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!
It has been a year since I started this project with the first letter. I have thought about it over and over again – do I keep going? Is this a story you will want to hear? Is it a story I should even tell? I have I had sitting in drafts since the spring letter #2 and I have never hit publish. But here we are – a year to the day and I still feel strongly about writing it. … More Dear Shannon Letter 2
Happy July friends! How are you doing?? Are you enjoying summer? It is hot as all get out… it’s going so fast… a variety of factors that can be more negative about this season are present daily and yet I can’t hide my smile. I love summer! Virginia we have all the seasons and you … More Thy Will ~ Half Way on 2022
This week Shannon and I join my family and head to Chicago for my brother’s wedding. This special day has been in the works since 2019 and it is really exciting that we will finally be able to celebrate. Our family’s original travel plans were made in the fall of 2019 while Danny and I … More Life Blows Us to The Windy City
In my spiritual journey there are themes that will pop up. They make themselves known typically so clear, it is hard to ignore and even harder to convince me that it is not the exact message God has for me in this moment. And one of the strongest right now: Mother Mary. It seems that … More Mother Mary, Pray for Us
During Holy week I listened to a Latte & Laundry podcast with guest Laura Phelps and it was one of the most valuable tools for contemplating Week. There are a variety of wonderful wisdom nuggets in here, but one in particular that has stuck with me, especially for Good Friday: Picking up the exact cross … More Good Friday Lessons: Picking Up Your Cross
“Remember your are dust and to dust you shall return” these are the words that started the season of Lent on Ash Wednesday. A season that is all about breaking down our humanity … even to the point of dust. If our world becomes as little specs, we can’t dictate it, demand it, rely on … More Lent 2022
In this moment I am looking forward and feeling positive about what this 37th year may hold, even if I have no idea! Getting to this point has been the result of three distinct messages. … More Thirty-Seven
Happy 2nd Birthday my sweet girl! Today as you turn two and tomorrow we celebrate the year anniversary of your Baptism into our beautiful faith, it is safe to say I am spending a lot of time traveling down memory lane. As I walk that road, I have wondered what message I want to save … More Happy 2nd Birthday Shannon!
A tattoo is something I have always been intrigued about. Maybe fueled by the fact that I was a teenager and college student when the lower back tattoos were popular or just one way my rule following self thought it may be fun to break a “rule”. But it wasn’t just breaking curfew or sneaking … More Thy Will
When Danny and I started our journey to kids the original route was adoption. My daydreaming was consumed with a girl that could sing. I think it was the way my mind and heart were processing the idea that a non-genetic connection could produce a whole new set of talents to our family. Then when … More Shannon Sings
Have A Little Faith in We 