Faith, Overwhelming Support Gives Family Hope
Published September 2003 in The Messenger,
The Newspaper of the Belleville Catholic Diocese
He plays with his brothers – Jack and Joey – attends first grade, sits in the pew next to his parents each Sunday and goes about life as most –year olds do, but J.D. Maher is not your average –year old child.
His name is on numerous prayer lists, including several in diocese. His grandmother, Althea, who lives in Arkansas, sends mailings to national prayer groups to pray for her grandson who is in desperate need of a liver transplant. Read more »
Not Just Another Number
While working on writing assignments for the upcoming English composition class I’m teaching this fall, I came across a writing prompt that I found peculiar, yet intriguing. Former students of mine can attest to the fact that the more peculiar I find something, the more I want to explore it.
So, my exploring begins. The prompt read: “How old would you be if you didn’t know your real age?”
Don’t worry. I’m not going to bore you with a cliché-ish response such as “You are only as old as you feel.” That’s crap. You know why? Read more »
Gardening at its Best
Let’s face it: We all want lush green lawns with lively plants and flowers blooming 365 days a year. It sounds simple,
Goldfish Pair Garden Fountain
but realistically, it is not easy for everyone. However, there is a trick to the trade that many people overlook – the use of fountains.
Not only do fountains spruce up the life around it, they add a sensational look and feel to existing gardens or areas in the lawn that are not quite up to par. The use of fountain landscaping is not a new craze; in fact, it is quite a traditional practice that has gained a renewed sense of popularity in the past few years. Talented manufacturers are also making it hard to resist the designs.
A simple search online will provide a variety of results for water, outdoor, indoor, wall, and garden fountains combined with unique, custom made statues as well. The recommended site is PlazaFountains.com, though. This online distributor features designs from well-known manufacturers, such as Henri Studios, Campania, Hunter Kenroy, and Adagio.
If you’re not familiar with the names, don’t worry – the designs speak for themselves. From resin fountains to brass creations sculptured in tiers or as a stand alone, these constructions will surely highlight the lawn.
So, if you’re concerned about producing the type of garden found at established garden museums, consider cheating a little with a fountain or statue that will catch the eye and shadow over the wilting buds that have plagued wanna-be green thumbs for years.
For more information about Plaza Fountains, browse PlazaFountains.com or contact a fountain consultant at 1-800-609-1650. As a premier distributor of fountain and statue products, Plaza Fountains is committed to providing quality, creative, and durable pieces of art to residential and commercial customers.
Keyword Article for PlazaFountains.com, July 2008
- Shannon Philpott
Reminiscing with Chocolate Pudding
Tossing a baseball around in the yard with your dad, baking cookies with mom, playing dolls with your sisters – all great childhood memories, just not ones I remember.
Granted, these events probably took place in my life; however, for some reason or another, I’ve managed to block out majority of my childhood. From what I remember, I was a normal child living in a two-parent home until my teenage years; however, the memories of “good times” prior to my parent’s divorce rarely emerge anymore.
Tonight, though, something emerged on its own and for the first time in a long time, I missed being a child – a time when life was simple and the lessons learned involved chocolate pudding. Read more »
Procrastination Kills Confidence
Two weeks ago, I bought a gallon of light brown paint with every intention to paint one living room wall. I had an 
entire week without distractions; the kids were gone, the dog was taken care of, and my workload was minimal.
However, two weeks later, the paint sits staring at me, patiently, alongside its tray, brush, roller, and tape. Every so often, I glance at it, tucked away in the corner and think, “Yeah, I should really finish what I started,” but I don’t. It sits still, forming clumps in formation, waiting for me to stop procrastinating and give it a little stir.
As a journalist, procrastination is an evil trait. Once the excitement of gathering facts, interviews, notes, and observations dwindles, procrastination often sets in. The only thing left to do? Write the damn story. But, the notes sit, the voice recordings sit, and my potential lead and nut graph float in my brain for a few days. I rationalize this by telling myself that I’m just “developing the angle” or “perfecting the outline in my mind,” but I’m lying to myself – I’m just procrastinating. Read more »
A Family’s Journey of Life and Death Tests, Strengthens Faith
Published December 2004 in The Messenger,
The Newspaper of the Belleville Catholic Diocese
Every night, Jamie Detmer clutches a teddy bear as she sleeps. A recorder inside the bear allows her to hear the heartbeat of her baby who died suddenly this summer.
The crib is packed away in the basement and the baby clothes are no longer hanging in the closet – yet the teddy bear remains. Read more »
Weathering the Storm with Rainbows
Published Fall 2003 in The Steward’s Review, quarterly magazine for the Diocese of Belleville, Ill.
Sitting at a small table in a school cafeteria, approximately 10 students gather to talk. One student expresses anger, another expresses disbelief, while a third says she is finally at peace. Though their feelings drift from one extreme to the next, all of these students have one thing in common – they have experienced a significant loss through divorce or death.
Recognizing the need for a program in the Belleville Diocese to help children heal from loss, Rainbows was formed at Holy Trinity with the support of an Annual Bishop’s Appeal Fund for Ministry grant. The program provides children with a confidential forum to express feelings, raise doubts and ask questions about the loss they have experienced and changes in their family environment, such as routine, responsibility and living arrangements. Read more »
A Twist(er) of Fate for Tornado Survivors
Published May 2003 in The Messenger,
The Newspaper of the Belleville Catholic Diocese
The silence was eerie. No one screamed, no one cried and no one spoke. Crowded among 25 people in a frigid meat cooler, Mark Philpott said a prayer.
At that moment, a tornado plummeted through the County Market in Canton, Mo. as the building shook, beams crashed to the ground and winds up to 230 mph caused the walls to cave. No one screamed, no one cried and no one spoke. Mark Philpott kept praying.
Thirty miles away, Joanne Gough was also saying a prayer as another tornado edged closer to the flea market she was working in Rutledge, Mo. A member of Our Lady of Assumption parish, the Fairview Heights resident was with her sister and their 73-year old mother when she noticed large debris falling from the sky.
“It was really something to see,” Gough said. “I just kept saying ‘please don’t let it hit us’.” Read more »
Adoption Brings a Dozen Bundles of Joy
Published November 2006 in The Messenger,
The Newspaper of the Belleville Catholic Diocese
The telephone rings, and the front door slams as a teenager enters from school. An 8-year old runs through the kitchen with a superhero costume, complete with a cape. Mom opens her planner to discuss this week’s upcoming schedule. A cell phone rings, and dad asks one of the 12 children to remove a bookbag from the table. It may sound like chaos, but Ken and Mary Besse said it’s more like “organized chaos.”
Though recent movies like “Cheaper By the Dozen” and “Yours, Mine, and Ours” portray fictional families acting out everyday chaos with 12 or more children, the action within this Millstadt, Ill. family’s household is very real. Read more »
Single Parenting With F-A-I-T-H
Column Published December 2005 in The Messenger,
The Newspaper of the Belleville Catholic Diocese
From the moment my feet hit the floor in the morning, I am in demand. I rush around after a mere six hours of sleep to pack bookbags, lunches – not just for my two children, but also for myself. After a frenzied breakfast of dry cereal in a plastic bag (the breakfast of choice for my son and daughter), I drop each one at school and rush to school myself where I stand on my feet teaching college students how to write for four hours.
Next, I’m off to work at the newspaper – a whirlwind in itself with relentless deadlines and ever-changing story lists. Then, I’m back in the car, picking the kids up from school, thinking about how or where I’m going to get dinner before dance lessons or PSR. Our evenings consist of homework, laundry and baths. Once the kids are tucked in bed, I rush to grade papers, write stories and clean the house. By the time I get in bed, I’m exhausted, and at times, beaten from the stress of daily life.
As a single mother, it is sometimes difficult to see faith within my daily routine, much less life. I’ve been through the stress of separation and divorce. It would be much easier to delve into what is wrong in life, rather than let faith adjust my focus to what is right in life.
Faith doesn’t change my experiences, but it changes the meaning of my experiences. It’s difficult to see it and live it amid the routines that leave us breathless, overwhelmed and beaten. Ironically though, no matter how tired I am at the end of the day, I know that I’m not really beaten because I have faith.
- Family and friends who love and support me
- Appreciation for the gifts I have been given
- Ingenuity and strength to endure life’s challenges
- Time for laughter and tears
- Hope, for the present and the future
Faith supports me through the hectic schedule I keep. Faith doesn’t allow me the time to dwell on what is not right in my life. Rather, it strengthens me to focus on what is right, allowing me to see the good in what I strive to do. It is in the eyes of my students when they understand a concept in class or in the kind words of a reader who enjoyed one of my stories.
Faith lets me see the beauty in my children. It’s clear in my daughter’s voice as she tells me, “I want to be like you when I grow up.” It’s clear in my son’s eyes when he says “I love you” out of the blue. It’s evident in our “good night” songs and our morning cuddles. It’s in the silly songs we sing in the car and the knock-knock jokes we tell on the way to school.
Faith supports me through the challenges of single parenting – financially, emotionally and spiritually. It helps me cope when the children leave to spend time with their father, when I have to kiss them goodbye for the weekend, but even more so, it’s there when they return on a Sunday evening with open arms and adventurous stories to share.
Without faith, I would just be going through the motions of life oblivious to the precious moments that surround me and God’s gifts that are present in every minute of every day – at home, in the car, at school, even at the office when I’m looking for inspiration to write a story, or a column just like this one.
- Shannon Philpott
About Me
Three words to describe me? Passionate. Motivated. Curious. These traits help me as a college media adviser and instructor, freelance writer, and mom. This site, focused on writing, reflecting, and teaching, strives to tell the stories of the “average” person. From student journalism and higher education to parenting and freelance writing, you’ll find a mix of blogs with a hint of humor, sarcasm, and inspiration.
Feel free to browse my sample works including feature news, magazine, and web copywriting pieces from the past and present. Check back often for daily updates, blog entries, and additional stories. Feel free to contact me directly at shphilpott@gmail.com or follow me on Twitter. Comments are welcome!
