Wisdom and Courage
Followup show notes, thoughts, and links
It is with an optimistic heart that I smash up two recent podcasts for this quick show notes followup. The reality of course being that with the next podcast release eminent, I find myself far behind schedule with my Substack intentions. If you don’t subscribe to Parenting Smarts Podcast yet, you really must because you can not rely on my little promotions pieces to keep you up to speed. But I will start by saying that if you are here just for the promised links, you can find those below.
That being said, Wisdom and Courage really do have much in common, so they make a good pair. For Parenting Smarts Podcast, I had the recent joy of interviewing two amazing people who share a love of the Lord (but that is about all!). Father Will is a priest in our diocese and he works/lives with seminarians, walking with them and guiding them through this stage of life. He was the perfect guest to talk about wisdom as he daily is guided by the holy spirit in providing direction for a dozen or so young men. My mom (!) was our other guest, speaking on courage. I was a little embarrassed about having over 100 episodes before I asked her to be a guest, but as she said lovingly but some what sarcastically “what’s the hurry?”
Courage. Episode 114. I super loved my conversation with my mom where she share about the opportunities life has given her to show courage in her marriage and family life. Little backstory: Shortly after being married (at ages 20 and 21), my father came home from a meeting at the college where he was working on a Masters in Agriculture. He was excited because they had been introduced to the PeaceCorps, and my Dad wanted to go. Of course this would mean BOTH of them would go. My mom was at the time working as an ICU nurse having recently graduated from the university herself. As the Lord would have it, these two newlyweds soon found themselves living in rural Iran, in a dirt floor hut, with no electricity and no plumbing. It boggles my mind how the two of them found the courage to step into that life and say YES in a radical way and begin their life together in such conditions.
This experience gave them the footing to later say yes to an assignment in rural Senegal, with 2 children in tow –very pregnant with number three. And then later multiple assignments on the Hopi and Apache Tribal lands. In short, I didn’t live in a city until I was writing in cursive, memorizing times tables, and reading chapter books. My parents lived with courage, not just in their early years, but through all of life. The prayer my mom recites at the end of the episode is the Halverson (not Halverton) Benediction:
You go nowhere by accident.
Wherever you go, God is sending you.
Wherever you are, God has put you there.
God has a purpose in your being there.
Christ lives in you and has something he wants to do through you where you are.
Believe this and go in the grace and love and power of Jesus Christ.
And truly this sums up their hearts orientation as they step into life with real courage. Wherever you find yourself, the Lord has either willed or allowed. You are exactly where you need to be for your own sanctification. Cooperate with His grace and step into the challenge with the Lord by your side. This was the orientation I grew up with. Every struggle was a chance to “build character”, and I truly hope Bob and I are able to pass on this attitude of emotional and spiritual resilience to our children as well. My very personal conversation with my mom is complimented by a more theological conversation with Father Will…
Wisdom. Episode 115. Father Will is a scholar for sure, yet he talks not just about wisdom but about virtue itself in such a clear way. He is able to talk about philosophers and drug dealers all in the same episode which is hilarious. One of the guiding questions he poses to us is “What does this have to do with eternity?”. It is such a grounding question that can keep us centered on the Lord and perhaps peaceful when we begin to loose our focus.
I also really appreciated his guidance towards the end of the episode:
Resist the temptation to think we have it all figured out. Learn from your mistakes. What went wrong? Where did it go wrong? What could I have done differently?
I know in the face of anything less than stellar performance, I tend to want to simply gloss over it and move to the next thing. But there is so much growth that comes from taking a minute or two and really pondering prayerfully what went wrong. Humility is found in those moments, as is the way to simply being better next time!
So until next time, may God bless you all abundantly on your parenting journey.
Links:
September 26-27, 2025 *Faithful Foundations: Empowering Catholic Parents* Retreat in Spokane, WA. Elevate your parenting during this 24 hours together at the Immaculate Heart Retreat Center. This isn’t a marriage retreat or a couples therapy weekend; It’s an intense, focused experience tailored for parents who want to grow and thrive in their parenting journey, whether co-parenting or navigating it on their own. Strengthen your domestic church and enhance your approach to parenting in just 24 hours. We will all stay together at the retreat center so space is limited - Register here today!
What Does God Want: A practical guide to making decisions by Father Michael Scanlan. This is an excellent book on discernment –vocational and otherwise! Both Father Will and I have read it and highly recommend it. This is the book that outlines the 5C’s we talked about in the episode on wisdom.
Daughter by Design: Discovering your identity as God’s beloved daughter. I know you all know about the book, but it is a great graduation gift for that sweet young woman graduating from High School or College, and it makes a wonderful Mother’s Day gift as well. If you already have your copy, I would be so thankful for a review on Amazon!