When not driving around searching for new park benches, I am passionate about tea, reading (shout out to my book club sisters!), digital journaling, vacationing with family, hiking (an excellent way to discover park benches), and organizing and editing the thousands of photos and videos I have accumulated through the decades.

My husband and I currently call the Twin Cities area home with Willow, the cat, who helps quell the empty nest syndrome. We have three adult children and one son-in-law, all busy creating amazing lives of their own.

Disclaimer: I do not have any prestigious degrees in theology or have a background in such. I am by no means an expert in prayer or divinity. The most I’ve accomplished is a handful of short courses at church, the Bible in a Year podcast, and Pillars: A Journey through the Catechism of the Catholic Church through The Saint Paul Seminary’s Catechetical Institute. I am a very ordinary, very imperfect person simply embracing my own faith journey. Interestingly, I can see a clear sequence of events tracing back to Advent 2022 that have led me to launching a website in May 2026. Somehow I manage (albeit sometimes reluctantly) to keep saying “yes” to the promptings of the Holy Spirit and, well, here we are.

~Valerie