Author Archives: Holly Gustafson

I’m currently reading Gaudete et exsultate, Pope Francis’ newest apostolic exhortation, which addresses “the call to holiness in today’s world”. What I like most about his writing is the fresh, simple and pragmatic way he addresses heavy theological topics, like … Continue reading →

There are four hindrances to diligence (we’ve already talked about the first three: being preoccupied, being hasty, and being anxious) that, if we think about it, might also be seen as hindrances to making the most of our summer! The … Continue reading →

In Part 1 of What Not to Do This Summer, we learned to not be preoccupied, and give ourselves fully to the present moment. In Part 2, we learned to not be hasty, to allow summer to slow us down. … Continue reading →

In Part 1 of What Not to Do This Summer, I suggested that the four hindrances to the virtue of diligence paralleled, strangely enough, things to avoid in order to have a joy-filled summer! St. Francis de Sales taught us … Continue reading →

A few years ago I stumbled upon a book called A Year With the Saints, and instead of reading it cover to cover, I pick it up every once in a while and read one of the twelve chapters, each … Continue reading →

Up until last weekend, it had been a long time since our family had taken a trip together. In 2012, we had collected enough points to fly our entire family of seven to Europe for two weeks, where we stayed … Continue reading →

For quite some time, my husband and I have considered ourselves “minimalists”. We make weekly trips to second-hand depots where we pass on things we once thought we needed. We second- and third-guess our purchases, asking ourselves and each other … Continue reading →

I love taking my daughter to her fiddle lessons. They’re held in an old two-story house downtown, each room of the house having been converted into an instruction space for a different instrument. Guitar lessons are at the back of … Continue reading →

I might be the only person who loves Mondays — in fact, it’s my favorite day of the week. Now that all my kids are in school, it’s the day I get to take the house back from the chaos … Continue reading →

Over the past few years, our family has been exploring my husband’s Swedish roots. We’ve mastered making Swedish meatballs and the pantry is always stocked with lingonberry jam from IKEA. We’ve tried to incorporate Swedish traditions into our family celebrations, … Continue reading →