Sweet Surprises
Surprises can be so good. An unexpected piece of mail or phone call from someone you love, the timing of the birth of a baby, Jesus’ disciples finding His tomb empty on Easter morning, or 50 teenagers showing up in your backyard to sing a concert. That last one really...
Clarity Through the Haze
Lent—a time set aside to help us reflect, pause and grow in silence, to deepen our relationship with Christ. Sometimes I wish the rest of the world would get the memo and cooperate with my selfish desire to have 40 days to be a hermit, and come out a better person. As...
The Impact of Presence
At Maggie’s Place, we are blessed each and every day with so many gifts. Some of them are tangible and address basic physical needs such as laundry detergent, groceries or printer ink; while others are intangible acts of goodwill—prayers from the community, kind...
A Time of Sacrifice
Often times, I feel like I get caught up in the “me” side of things when it comes to Lent. What’s the easiest thing for me to give up? What’s going to hurt the least and put me out as little as possible? When I was a kid, I remember giving up chocolate milk at lunch...
Not Just a Game
I have found that people are extremely curious about my life at Maggie’s Place; what I do, how I do it and why. Every conversation, even with my family, turns into a discussion panel—me standing up there alone explaining, re-explaining and defending my work. Things...
Confronting Life Together with Love
Recently I was vacationing in Flagstaff with a friend, where we decided to stay in a hostel for the night. As we checked in and milled around the common room, people started asking us the normal get-to-know-you questions. Being a MissionCorps member at Maggie’s Place,...
2nd Annual Wine and Dine Maggie’s Place Ohio Benefit
The Zechariah House in Cleveland, OH celebrated Valentine's Day in style by welcoming 73 guests to the College Club on February 13th, for the "2nd Annual Wine & Dine for Maggie's Place" benefit. Mia Bella Restaurant, a two-time "Best of Little Italy" award winner...
Serving Through Brokenness
It doesn't take a big heart to serve, just a broken one. The longer I have been at Maggie’s Place, the more convinced I am of the truth of this statement. It is our humanness that allows the community at our homes to flourish. Just last week I was downtown helping a...
What Only a Mother Would Know
Do you ever wonder what it’s like to be pregnant? Well, I can’t speak from experience, but I do happen to know quite a few women who can shed some light on being pregnant—and often do. From what I’ve experienced at Maggie’s Place, I could answer that it’s looking...
Reflections
A MissionCorps member reflects on her time of service with Maggie's Place. It’s impossible to merely ‘sum up’ the last year and a half of living and serving in this truly blessed ministry, where God's love abounds and every day is so full of life, unconditional love,...
The Maggie’s Place Experience
Maggie’s Place is an unrepeatable experience. It is a kaleidoscope of every human struggle, and every human joy. We celebrate the beginning of life as we welcome brand new human beings into this world. We dream together about their futures. We pray that they can find...
Fall 2013 Becky Most Scholarship Winners
After a detailed application and interview process, Maggie’s Place selected the recipients of the Becky Most Scholarship Fund who will receive $500 to $1,000 scholarships. Congratulations again to our winners! Please read more about the recipients below. The Becky...
A Merry Christmas for Maggie’s Place Families
Christmas is one of our favorite times of the year at Maggie’s Place – when we remember the birth of a child who would bring hope to the world. Each year, we realize how big our community is growing at our annual Christmas party. Hundreds of Maggie’s Place current...
The Heart Matters
I distinctly recall a moment at Maggie’s Place when I said to a staff member, “tell me the secret of Maggie’s Place.” The executive director and co-founder at the time responded with a single word, “love.” To a certain extent, one could say the words heart and love...
Wait with Hope
It’s already Advent, and we are just a few weeks away from one of the biggest days of the year. At Maggie’s Place, we’ve been preparing for Christmas since July. It is a busy, but beautiful time of year where we gather to celebrate not only our Maggie’s Place...
Because God Loves Them
I read a story a few months ago (here) that has really struck a strong chord with me. It is basically about a girl who helps out her neighbor in a pinch. Her neighbor is going through drug rehab, has a toddler, and was in a dark place in life. I mean, really,...
Life in Community
“We have all known the long loneliness and we have learned that the only solution is love and that love comes with community.” – Dorothy Day When I was thinking about coming to serve at Maggie’s Place, one of the aspects that appealed to me most was the community...
Planting Seeds
"Patience is a virtue." I, like many others, grew up hearing this phrase as a catch-all for whenever I was antsy, in a rush, or simply wanting instant gratification. I never really questioned it, taking to heart that patience was indeed a virtue, one that I did not...
Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!
It was quite the menagerie that showed up to the Maggie’s Place Halloween Party this past weekend. Current and alumnae moms, staff, MissionCorps, and of course lots of extra cute, extra chubby, extra energetic kids dressed in their Halloween best came together to do...
You Can’t Spell Delicious Without Lamb!
On a recent jaunt to one of the Maggie’s Place homes, I took a moment to toss some donations into the St. Vincent DePaul donation bin. When you spend much of your day in an office, a little physical labor can be quite refreshing! After the moment of donation bin...