<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Shannon Whitmore]]></title><description><![CDATA[Empowering Faith Through Body and Soul]]></description><link>https://www.shannonwhitmore.com/blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Thu, 16 Jul 2026 23:18:00 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.shannonwhitmore.com/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[The Beauty of Summer]]></title><description><![CDATA[I wear a lot of different hats throughout the year. A mother. A teacher. A chauffeur. A cleaning lady. An interior designer. A chef. A writer. I don't have one nine-to-five job. I have a million little jobs that make up my days and fill them with both activities and meaning. I cook. I clean. I teach. I write. I read. I shop. I drive. I decorate. I do it all. And I love doing it all (usually). But it's also nice when you can finally set something aside and not do it all. And that's why I love...]]></description><link>https://www.shannonwhitmore.com/post/the-beauty-of-summer</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a26ccd6a7cc9d295b406879</guid><pubDate>Mon, 29 Jun 2026 20:41:36 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Shannon Whitmore</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[God Wants Us to Be Perfect, Not Perfectionists]]></title><description><![CDATA[I’ve always been a bit of a perfectionist. I was a straight-A student, and I cried the first time I got a B+ in a class. My notebooks and folders were all pristine, my locker always perfectly organized, my bedroom a perfect representation of my need for order. My clothes were always neat and wrinkle-less, my hair smooth and straight, my skin as flawless as I could make it. I agonized over every pimple, every split end, every extra pound. I wanted to be perfect, and I fought a daily battle to...]]></description><link>https://www.shannonwhitmore.com/post/god-wants-us-to-be-perfect-not-perfectionists</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a2212381f44c606b375b59f</guid><pubDate>Fri, 05 Jun 2026 00:03:36 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Shannon Whitmore</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Motherhood Strengthened My Relationship with Mary]]></title><description><![CDATA[I have a bit of a confession to make. I didn’t have a very strong relationship with Mary until just recently, and I’m honestly still working on it. When I began to take my faith seriously in high school, I was a Protestant-leaning Catholic who was too in love with the Eucharist to convert. After finding Jesus, I didn’t always understand the point of Mary and the saints. If I had Jesus, why did I need anyone else? At least the saints were fallen human beings like me. What could I possibly...]]></description><link>https://www.shannonwhitmore.com/post/motherhood-strengthened-my-relationship-with-mary</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a2091a443116cbc2f7955f3</guid><pubDate>Wed, 03 Jun 2026 20:42:57 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Shannon Whitmore</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Confession Makes Me a Better Mom and a Better Person]]></title><description><![CDATA[I’ve been in the habit of going to regular confession for more than a a decade now. At different times in my life, I’ve gone every two weeks, every three weeks, once a month, and on occasion, every six weeks. I can’t remember a time where I’ve gone more than six weeks without going to confession. I know I don’t need to go so often, but I do believe it makes me a better person, and I have no intention of change my habit any time soon. According to Church teaching, Catholics in good standing...]]></description><link>https://www.shannonwhitmore.com/post/confession-makes-me-a-better-mom-and-a-better-person</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a209008c9d8b2a0564f828a</guid><pubDate>Wed, 03 Jun 2026 20:40:36 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Shannon Whitmore</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Christianity and Mental Illness]]></title><description><![CDATA[I started to take my faith seriously in high school. By the time I graduated, I was preparing to attend a Catholic university in the fall, where I would major in Theology. Four years later, I pursued a Master’s degree in the same field. I’ve worked in ministry, as well as volunteered as a catechist and a small group leader in youth ministry. To say that I take my Catholic faith seriously would probably be considered an understatement. I started to listen to the lies about my body when I was...]]></description><link>https://www.shannonwhitmore.com/post/christianity-and-mental-illness</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a208f56c9d8b2a0564f8151</guid><pubDate>Wed, 03 Jun 2026 20:34:12 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Shannon Whitmore</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>