Shannon K. Evans

For parents, finding ways to bring our faith to life for our children can be a challenge. Shannon Evans, a mother of five, shares some ways she and her husband help pass on the faith to their kids.

Summer in the Midwest is a feast for the eyes. Nearly every week a new flower bursts to life in the yards of neighbors and in the gardens of city parks: first daffodils, then tulips, followed by lilacs and peonies, and the list goes on.

Like many parents of young children, it’s rare for me to get a good night’s sleep. Our first child came to us through adoption, and since he was nearly a year old, I naively thought he would sleep through the night. Instead, I faced the brutal reality of every new mom who rises multiple times a night to feed and comfort her baby. Since those early days over a decade ago, I have birthed four babies and have had to make my peace with interrupted sleep. 

St. Francis and his unique flavor of Christian spirituality has left an indelible mark on the way I live out my faith in everyday life.