THE MARRIED LIFE In marriage, each spouse’s unique personality and temperament contributes to the richness of the relationship, but these differences can also be a source of irritation. In our house, arriving at an event “on time” means arriving early to my husband; not so to me. The pandemic can highlight these natural differences between […]
Mary Duddy: Thank God for small miracles
THE MARRIED LIFE Our grandson Elijah’s last request before he started third grade this year was to go fishing. Not like in Aunt Dorothy’s backyard canal where you catch small kine and throw them back. He wanted to catch a fish you could take home and eat. His Papa (father) assured him that if he […]
Mary Duddy: The good with the bad
THE MARRIED LIFE My mother wrote poems, mostly about the family. They were insightful and funny: Grab a chair and sit down dear, While I tell you of our trip up here. Hot, hot, hot as it could be Tempers flared — I’m speaking of me, Ten back seat drivers shouting at Phil, It’s a […]
Treasuring the elderly during this pandemic
THE MARRIED LIFE By Mary Duddy During this pandemic the plight of our most vulnerable elderly has come to the fore. Some are in nursing homes; others are in family homes; all are precious in God’s eyes. I admire and honor those who give of themselves to care for these beloved ones. Many come to […]
Mary Duddy: Peace in a pandemic
THE MARRIED LIFE During the coronavirus pandemic many people are taxed in ways they didn’t expect. I especially have compassion for young families who have extra duties thrust upon them such as working from home and social distance learning for their children. We decided early on that our youngest daughter and her family were considered […]
Mary Duddy: Family prayer
THE MARRIED LIFE “The family that prays together, stays together.” Let’s take this wisdom to heart. When our children were little we had family prayer every night after dinner. It usually involved a Bible story, appropriate for children, maybe a song, some thank you prayers and some petitions. Children’s prayers are so without guile. Children […]
Mary Duddy: Humor at the dinner table
THE MARRIED LIFE My mom used to say it was the Lord’s sense of humor that she had to cook for a large family since she never liked to cook. She had the one-hour rule for dinner. That is, it had to take one hour or less to prepare. She didn’t want to spend all […]
Mary Duddy: Expectations
THE MARRIED LIFE We all enter marriage with unconscious expectations of what our spouse should be like based on our past experiences. A man may expect the admirable traits that his mother has, while a woman may emulate certain traits of her father. On the other hand, if the parents were not good role models, […]
Mary Duddy: Marrying Tom or the military?
THE MARRIED LIFE The bishop where I worked in North Carolina wanted to talk to me about my recent engagement to Tom. He had never met Tom, but he had a sister who married someone in the military and she experienced many hardships. Knowing that Tom was in the Navy and what that lifestyle might […]
Mary (and Tom) Duddy: Whole Foods reminders and hurts
THE MARRIED LIFE “As the hind longs for the running water, so my soul longs for you O God!” (Psalms 42:2) Mary: “Stop!” Tom said, and he pointed to a deer in the forest coming slowly toward us, with its mate not far behind. The deer came so close we could probably have reached out […]