Hockey rink to growing in virtue
I never imagined that my journey to write Just Keep Growing would start in a freezing cold hockey rink. But that’s exactly where God planted the seed.
It was my first time signing one of my kids up for a travel sport—a decision I held off for as long as possible because, let’s be honest, travel sports are expensive and time-consuming. But my son had outgrown the developmental stage of hockey and needed something more competitive. So, we took the leap.
What I didn’t expect was how overwhelming it would feel. The speed of the game, the rules he didn’t know yet, and yes—the numerous times the kid in the penalty box was, you guessed it, mine. In one of his first games, my son got a 10-minute penalty. Ten minutes! The refs didn’t care that it was all new to him, of course. And as I sat there watching, I couldn’t help but feel like my money was flying out the window. Why was I paying to watch my son sit in a box?
The penalties kept coming until he learned to manage the speed and the rules. Meanwhile, I was traveling long distances, sitting alone in cold rinks since I didn’t know any of the parents, and watching a team that didn’t win many games. Add to that the crowds—oh, the crowds! The aggression from parents was unlike anything I’d ever seen in kids’ sports. Swearing at refs, criticizing their own kids, even shouting at other adults. It was really hard to sit through.
I wasn’t conditioned for this. I needed peace.
So, I started bringing to games a notebook, pen, and Scriptural Rosary books I’d had for years—books filled with Bible passages that I found helped my emotional and mental health. I started writing down verses about peace. When a parent yelled because of something my son did, I wrote down verses about patience. When we lost game after game, I wrote down verses about perseverance. When I worried that my son would get badly injured, I looked for verses on trust to ease my mind.
God speaks powerfully through His Word. I’d look over my pages and, similar to lectio divina, notice a verse that resonated deeply with me, and I’d sit with it for a while, asking God what He wanted me to gain from reflecting on it. That’s how growing in virtue began for me.
Soon, I noticed the need for virtues everywhere—in my marriage and family life, at work, when driving, while waiting for test results (does anyone else have MyChart anxiety?), and even dealing with a heavy blow of legal injustice. Life is full of moments that stretch us, and some that even oppress us. My notebook filled up at hockey games and everywhere else I needed virtues, and several years later, I realized the resource I was using for myself could help other women too. So a 21-Day Virtue Challenge began, a journal was published, and now I’m on a mission to help women the way God has helped me…
Be better. Practice virtue.
Sign up for our mailing list to learn more about Virtue Health: