Welcome to our blog - we are the Bessette family: Jackie, Shannon and Oliver! An extraordinary life is created from all of the ordinary moments....and here in our little corner of the internet you can follow our extraordinarily ordinary!
Today the Catholic Church received a new Pope. He is the first American Pope. He is the fourth Pope of my lifetime and a first in Shannon’s. Pope Leo XIV, welcome and we pray for you. This feels so signifiant and I have a lot of reasons that are pulling at my heart as to … More He has Chosen
Battles wounds are cool. The scars I have gotten from having to live in two worlds – sickness and regular life- are the ones I feel proud of. The stories they tell, the lessons they gave, and the pride they swell up in my heart are the type of thing I like to share on … More It’s the Scars That Save Us
It was one my lifelong best friend’s bachelorette weekend in charming Charleston with a variety of ladies from different walks of life that all gathered to celebrate our girl. She is one of those genuinely good people who you are so blessed to know and has the incredible ability to make you feel loved beyond … More You Can Eat Ice Cream for Lunch if You Want
This year we did our word choice as a family of 3 (well Oliver too, but he did not have anything to share). After a season of doing life splintered…. then a season of timid together … we are starting this new year in a season of connected. And to start was New Years and … More 2025: Shannon’s Word ~ Mystery
Happy New Year! 2025, what a time to be alive? My first post of this new year… my first post in quite some time… the focus is my word of the year. But for starters I want to acknowledge the posture I am holding and using to pray over my life. A perspective I hope … More 2025: Purpose
July 17, 2010 our wedding day with the colors so carefully selected: black and white with touches of red. And at 14 years that has turned out to be just right. Black: Cystic Fibrosis, Advanced Lung Disease, Pain Medication Dependency, Career Balancing, Infertility, Family Relations, Denied for Adoption, Transplant Rejection, Financial Challenges from Medical Complications… … More Black & White with Touches of Red Over 14 Years
Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time:“He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be cured of your affliction.” Mark 5:34✝️ When we come to Jesus, bring him all our sin, messy stuff, burdens and lost causes- this act of faith will bring the peace we need. “So he was not … More Sunday Reflections: June 30 & July 6, 2024
As we enter July I am in awe of how this year has unfolded. At the start, I did not know the plans, did not anticipate some of the shifts, and could not see how questions were going to form into answers. And yet we have a new chapter underway, changes in approaches taking shape, … More July: God Can Use It All
Did you know there can be jealousy in failed dreams? Have you ever experienced envy for the way someone else misfortune is playing out? How about in the midst of your own? That was reality for myself and following the story of Jessica Hanna, “Blessed by Cancer”. And as the Catholic community mourns the loss … More Divine Mercy is Here for The Taking
Happy Easter my sweet friends! There are so many aspects of this season that I just love. Starting with Lent. Is there a better set of stories to remind us that Jesus came to be fully human and surrounded himself with a crazy bunch of them? If you have wondered if and where you belong … More We are a People of Easter
Have A Little Faith in We 