer intentions

• For Delaney’s birthday this week!

• For a special intention

Hello friends — happy Easter!

I don’t know if it’s particularly appropriate to say this, but I had a very good Good Friday. I took most of the day off, which I highly recommend, so I was able to spend most of the day in prayer and silence, reflecting on the Passion of the Lord.

During the Good Friday liturgy, the congregation lines up to venerate (kiss, genuflect, honor) the cross of Christ. At some point in the past year, someone told me that when we go up to kiss the cross, we are not just kissing His cross, but we are also kissing the crosses that are present in our very lives: “the things that we did not choose, do not like, and cannot change,” as my favorite rosary podcast often defines them.

There was a beautiful older woman in front of me in line, and I watched as she slowly made her way up the aisle on her walker toward the cross. I was overwhelmed by the realization that this woman has probably borne more sufferings in her life than I could imagine. Yet here she was, leaning over her walker to kiss the feet of Christ on the cross. In that moment, I started to cry. I saw the hundreds of people in that church going up to kiss their very own crosses, acts of profound and radical surrender to the Lord. And as I approached the Cross, I offered my own with total surrender too — knowing that God offers and allows them as a way to bring me into deeper intimacy with Him.

This experience of Good Friday had a profound effect on my Easter. I went home to California and attended the Vigil with my mom, who was a sponsor. As the lights came on at the Alleluia, I was touched that Christ’s Resurrection also means that the cross I kissed on Friday is being and will be resurrected — that our crosses are truly the places where His glory shines through. Alleluia indeed!

Now that Lent is over, I was also struck by an idea to “feastify” my fasts. For example, I gave up gossiping, criticizing, and complaining for Lent (and don’t particularly want to welcome them back in), so what if during the Easter season I chose to send a nice note to someone every day, thanking them for the gift they are or the way they have impacted my life? Maybe you gave up spending money on coffee, and so this Easter season, you could take a friend to coffee once a week and spend the money you saved on a moment of community.

I love the idea of glorifying our fasts and how it could bring us further into the heart of the Lord — allowing the season of Lent to purify those places of attachment, and then to glorify them in the same way the Lord was glorified on Easter Sunday.

As we begin the Easter season, please know of my prayers for you and your loved ones. And I pray that you experience the great joy that is present to us today and every day. He has risen, just as He said. Alleluia!

In Christ,

Jane

What I’m loving lately

It’s spring break!

I’m spending the week in California (and took off work), so I’m deeming this my “spring break.” So far, it’s been a joy — this morning, I got a Philz coffee, wandered around a suburban Target (the best), and spent the afternoon with my friend’s children, which is always a dream. I have done almost everything except my taxes, which need to get filed asap — but once those are complete, it will be back to Spring Break fun!

Our Lady of Guadalupe Rosary

As you know, I’ve been making many, many rosaries, and my friend requested an “Our Lady of Guadalupe” rosary, so I made that this week… dare I say it may be my new favorite?! So bright and fun!

RIP Oura ring

I purchased an Oura ring about a month ago to give it a go, and returned it last week. I have so many friends who LOVE their rings, but it just felt a little clunky, and I didn’t feel like it was helping me in the ways I wanted. Maybe I’ll give it another try in another season, but it wasn’t adding joy to my life so I returned her.

Eternity

I watched this movie on the plane to California, and it was a very cute romcom! I really was not sure how it would end happily, and I was appeased. I recommend!

Prayer intentions

• For Julia, Kelly, and Katie with birthdays this week!

• For my parents on their anniversary

Hello my friends, and welcome to Holy Week! The end of Lent is in sight… and I’m so excited to walk through it and enter into Easter :)

Today is my very last day on the project I’ve been working on for the past eight months. It’s bittersweet — bitter, because it has been one of the most rewarding (and challenging and stretching and fun) things I have ever done. Sweet, because after eight straight months, 20+ weeks of flying to and from Atlanta (or Denver or Florida) every single week, I finally get to be home.

These eight months have taught me a lot, but I think most of all, I’ve learned the reality that I cannot do everything (or anything) on my own. I am so small, so little — and God calls me to do some hard things, things that are beyond what I know I’m capable of. If you had told me in July that I’d be doing this for eight months, I probably would have passed out. But instead, the Lord has guided me day by day, week by week, sometimes hour by hour, giving me everything I need and more to flourish where He calls me. There were so many moments when things got hard, and the Lord would swoop in and give me exactly what I needed in that moment to keep on going. He hears and responds to every prayer!

This experience has been challenging, but also beautiful. The relationships I’ve built with clients are so special. The fruit of our hard work is out in the world! And I have been pushed in my own abilities, capabilities, and skills. I’ve worked with at least twenty other people who have cycled in and out through different phases of the work. I also got promoted on this project (yay!) which was something I am so grateful for and excited about. I can’t believe I got to work with a client who is so cool — this is the kind of work I hoped for when I applied for this job!

I’ll write more about all of the little travel hacks and survival mechanisms that got me through this whirlwind, but overall I have just become so aware of the gifts that God has given me so freely — friends who keep me in the loop while I’m gone, a perpetual adoration chapel (and a Solidcore) down the street from my hotel, great clients who are so much fun to work with, a community that I can return to and step right back into the swing of things. I don’t take any of these for granted, because I know how lucky I am to have them.

You might not have a job where you start fresh every few months, but life is full of transitions. The more I go through them, the more I’ve learned how to let God lead me through. He makes all things new — and especially in seasons of transition, we can hold that hope firmly and with great joy!

I am very excited for a little change of pace, to be in DC as Springtime blooms! I’m also excited to have some time to really enter into Holy Week — I’ve taken Good Friday off for the past few years and it’s always a fruitful day of prayer and silence (highly recommend if you can!). Next week some friends and I are jumping into the Artist’s Way — no better time to embrace creativity than the season of Easter! When one project ends, another begins. I’ve stopped trying to guess / make plans / control what this job looks like, because God is always many steps ahead — so it’s in His hands! And He’s never let me down :)

In Christ,

Jane

What I’m loving lately

Everything changes

A friend asked me for DC recommendations this week, and after I copied and pasted my list to him in an email, I took a closer look and realized that these were from 2024 and my recs are totally different now! What a fun way to see how my life / usual spots / favorite treats in DC have changed :)

Healing retreat

This past weekend I finally had the opportunity to attend a retreat with the John Paul II Healing Center. My mom and her friend also flew in for it! It was probably the most powerful retreat I’ve ever been on, and I pray the graces have only just begun flowing! If you’re interested, I highly recommend finding a retreat or reading Dr. Bob Schucht’s book, "Be Healed.” The “Restore the Glory” podcast is also a phenomenal resource.

Seven churches

One of my FAVORITE traditions of Holy Week is that of the Seven Churches — a pilgrimage through seven churches in a city or neighborhood to spend time with Christ in the Garden on Holy Thursday. In DC, we have one in Brookland and one in Arlington, but most churches offer late night adoration and decorate their altars to look like gardens (so beautiful). I recommend it if you can take time on Thursday to travel to even a couple of churches (or find a gorgeous altar to plant yourself at)!

Project Hail Mary

I saw this movie this weekend and it was SO good!! I highly recommend it - so fun and funny and hopeful and cute. Also, the soundtrack was a bop start to finish.

Prayer I love

A friend from work shared this with me and I LOVED it:

O HOLY SPIRIT, Love of the Father and of the Son, inspire me always in what I must think, what I must say, how I must say it, what I must keep silent, what I must write, how I must act, and what I must do to further Your Glory, the good of souls, and my own sanctification. O JESUS, all my trust is in You. Amen.

Prayer intentions

• For a special intention

Happy Tuesday, friends!

I’m wrapping up an amazing ski weekend with my friends from NYU. It’s been a joy to catch up and spend so much good quality time together in one of my favorite places on earth, Lake Tahoe!

And while we’re so enjoying our time together, I was a little stressed about it last week. As our travels grew nearer, it became clearer that there was a slight dearth of snow in the mountains. How are we supposed to do a ski weekend if there is no snow?!

But the moment I saw my friend Kelly during our layover on the way to Tahoe, she said to me, “It doesn’t really matter what the snow is like, we’ll have a great time.” And I knew she was right! We had the absolute best time, with two better-than-expected ski days and so much good quality catch-up time. I suggested that we all make PowerPoint presentations with photos and updates from the past year, since we rarely get to catch up — and it was an absolute JOY to see all the highlights and celebrate all of the gifts and growth from the past year.

I’m a gal with lots of ideas about how things should go — and many (read: most) times they do not go quite to plan. But the longer I live, the more I see that even when things don’t go according to my plans, they go according to His, which are always much, much better than what I had in mind.

And I’m not unique— God works all things for your good, too! But in the ins and outs of daily life, it’s tempting to forget that He is at work, to shrink right back to the small lens we have on the world, and to be rocked and rolled by the events around us.

This week, I hope we all receive everything that happens as the gifts they truly are, to rest in the truth that God knows Who He is and what He’s about.

Please pray for me and know of my prayers!

In Christ,

Jane

What I’m loving lately

The joy of community

I caught up with a friend last week and was so excited to tell her, “Because of you, I pray Psalm 23 in the morning before I get out of bed!” and she laughed and responded, “Because of you, I stop weekly in my neighborhood church and light a candle!” I’m so grateful for the witness my friends are. Never underestimate the impact you have on the people around you!!

What do you need to give up at work?

There’s so much leadership advice about what we need to add and do more of, which can be exhausting to think about. I loved this episode of At The Table, in which Patrick Lencioni talks about the importance of giving things up to be better leaders! It was super thought-provoking, I highly recommend.

Stations of the Cross

I’ve been carrying this little book of Stations of the Cross around all week, and whenever I have a moment of pause, I’ll pull it out and meditate on a station. It’s been a joy. I love the idea of having a little book with me, to fill time when I have a moment instead of pulling out my phone.

Prayer intentions

• For a special intention

When I started The SundayMonday almost six years ago (!!), it was because I wanted to share the stories of the incredible women I knew who were living their lives, and sharing their gifts, in a way that honored God. Each was so unique, so beautiful, so captivating that I wanted the world to know their stories. At the heart, I was then (and still am) inspired by the magnanimity of the women around me.

As Lent marches on, I’ve been thinking a lot about Pope Benedict XVI’s quote: “The world offers you comfort. But you were not made for comfort. You were made for greatness.” I think there’s often a false humility we feel as Christians to be smaller, to be less than what God calls us to be, out of fear of standing out. But God created you to be unique, unrepeatable, and great! And through your greatness, you are called to inspire others to be more and more themselves.

This past week, as I pondered what being more magnanimous in my own life might look like, I was struck by the witness and example of two of my truly magnanimous friends, both of whom I would be so honored to emulate in even a small way.

First is my friend Michelle. On a Saturday in the summer of 2024, I was feeling a little restless and wanted to find a way to serve my community. I remembered a Monday morning opportunity to serve at a homeless breakfast at my church, and made a mental note to reach out to learn more. Just four hours later, I met Michelle at a party, and she told me that she attended that very breakfast every Monday and invited me to join her. Less than 48 hours after the thought crossed my mind, I was in the basement of the church serving at this breakfast with Michelle. I have been back almost every week since.

Michelle is the most popular person at breakfast. Whenever she is not there, our guests ask me (ad nauseam), “Where is Michelle?” They love Michelle because Michelle loves them. She started a group called “Coffee with Christ,” and once a month she gathers a group for prayer, and then they take a thermos of coffee and little gift bags with prayer cards and rosaries to hand out to people they encounter on the streets of DC. I saw Michelle give a talk on this ministry last week, and it brought me to tears to see how her passion and openness to the Holy Spirit had impacted not only the hundreds of people she’s met on the street, but also the dozens of volunteers who have joined her on these outings.

Michelle is a normal (very holy) girl with a full-time job in DC. Yet, she has allowed the Lord to ignite her heart, and she offers her gifts and talents to selflessly love and serve our community.

Second is my friend Alison. This past weekend, we celebrated her book launch. She’s been working on this book for the better part of two years, and my eyes teared up when I saw the stacks of books on the table ready for her to sign.

Alison has had an incredible career in public service and law. But a few years ago, she decided to turn her passion for etiquette into a full-time job. She’s worked so hard to build up a following online, and she’s booked and busy offering etiquette classes and seminars to professional groups and companies all over the country. She dared to take a big leap and jump into a niche industry, and she’s found remarkable success. On top of that, she is a wonderful friend — she hosted a graduation party for me when I returned to DC a couple of years ago, and it was one of the kindest and most generous things anyone has ever done for me. She is gracious and loving and I couldn’t be more excited for her book to launch into the world — just another step in her journey of being who God created her to be.

One of my favorite quotes from C.S. Lewis is “How monotonously alike all the great tyrants and conquerors have been; how gloriously different are the saints.” I think about this quote all the time — but especially now, as I reflect on my friends and the extraordinary, unique, and beautiful ways they offer their gifts and talents to the world and ultimately to God.

Michelle and Alison are not the only people who have been given gifts and talents from God, gifts to radiate out into the world. We all have gifts to share. And God is not calling me to be Michelle or Alison. He’s calling me to be Jane. And he’s calling you to be you. Seeing Michelle and Alison live their lives as an outpouring of their passions and talents is an inspiration for me to live my life more completely as an outpouring of mine. And it’s a beautiful place to pause in this Lent and ask God how I can be more me, for Him, to be truly magnanimous.

Lord, what am I holding back? Please reveal to me the places where I am not loving or serving as I should. Please give me the grace necessary to love you and others more, and to share my gifts and talents generously.

In Christ,

Jane

What I’m loving lately

I loved this from yesterday’s first reading

For I create Jerusalem to be a joy
and its people to be a delight;

These words from the Book of Isaiah really hit my heart yesterday during Mass. I love moments when I am reminded of how God delights in us — He wants us to enjoy our lives! A beautiful reminder to start the week.

Was it Something I Said?

Mentioned above — buy Alison’s book, out TODAY!! It’s so dang good, I cannot recommend it more, and it’s already been such a joy to jump into!

“ChatGPT won’t heal you”

For Lent, I gave up ChatGPT. There are many reasons I did this. First, I love to write — both this newsletter and for work. I found myself turning to ChatGPT when I was exhausted and wanted to edit my writing more quickly. But it never quite worked, and I found myself rewriting everything again. Second, I found myself going to ChatGPT with little questions or when I needed immediate advice or feedback. A friend of a friend commented on that usage of ChatGPT, to solve problems that we are just impatient to get out of the way: “What’s your relationship with the Holy Spirit?” And that hit me as a really good question.

ChatGPT is so attractive because it gives us quick answers and affirmation — but by using it, I knew I was trading speed for wisdom. In my experience, the Lord moves with great wisdom, at His perfect pace (which is often slower than mine!!). I don’t want to lose the ability or patience to discern, so I have logged out indefinitely. Pope Leo is thinking about this, too. I loved his reflection on AI in which he said, “Faces and voices are sacred.” We are made for incarnational relationships. This homily was so good, too. AI might be part of our world, but we have the freedom to determine its place in our lives.

The Complete Stories by Flannery O’Connor

I love this big book of stories, and this weekend I was inspired to read “Revelation” after it was referenced in a priest’s homily. It was a thought-provoking short story about hypocrisy, judgment, and mercy. Flannery is so funny. I want to be better about picking this book up and reading little stories from it more often!

Happy St. Joseph week!

Thursday, March 19, marks St. Joseph’s feast day. I love St. Joseph — he has been a phenomenal intercessor for me, in both my life and my work. His integrity, strength, faith, and trust in God inspire me to grow closer to him. If you want to learn more about St. Joseph, or strengthen your relationship with him, I highly recommend Fr. Calloway’s 30-day Consecration to St. Joseph! And don’t forget to celebrate his feast on Thursday :)

This song has (already) smashed my 2026 Wrapped

It’s on perpetual replay. It makes me feel like I’m in a French monastery. The harmonies. The echo. The solo at 1:48. If I feel stressed or overwhelmed, one listen to this will get me right back down to earth (or looking up to heaven). I cannot stop listening. Do they sell Gregorian chant vinyl records? Asking for a friend.

Prayer intentions

• For a special intention

• For Joe Bear’s healing

• For the healing of my brother’s concussion

On Sunday morning, I woke up early to cheer on my friends Mary and Sloane at Hyrox (the most insane feat of fitness I’ve ever witnessed). At about 7:30, I left my house to go pick up Starbucks for our group of cheerleaders. As I walked down the street, I was struck by the early-morning DC day (it was spring forward, so even fewer people were up than usual). I took particular notice of the workers arranging the Adirondack chairs and pressure-washing the fountain in Dupont Circle, in preparation for what promised to be a sunny day.

That evening, I was walking back through Dupont Circle and saw a joyful sight: people were sprawled in the Adirondack chairs across the lawn, and there was a Bachata group dancing away around the fountain — the fountain I had seen being so beautifully and intentionally cleaned up 12 hours earlier. It brought to mind a line from this week’s Gospel: “For here the saying is verified that ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap what you have not worked for; others have done the work, and you are sharing the fruits of their work.”

My life is the fruit of other people’s work – my parents, my grandparents, and their parents all worked hard to give me great opportunities, to receive a good education, to see the world, and to live my faith. I’ve been poured into by countless friends, mentors, and bosses who have taken time to teach me new things, encourage me, and call me higher. Even people who I thought were making my life difficult in the moment made me better. My life is the fruit of other people’s investments in me.

Everything around me carries a similar story: my beautiful apartment has probably been occupied by countless people over its 100+ years, people who took care of the brick walls and the fireplace so that I can enjoy them today. Similarly, I’m grateful for the pilots who spent years training in school before shuttling me to and from Atlanta for work. I’m grateful that the people around me care to do their jobs well so I can live my life safely, confidently, and freely. But I think that for the most part, I move through my life without recognizing how grateful I really can and should be for all the ways other people’s work makes my life possible.

To take it a step further, not only are the people in my life planting seeds that I get to benefit from, but also, how much more has God planted seeds in my life to delight me? He knows everything that my life entails and will entail. He knows my dreams, my desires, my hopes, and my fears — well before I do! I cannot begin to share all of the little gifts I have received from Him in His generosity, the seeds of which were planted far before I even knew to ask for their fruit.

This week, I finished Theo of Golden, and it was an absolutely gorgeous book, most of all because it is all about wonder. In the book, an old man arrives in a small town in Georgia and begins to bestow gifts and little kindnesses on the people who live there. The way that He sees people inspires me to see people with more charity, generosity, and magnanimity. I highly recommend it! It changed my life — and I’ve watched the sunset every day since :)

Two invitations for us this week: first, join me in spending a few minutes each day to be more aware of the gifts we have because others sowed the seeds. Thinking about how much had to happen just for us to be able to sip our morning coffee, join a Zoom meeting, or run into our friends on the street can be a blessing. Second, let’s think about how are we planting seeds that bloom in the lives of others (today or many days in the future). What little things can we do to make someone else’s life better? God‘s Providence is working, always — and we are active participants!

In Christ,

Jane

What I’m loving lately

Paris day

A few weeks ago, I was dreaming of a day in Paris and realized that I could experience many of my favorite Parisian things in my own backyard (DC, after all, was designed by a Frenchman)!! So on Saturday morning, I gathered my friends for a “Paris day” in DC — complete with neck scarves, an authentic Parisian cafe stop, and French Impressionism at the National Gallery of Art. One of the best surprises was walking through Georgetown and discovering that Sezane is returning to DC (iykyk!). We had so much fun — and I cannot wait to do it again! It was such a great reminder to be a tourist in my beautiful home. Tres chic!

Stations of the Cross

I finally attended my favorite Lenten devotion last Friday, and it was (as always) so good. Walking the Via Dolorosa with the Lord and in community is such a beautiful devotion that we’re lucky enough to have in many churches on Fridays! I highly recommend going this Lent if you haven’t yet. If you can’t find one (or it’s hard to make a good time), I recommend going to a church and using this version (it’s my favorite): Audio version and text version.

Lent, continued

I’ve been feeling a bit unmotivated this Lent, and was so inspired by the words of our pastor last week who said, “Lent is not a self-improvement project. It’s a transformation of the heart.” That was so encouraging for me to hear. If all I have to show at the end of this Lent is a heart that’s a little more fleshy, a little more devoted to God, then that’s enough!

Theo of Golden

This book was a joy from start to finish — I couldn’t put it down! It was a book that made me better while I was reading it. Touching, warm, funny, and a page-turner. A perfect book for Lent (or anytime, really!) If you read it, let me know what you think. All I want to do is talk about it with people!!

What would you say to a friend?

This weekend, I was chatting with a friend about feeling stuck in a certain situation, and she said, “If you were giving me advice about this, you know exactly what you would tell me to do.” Oof… she was right. I knew exactly what I would say to her — I just didn’t want to hear it myself!! It was good reminder to zoom out when I’m feeling stuck and treat myself like a good friend!

The joy of being warm

Last week I attended a work training in Florida and from the moment I stepped off the plane I was in HEAVEN. You cannot tell me that tropical air and a sea breeze is not medicinal. As my hair frizzed up, my heart grew many sizes. Summer is coming!! What a joy to be warm again.

Prayer intentions

• For Joe Bear’s health and recovery and quick return home from the hospital

• For a few special intentions

We had a gorgeous, sunny weekend in DC, and the city absolutely came alive. 65 degrees might not sound like much to my California friends, but in a city that has been wallowing anywhere from 14 to 30 for months, the experience of 65 was ecstasy!!

Months of puffy coats and snow boots gave way to short jackets, skirts and sneakers. On Saturday afternoon, my friends and I sat on a bench in direct sunlight getting what I hope was a mild sunburn, as we watched the people of Georgetown wander around the waterfront. A jazz band played in Dupont Circle and people looked so dang happy! There’s nothing like the hope of springtime after a few cold and dark months. The sunshine brings us out of our ourselves, our minds, and back into the world.

I found this reflection particularly helpful as we entered the second week of Lent. Last week, I encountered a situation that revealed an ugly place in my heart. At first, I was shocked at myself, which gave way to shame and embarrassment. I want to be a woman of virtue!! Where is this coming from?!

Thankfully, I was attending a recollection on Saturday morning, and I brought it all to confession. I told the priest how embarrassed I was, and he said, “Well that’s the problem right there — we should never be surprised by our failures!”

Lent is the time that we strip away the masks and the numbing and come face to face with the little attachments, hurts, and beliefs that we have been holding and haven’t dealt with. It’s like starting a new skincare routine: the first few weeks, your skin purges all the gross stuff, and you are left with a face full of pimples. I (and maybe you) would like to skip the pimple step and go right to the glory of a clear, radiant face. (Sorry for the gross analogy, but I think it’s apt).

God loves us too much leave the gunk in our hearts, and as we enter into the desert with Him, we have to be willing to allow Him to clear us out of our blemishes.

One of my favorite books of all time is C.S. Lewis’ The Great Divorce. It’s phenomenal. My brother was reading it while we were in Japan, which meant that we got to talk about one of my favorite scenes in the book — maybe in all of literature.

In this scene, a man (ghost) has a little lizard on his shoulder — the lizard represents a sin that the man cannot let go of. He hates the lizard, and knows how much the lizard is hurting him, but he also cannot fathom losing the lizard, living without it. And so, he clings to the lizard. That is, until an “angel” asks the man for permission to kill it and free him. They go back and forth, and finally the man (in agony) gives him permission to destroy the lizard. The moment is excruciating, but in the place of the destroyed lizard springs up a mighty stallion. The man leaps onto the steed, and rides towards heaven — courageous, hopeful, and free.

The little “ugly” parts of our hearts that pop up in this desert time have the capacity to transform from lizards to stallions, if we surrender them to God. A friend told me once that the enemy’s greatest attacks come at the places God most wants to use for His glory — and it only makes sense that the enemy would attack those places and make us doubt ourselves and God’s goodness. When we allow God to heal us, He can do so much more in that place than if we never faced that struggle or sorrow.

Lent is an invitation for God to shine the rays of His glorious, warm, sanctifying sunlight on us. It’s an invitation to not be blinded by our own weakness and smallness, but instead to allow Him to sanctify us — and to turn those little lizards into glorious steeds.

What an adventure this Lent will be!

In Christ,

Jane

What I’m loving lately

Project Hail Mary

This week, I devoured the book, Project Hail Mary. Run, don’t walk, to get a copy! I’m often reminded that the content we consume impacts the way we feel about ourselves, others, and the world. This book made me feel hopeful, generous, and alive, which I think is a pretty good outcome! I couldn’t put it down.

Also, the movie comes out this month and I heard that the billboards all over LA say “Believe in the Hail Mary” which I stand behind in more ways than one ;)

What a gift this life is

On Friday night, I attended an event at the Australian Embassy and it was just so fun and so DC!! It reminded me how much I love living in a place where I get to meet so many cool people. I met a priest who is part of the Vatican diplomatic force, working to represent the interests of the Pope in countries around the world. As I stood there in this Embassy, chatting with this man who has lived all over the world and spent time with at least three popes, I thought to myself how insane it is that I am here and that I live this life. I had another beautiful moment this week that I might share one day, but I have just felt very surrounded by reminders of God’s Providence and omnipotence this week!

Poco a Poco Lenten series on The Prodigal Son

This has been an incredible series so far. I loved that Fr. Mike’s homily this week also focused on The Prodigal Son! It’s a parable I could sit with forever.

That’ll preach

“I strongly suspect that if we saw all the difference even the tiniest of our prayers to God make, and all the people those little prayers were destined to affect, and all the consequences of those effects down through the centuries, we would be so paralyzed with awe at the power of prayer that we would be unable to get up off our knees for the rest of our lives.” - Peter Kreeft

Prayer intentions

• For a few special intentions

Hello my beloved friends! I hope Lent is off to a great start.

I’m back after an incredible 10 days in Japan with my parents and one of my brothers, Matthew. We explored Tokyo and skied in Hakuba — truly a dream trip. There were so many things I loved, but here are just a few:

1. Focus on excellence. The abiding throughline of this trip was how much the people we met focused on being excellent. From the shops to the restaurants to hotels — every single person was committed to creating an excellent experience for the person in front of them. My last newsletter before the trip was on this topic so maybe I was predisposed to look for that, but it really did blow me away.

2. Children everywhere! The city of Tokyo, and the mountains we skied, were so child-friendly. Every woman’s bathroom stall had a little baby seat in the corner so you could put a baby somewhere while using the restroom. Many of the stalls had kid toilet seats too. I saw SO many kids out and about — and the constant awareness of babies and kids running around made me realize that I need more kids in my life!! Nothing spurs wonder like having kids around and seeing our beautiful world through their eyes.

3. Mass. Usually, when my family travels, we attend Mass in the local language, but last week we ended up attending Mass in English, which was so good (none of us know much Japanese, so it would have been a tough one). The Mass was gorgeous, and at the end of it we all went outside to burn the palms for ashes and to “bury the Alleluia” — something I had never seen done before! I love being able to attend Mass anywhere in the world, it’s such a gift of our faith.

4. Skiing in Hakuba. After a few days in Tokyo, we took the train up to Hakuba and enjoyed four incredible days of skiing in the Hakuba Valley, which is a group of 10ish resorts that run across the mountain range. We experienced some of the most gorgeous views I’ve ever seen, and even spent a day zooming around in the backcounttry/off-piste. I’m so grateful to be a skier and to share this with my parents and brother! Also, this was the first ski trip where I used heated gloves + socks and it was life-changing.

5. Onsens. A big part of Japanese culture, especially in the mountains, is the “onsen.” Let me tell you that NOTHING felt better than coming in after a chilly day of skiing, taking a warm shower, and slipping into an outdoor onsen, or “hot bath.” These baths are nude, and you’re sharing the room with women and girls of all ages, nationalities, and body sizes. One of the things I realized through our experience is how good it probably is for young girls to see so many body shapes and sizes and types, and to be exposed from a young age. As a bath aficionado, I was a big fan of the onsen culture!

This was not the first time that Lent has begun while I’m on vacation, and it’s always a tricky balance to strike. On one hand, the things that I struggle with while on vacation are slightly different from the challenges of my daily life. Usually, I have a sense for what God might be asking me to do in the weeks leading up to Lent, but this year I had nothing. I asked and asked and prayed on it, but the Lord was very quiet. It wasn’t until the morning of Ash Wednesday that it hit me — and it is a good one, something so specific and personal that I couldn’t have come up with it on my own. It was especially (and quickly) humbling, as I failed at my new resolution about 10 times before 11 am that day. I think I’ll share more about my Lenten sacrifice after Easter, but overall I think this will be a Lent of “failing” quite a bit (see day 1 outcome above). However, I also noticed that while I may have failed 10 times, I stopped myself twice in that same time span. God willing, there is much growth to be had, and hopefully I’ll experience it through God’s grace! (This YouTube short perfectly summed up what I’m going for this Lent.)

One more thought on Lent — it feels like every Catholic media outlet/podcast/blog is offering a “program” or series this year — there are SO many to choose from, but it’s also okay to do none of them. I’m reminding myself that the purpose of Lent is to detach from myself and surrender to God, and it can be much more important (and difficult) for me to sit in silence with Him than to spend 30 minutes listening to a podcast or meditation. So this is your permission to release all of the expectations you may have around what Lent should “look like” and instead to stay attentive to what God is inviting you into. He has a much more complete picture of what we need and can handle right now, so let Him lead you in the perfect surrender for you this Lent.

Have a blessed week! Please pray for me (and my jetlag, writing this at 3:47 am on Sunday morning), I’m praying for you!

In Christ,

Jane

What I’m loving lately

Heated gloves and socks

I mentioned these above, but HOLY MOLEY I loved them so much! We charged the battery packs overnight, and my toes (perennially frozen while skiing) were so toasty and happy that I forgot they were there (a miracle when skiing).

Pope Leo’s Message for Lent hits

“I would like to invite you to a very practical and frequently unappreciated form of abstinence: that of refraining from words that offend and hurt our neighbor.”

Pope Leo XIV, Message for Lent 2026

God’s sense of humor

One of my best friends and I have younger brothers who are on the same collegiate lacrosse team this spring (!!!), which is truly the most hilarious and wild coincidence, and now our moms hang out at their games. The fact that I met this gal who grew up in Wisconsin at a run club in DC and we both have brothers at college in California at the same time on the same team… You cannot make this stuff up!! I was so overjoyed by this selfie our moms sent us. How freaking fun and funny. Go Bears!

What are your personal feast days?

My favorite rosary podcasters talked about the idea of “personal feast days” on the Ash Wednesday episode (so good, listen below), and I LOVED it. They commented that we celebrate feast days in the church to remember something good that God has done, and there’s no reason not to celebrate our own feast days as well. It was a good place for reflection — what are the most monumental things God has done in my life? I went back and found dates for a shortlist, and now I’ve added them to my calendar! It’s so important and good to remember God’s faithfulness, and this new practice is one I’m super excited about!

What restricts my love?

While I was struggling to figure out what to give up for Lent, I was listening to a podcast I love and Fr. Searby said: “It’s not about being more disciplined. The question is ‘What restricts my love?’” That question set the trajectory for my Lenten fast, and it’s a good thing to pray on!

Prayer intentions

• For Marissa and Finn’s new baby, born last week!

• For a special intention

A few weeks ago in Mass, we read the infamous story of David’s transgression — the one where David sees Bathsheba bathing on a roof, calls her to come see him, sleeps with her, and, when she becomes pregnant, has her husband Uriah killed in battle.

It’s not a great story. If you’re of my generation, you may have first encountered it as “King George and the Rubber Ducky” — the VeggieTales retelling in which David sees Uriah bathing with a rubber ducky and decides he wants it for his own. No matter how you water the tale down, it’s a grim one.

During Fr. Joe’s homily that day, he said something that has stuck with me since: David’s sin didn’t start with murder — it didn’t even start with the adultery. His first sin happened at the very beginning of the reading: “At the time of year when kings go out to battle… David stayed behind.”

God called David to be king, and part of the job of being king is leading your people into battle. Instead of doing his job, David stayed home. Maybe he was tired or afraid or just didn’t want to, but no matter his reason, David’s initial disobedience opened the door to everything that followed.

There’s one simple question David could have asked himself to prevent the fallout: Am I doing what God is asking me to do right now?

I think sometimes I get distracted or so far ahead of myself that I miss what God is inviting me to do in the present. I experienced this personally last week: I was traveling for work and traffic was worse than expected, so it was taking me a long time to get from one place to the next. I had the option to head to the airport and go home, or push my flight a few hours and finish my visits. The week before, I’d chosen to go home early, and something about it hadn’t sat right with me. It wasn’t wrong… it just didn’t feel excellent. So last week, with David on my mind, I changed my flight and stayed a few more hours to get my job done, well. And the fruit of that decision, which I felt the Holy Spirit invite me to make, was stronger relationships and a better outcome for our program.

Much like David, we are called to be present, to be excellent wherever God has us. And although He hasn’t called me to be king (yet ;) ), God has called me to specific work and a specific place right now. And I can trust that in that, He is calling me to be excellent — and providing me with every grace I need to respond well.

Where is God asking you to be excellent right now?

In Christ,

Jane

What I’m loving lately

Celebrating Tally!!

It was an absolute joy to celebrate the wedding of my friends Matt and Tally in Denver this weekend! Tally has always been such a light and encouragement to me, and from meeting so many of her friends this weekend, it was evident how well she points all of us to Jesus. Please pray for the Moys as they begin their next adventure together!

Wonder, noticing, and compliments

My beloved friend Alison completed a challenge last year in which she aimed to compliment one stranger every day. I thought that was such a lovely thing to do, and I’ve been trying to implement that in my own life. Over the past week, I’ve approached two of my Pilates coaches to thank them for teaching great classes, ran into my favorite YouTuber on the street and told her I loved her channel, and complimented a lady’s pink fur coat on the plane train. Each of these encounters spurred a fun conversation! I know how much it means when people reach out to thank me for something or share something that made them think of me, so I want to do more of that for others!

Obsessed with Olympics garb!!

These J Crew US Ski team sweaters are SO cute!! I love all of the brand partnerships around the Olympics — they are so much fun. I bet I would ski so fast if I had this hot quarter zip!!

He is trustworthy

I loved this reflection from “Pray More Novenas”:

The question isn’t, “Do I trust God?” The question is, “Is He trustworthy?”

Yes, the Lord is trustworthy. It is hard to understand His ways because sometimes He does draw us to the desert... But why? So we are more open to His love and His movement and His grace.

As Pope Benedict XVI said: “Are we not perhaps all afraid in some way? If we let Christ enter fully into our lives, if we open ourselves totally to Him, are we not afraid that He might take something away from us? Are we not perhaps afraid to give up something significant, something unique, something that makes life so beautiful? No! If we let Christ into our lives, we lose nothing, nothing, absolutely nothing of what makes life free, beautiful and great. Do not be afraid of Christ! He takes nothing away, and He gives you everything.”

In other words, He is trustworthy.

Stay at the center of the wheel

My best friend Erica shared this homily with me months ago, but I’ve been thinking about the image of life as a wheel, and about staying at the center of that wheel as things around us go up and down. A beautiful image to reflect on!

See you in two weeks!

I’m headed to Japan tomorrow, and the newsletter and I will be on vacation next week! Have a blessed Ash Wednesday and start to Lent, see you soon!

Prayer intentions

• For a special intention

• For a friend who’s grandmother is close to passing

• For safe travels this week

• For a friend who recently lost her job

We were walking out of a meeting last week when one of our most senior clients turned to the group and said, “Hey, everyone, it’s Joe’s birthday!” I gasped. Joe* is one of our closest working clients, and he (of course) had not shared this piece of trivia with us! We immediately placed a cupcake order to celebrate.

Later that afternoon, I was chatting with Joe and another of our clients, “I don’t understand!” I began. “You need to advocate for yourself — share your birthday, your wins, your exciting updates!”

“But why?” asked Joe.

“You have to let people love you!!” I responded exasperatedly. We all began to laugh, but I meant what I said! I think there is something really, really important about letting people love you — but people can’t show up or celebrate or support you if you don’t use your words. I can’t claim I’m perfect at this, but if I’ve gotten better at anything in the past few years, I do think that it’s been speaking up when I want (or need) a little celebration or support.

I’m not going to force everyone to become a “birthday person,” but I do think that everyone should get a little more comfy with letting people love them — and it’s hard to let people love you if you don’t give them the opportunity!! I am often blown away by how people want to show up for me or love me or celebrate me — until I stop and think about how much I love to do that for others, too!

“Don’t block your blessings” extends here — don’t block the love people want to send your way! How can you open yourself up to receive a little more love this week? And how can you take note of those around you and send love their way as well? What a fun little challenge!

In Christ,

Jane

*name changed, but you can still send him birthday wishes!

What I’m loving lately

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

12/10. So cute and good! I have 46 hours on planes in the next 20 days (!!), so I downloaded one of my favorite books of all time as a little treat: The Nightingale. I remember absolutely loving it about 10 years ago, so let’s see how it holds up to my memory!

“How’s your prayer been?”

This week I had two separate conversations with friends who straight up asked me “How’s your prayer been? What’s the Lord saying to you lately?” Those questions caught me slightly off guard, but they were quite welcome and led to lovely conversations about what God is doing in my life and theirs. It made me think about how often I used to have conversations like that in college (shoutout FOCUS and “how’s your heart?!”). A beautiful reminder of the gift of friendship and good conversations!

Obsessed w this shampoo

My friend Mary brought this Ouai shampoo to my favorite things party this year, and it’s truly the BEST. I love that I can travel with it, and it makes my hair smell so nice. Big fan!!

Lean into the cold

As mentioned above and below, it’s so cold right now in DC — and this year I took a page out of my book from last year which is to just lean into it! I cannot change the weather, and even though I’m sad I can’t spend as much time outside as I want to, there are good things about it being so cold: this weekend I sat in front of a roaring fire for days (shoutout to my father for coming into town and letting me load up his pickup with stacks of wood), made a 7-hour bolognese to host a dinner party, read on my couch, and went to a friend’s house for a fashion show after her trip to Paris (!!) It was a perfect, life-giving weekend — even though it mostly took place inside. What can you do this weekend in the cold to warm yourself up?!

Mittens changed my life

It’s unbelievably cold in DC right now, and I finally bought myself a pair of mittens! These Carhartt ones are amazing… I LOVE them! My hands are so warm they are sweating. A bonus is that when I wear my mittens, I can’t do anything with my hands because all of my fingers are stuck together — which means no walking and texting! So mittens mean that I get to experience more wonder as I wander!

Clothes out, clothes in!

My friend Amanda has an amazing way of shopping— she’s only allowed to buy new clothes with the money she makes babysitting or by selling her old clothes. I recently sold a Cuyana bag that had been sitting in my closet for years, and now I get to use the proceeds to buy the black Longchamp I’ve been eyeing for months!

This made me laugh

Restore the initiative to God

I loved this podcast episode — Fr. John Riccardo offers four steps to discernment in a way I’ve never heard them before. Listen to the whole thing because it’s awesome how he breaks it down, here are the questions I’m taking to prayer:

1. What name do you call me?

2. What is most holding me back from following You wholeheartedly?

3. What is the primary strategy of the enemy in my life?

4. Based on all that, what’s the single most important thing in my life right now? Where do you want me to attack? What’s most important right now?

Prayer intentions

• For my friend Raquel’s dad, Jason, who had a heart attack last week

• For the soul of my mom’s friend’s husband who passed away recently

Due to a wild “snow event” this weekend, the city of DC went into what could only be described as an “involuntary sabbath.” Walking outside on Sunday morning was surreal — the streets were empty, save for a few kids dragging sleds and tubes down the street to our local park with a perfect sledding hill. There were no cars or bikes out. Most of the stores and restaurants were closed. Whether people wanted to or not, it seemed like the entire city was saying to us, “Stay inside. Rest.”

I, like many others, had other plans for this past weekend. I had long been looking forward to a retreat on St. Therese, as well as a dinner with a friend from out of town. Last week, as the days ticked on, it became clear that those events (along with many others) were simply not going to happen. I was pretty bummed, but when I shared how my weekend had fallen apart with my mom, her response to me was “I can’t wait to see what God wants to do with this weekend!” And she was right! The cancelations were news to me, but God knew they were coming all along. Could I allow Him to work in the newly wide-open spaces of my weekend?

The swift change in plans meant that I was able to spend some unexpected quiet time wandering my beautiful city, which led to a few realizations of unexpected gifts. The first was a meditation: just six months ago, I was walking these sidewalks in a swimsuit and shorts, heading to the pool or the park to read in the sun. Now those same streets were piled with snow! Since moving to the East Coast, I’ve been captivated by the seasons — how physical and tangible they are, and how much they draw my heart to the spiritual seasons. Everything changes. As I walked, I felt overwhelmed with gratitude for all that has unfolded in the past six months: the people I’ve met who have had such a beautiful impact on my life, the places I’ve been able to go, and the work I’ve been able to do. And even as my little fingers were freezing off, the snow carried a hopeful reminder — it won’t be long before I’m sweating my way back to the pool again! Who knows what God will do in the space between now and then.

The second gift of the changed plans was a mini retreat - Since our retreat plans were dashed, my friend Marissa and I decided to do a little “mini retreat” instead. After breakfast at Union Market, we bopped up to the Basilica to enjoy mass and some quiet time in prayer. We read part of Story of a Soul and chatted about our reflections on St. Therese and her relationship with the Lord. It was beautiful to have that time, and even though it wasn’t a full weekend, I feel like the Lord was able to do a lot in those few hours that we gave Him on Saturday morning.

The third was that on Saturday night, I was able to enjoy a beautiful dinner with friends, and we wondered together at what the next day would hold!! And it was a joy to wake up on Sunday morning to mountains of snow on my street. The Archbishop gave us a dispensation for Mass, and the sidewalks were perilously piled with snow, so the only people who were at Mass at 11 a.m. on Sunday were the people who lived within a few blocks of the church. Our priests were out front, shoveling the stairs in a blizzard for their flock. I can’t tell you how cozy and romantic it was to walk up the steps of the cathedral, to be warm after being so cold in the snow!!

And a fourth (unexpected!!) gift was that my flight last night was delayed 4.5 hours, so I spent a lot of time in DCA. As I was (finally) walking to my gate, I met a group of gorgeous girls from Florida and a Servidora sister who had been in town this weekend, and were also quite delayed. We had the most joyful, fun conversation and it was exactly what I needed after a few frustrating hours in the airport.

I don’t love having my plans altered or changed or canceled — but whenever it happens, it reminds me that I am not in control, which is a very good thing. God’s ideas area always better than my own! He knew that I needed a little “forced sabbath” — and while I’m not claiming that’s why He allowed all the snow, I do think that many of us need a little rest and wonder. Yesterday morning, we served a very small group of guests at our weekly free breakfast, and each of them remarked to me “It’s so beautiful outside!” A good good reminder to wonder.

If you experienced the snow this weekend, I hope that you are all warm and everything is safe, and that you, too, were able to enjoy a break from your normal busy life! What a good reminder that we are invited (commanded!!) to rest, and that Sundays like this could be the norm if we allowed the Lord to truly shape and own our Sabbaths. That’s most definitely a good resolution for the new year, and one I need to fight to live!!

In Christ,

Jane

What I’m loving lately

It’s Saie Season

When it’s cold and sad, and my skin is pale, nothing makes me feel happier or warmer than my beloved Saie super glowy gel!! It’s my favorite product to mix into my foundation or moisturizer for a true warm glow. I go all the way to the warmest “Sunglow” shade to really get a nice pick-me-up.

Hold the Father’s hand!

Three times this week, I heard encouragement to “hold fast to God’s hand,” and so I think it was something He clearly wanted me to hear — and maybe you, too!

1. First, a quote from St. Francis de Sales: “Imitate a little child, whom one sees holding tight with one hand to its father, while with the other it gathers strawberries or blackberries from the wayside hedge. Even so, while you gather and use this world’s goods with one hand, always let the other be fast in your Heavenly Father’s Hand, and look round from time to time to make sure that He is satisfied with what you are doing, at home or abroad.”

2. Second, in Sunday’s Jesus Calling: “Hold My hand in childlike trust, and the way before you will open up step by step.”

3. Third, in one of my favorite books, “Into Your Hands, Father”:

C.S. Lewis’ wisdom

Aim at Heaven and you will get earth “thrown in”: aim at earth and you will get neither.

Murder on the Orient Express

I loved it. That’s all! A perfect little quick read mystery. Next up: Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey.

God’s first favorite

Spending time with St. Therese this weekend reminded me that she was the original “God’s favorite.” Her boldness in prayer and trust in the Lord led to incredible gifts in her life and the lives of those around her. I so recommend Story of a Soul if you need a little reminder of how much God loves you and wants to delight you!! I asked her for roses this week, and barely four hours later, I received my favorite (white roses!!) from a friend to celebrate a recent milestone — so Therese is always listening!!

Achiness and messiness

I do not spend much time on the interwebs because I get very easily overwhelmed by dark and violent news, but it’s been a hard and heavy week. I’m grateful for Claire and for many others who talk and write about the dignity of life and the importance of standing up for truth and goodness. I also loved this reflection: “Catholics don’t get to sit this one out.” Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Pray for us.

Prayer intentions

• For those outside in the inclement weather

This weekend, I gathered with friends for our second annual “vision board” party. We started in a prayer and guided meditation, then got to cutting up magazines and Magnificats (I save them all year to include scripture on our boards!), eagerly sharing with one another the images and themes we were finding as we pieced them together.

It was of course fun to do arts and crafts, but what was even more exciting was hearing and sharing about how God has moved in our lives over the past year. 2025 was a wild year (as I’ve written about before) and approximately zero of the things that happened were on my vision board. That was the consensus around the table — so many good (and growing) things happened in 2025 and most were unexpected!

On one hand, that could be discouraging — Why make a vision board if nothing on it is going to happen? But on the other hand, it’s exciting — Who knows what God is up to, or what He’s going to do with what I offer Him? Twenty days into 2026 I’ve already been surprised across the board (no pun intended) by what He’s done.

What I love so much about the vision board party is that everyone is so different. Each of us is drawn to unique ideas, dreams, and goals. Sure — we are friends so obviously we have a lot in common. But the variety in the boards was so beautiful to see.

Although cutting up magazines and passing pages to the friend who we think will love them can feel kind of silly, it’s a reminder that our desires are not silly to God. He delights in us! The images on my board come from my heart — they’re things I love or aspire to have more of this year. And because He loves me, and cares so much about me, God uses those very desires to delight me and to draw me closer to Him.

A friend shared this Tim Keller sermon with me this weekend, in which he discusses whether or not we actually have free will. Do our decisions matter? I think they do. And I think that, no matter what’s on your heart and mind for 2026, God wants us to embrace our (good) desires and pursue them with courage and hope.

My boards for 2025 and 2026 ended up looking quite different from one another — both filled with good things, but ultimately all of the good things on my board point to the ultimate Good — the One who created everything out of love for us.

He makes all things new… and who knows what is in store?!

In Christ,

Jane

What I’m loving lately

Much Ado about Nothing

This weekend, I went to a “salon” party where we did a dramatic reading of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. A few weeks ago, I saw something that said we should try and do more of what we loved at the age of 12, before we started caring about what people thought of us. I was a big theater girl at 12, so when I received this invitation I was delighted! It was so, so fun, and I only knew a couple of the people there so I made new friends! Such a lovely reminder that we can always do new things.

Seven Dials on Netflix

I loved this. Three episodes is perfect length of show for me, and I laid on my couch and watched it as the snow fell outside my window. Ideal afternoon!

Admin morning

I had some girlfriends over this weekend to do an “admin morning” and we sat in front of my fireplace and checked things off our to do lists. Highly recommend!

A little walk and hygge

I went for a walk through Georgetown on Saturday morning and it started snowing on me and I was listening to some jazzy Raye and it was a moment of presence and wonder. Last year I got really into hygge (see here) and this year I’ve been trying to spend time outside in the cold because it really does make a warm cozy apartment SO much sweeter!

Prayer intentions

• For a few friends’ birthdays this week!

• For a special intention