Single Mom Smiling | Arming Warriors in the Battle for Marriage & Family

Holidays can be rough.  The divorced, single parents and their children, the estranged, and all those suffering from attacks on Marriage and family can feel confused and defeated seeing others celebrate, but Easter offers hope! Jesus's Resurrection shows that life is possible after death. He shows us that, when we believe in Him, new life can begin. In today's episode, we explore what that looks l...

Pain is part of life. It is often unavoidable and inescapable. Our choice usually lies only in what we choose to do with that pain. While many suffer, others will choose to sacrifice as Our Lord invites us to do. As we enter the holiest three days of the year, you are invited to unite with Jesus at the foot of the Cross in sacrifice. When your suffering becomes sacrifice, your struggle becomes red...

In today's episode, we'll look at a question a client asked. It's one I've asked too: Why don't people don't speak out when evil happens? Throughout history we've seen "good" people turn from what is right to normalize what is evil. While death tolls vary greatly, Nazi Germany, abortion, and covid protocols are all examples of evil where victims feel unseen.  No fault divorce is another accepted e...

How many times have you wanted to quit something important?  Do any of these describe where you are or have been? Stuck in a struggling Marriage and see no reason to go on Exhausted by solo parenting Tired by your own parent's harping on you Simply ready for Lent to end so you can go back to your sweets. Maybe you've thought of throwing in the towel and walking away from it all. While it can be un...

If the devil used tactics like shock and awe, we would see him coming a mile away and avoid him like the plague. Instead, he is wily and takes out his epic fury against Our Lord and His children in more subtle ways. In today's episode, we look at what has been called the devil's greatest trick and what that may look like in us. The enemy's tactics are not new, but they are ones we repeatedly fall...

Do you struggle with loving yourself? If you're feeling lonely or wishing you had better relationships, self love may be the first step you are missing. While it sounds strange, loving yourself can be very difficult. If you've been through trauma, such as abuse, abandonment, or neglect, feeling worthy of any kind of love can seem like a foreign concept, but difficulties surrounding self love are n...

This is the first episode Single Mom Smiling formally begins addressing the war on Biblical Marriage and family. I recorded this episode four times before realizing why I was so unhappy with my work. Then, sitting in front of the Tabernacle, I realized what I was doing wrong and felt God reveal what I was missing. It was so obvious! Today, I read straight from the journal entry I wrote while sitti...

Being a single mom is hard enough without adding additional sacrifice in, yet that is what we are told to do during Lent. In this Ash Wednesday episode, women's resilience coach Kerri Bishop explains the three facets of Lent as prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Then she explains why it is good for those with hard lives to choose suffering during this sacred season. Don't forget to download the Belo...

If you've ever felt anger as a single mom, you are not alone. While anger may be a very valid emotion when your ex treats you badly, when the courts rule unjustly, and when you are simply exhausted and run down, anger is not healthy for you or your children. Jesus compares anger to killing someone and clearly tells us we must overcome anger. In today's episode, I look at what Jesus tells us about...

Why does today's society so often get marriage wrong when so many early Christian cultures got it right? Marriage and family are not just cultural institutions. They are spiritual battlegrounds. In this Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes/Marian Consecration episode, we look at on overlooked cause for so many marriages struggling today. Could it be that the deeper issue is not solely about misunderstandi...

Did your spouse tell you he'd love you forever and then leave? Do you now have a hard time figuring out who you are after you've been cheated on or abandoned? If so, you are not alone! When two flesh become one and then get torn apart, learning to stand on your own again can seem impossible and is without this one thing. But there is hope! If you can build this through your trials, you will rebuil...

Why do women, and those who love them, show up at the March for Life? Not for one reason, but for many, often deeply personal reasons. In this episode, I walk the March for Life and chat with other marchers. In mostly short clips, you’ll hear from people whose paths look nothing alike - bikers, students, religious sisters, researchers, and young women. Yet all are there because they care about wom...

If you've ever faced hardship and wondered where God was or how Jesus expects you to handle what you are going through, the Beatitudes assure you God knows how hard this life can be.  He also knows the path to perfection and peace lies in living, not as the world tells you, but counter culturally through the poetically beautiful but so difficult to live out Beatitudes.  Jesus teaches the Beatitude...

As a single mom who has been through abandonment while pregnant, I understand the confusion, doubt, overwhelm, exhaustion, loneliness, and terror of having a baby alone. I also promise you the Blessings are too numerous to list! If you're not sure if anyone will stand by you and support you during your crisis pregnancy, the people who attended the March for Life in Washington DC may change your mi...

If you've ever said something you regretted in the heat of an argument, you are not alone! In today's episode, women's life coach Kerri Bishop looks at what Jesus did when He got upsetting news and how you can do the same.  Learn to regulate your nervous system, calm your fight, flight, or freeze response, and bring your amygdala back on track in life's difficult moments by following Jesus's wise...

If you are pregnant and unsure, afraid, overwhelmed, and questioning whether you are capable of becoming a mother, I know what you're feeling.  I felt the same way when I found out my husband was leaving me pregnant, alone, broke, and broken with baby #5!  In today’s conversation, I talk honestly about crisis and unplanned pregnancy and the good that comes of it with faith, truth, and dignity. I k...

Many single moms have dreams of what motherhood will look like. We dream of the kind of moms we will be, the time we will share with our kids, the love we will give them, the fathers they will have. When life doesn't turn out the way we plan and we don't have the picture perfect, social media version of Catholic/Christian families, it is easy to feel like failures or to think our kids are not gett...

Have you ever wondered if you're the only one who has experienced divorce trauma? In today's episode, you'll learn you are not alone. Unwanted divorce causes a unique pain that can seem debilitating.  But there is hope! Today, I'll give you 10 things you can do right now to overcome the pain of unwanted divorce and begin rebuilding a better, happier life for you and your children. Don't forget to...

If you've suffered rejection and the breaking down of plans you thought were solid and Blessed by God, you are not alone! The Baptism of Jesus shows how different God's plans are from ours. John surely did not consider Baptizing His Lord, but when Jesus showed up, John acted as he was told.  And the world was changed.  If you are have ever been afraid of making a mistake, you may know how paralyzi...

Did the start of the New Year take you by surprise? Even though we know it's coming, sometimes so much holiday joy and stress make the flip of the calendar sneak up on us. And we think we miss the opportunity to make those resolutions or set new goals. But, if you haven't made New Year resolutions yet, now is the perfect time to make plans and set new goals.  Today's episode will explain why! Don'...

What do you have to offer to God? The Magi came bearing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. These were gifts fit for royalty, but in truth, Jesus needed none of them.  He needs nothing, but He asks you to bring Him everything you've got - that includes all your tears, sorrows, heartbreak, loneliness - all your wounds, and pain. But so often, we hold onto our pain.  In today's episode, we look...

Have you ever set goals for the New Year only to have them flop quickly? Maybe you went into the new year knowing before it started that you would fail to keep your goals. When we try to change on our own, by white-knuckling through, you rarely make lasting change.  Instead, God tells you to turn to Him and let Him change you! In fact, historically, He changes people so drastically, He even change...

The Holy Family offers a model of ideal family life lived under less than ideal circumstances. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph offer the best earthly reflection of the Trinity and the the divine nature of the family. If you are living in a less than ideal (to put it mildly) family situation, take heart! You can still live out the divine calling in your family. Today's episode shows you how. Don't forget t...

No matter whether you have your kids or not this Christmas, this beautiful day can be difficult for single moms. Find hope and ways to combat holiday sadness in today's episode.  And don't forget to join Single Mom Strong for support, encouragement, and accompaniment from Christmas Eve through New Year's Day.  God Bless... Kerri In This Episode: This is your last chance to join Silent Night Strong...

If you're feeling alone this Christmas, you become a target for demons and also for your own negative thoughts. This can spiral toward despair. Having a battle plan, with Mary as our role model, can help combat darkness and issue in the peace of Christmas. I've been there and hope you find this helpful. I would also love to see you join us in Silent Night Strong as we move from Christmas Eve throu...