I Wish We Were Better

If there is one thing that I (we) need to figure out, it’s how to become better at communicating with Family and friends in distant places. And if this is possible, it could bring a whole new level of peace and joy to life.

Upon an inventory of my life, this is the one area I feel disgustingly inadequate with. Seriously. It often causes me to feel hypocritical. Maybe I worry to much about this. Maybe not.

Anyone out there have any suggestions?

Which Is Better?

Build children or repair adults?

No brainer, isn’t it?

Then why are we so challenged to invest the time in children?

“Busy. Busy. Dreadfully busy. You’ve no idea what I have to do”. — Line from VeggieTales song

At the root of this challenge is me. And you. And every other adult with an opportunity to inspire a child by the power of our own example.

jeff noel – Blessed & Stressed

jeff noel, blogger, average guy, Father, Husband, teacher, is blessed and stressed after yesterday.

Blessed because I am all those things.

Stressed because I am not all those things.

Yes, my wife and I conducted an excellent Children’s Liturgy of the Word yesterday. Yet stressed, because at the afternoon birthday party, I realized there is a long way to go with helping our son work through his competitive nature.

He actually has a gift. We all do, don’t we?

Some us simply need help unwrapping it. Now, where did I put those scissors.

Children’s Liturgy of the Word

Children’s Liturgy of the Word. God’s Word.

And the fact that I would be delivering homilies (sermons) to dozens of elementary school children boggles the mind.

Yet, it will happen again today, like it does the fourth Sunday of every month. My wife and I volunteer to do this.

Four years ago, a woman from our Church made an appeal to the congregation that she needed more volunteers or Children’s Liturgy would go away. After Mass, we volunteered, thinking we would simply be helpers “on the sidelines”.

Funny how things turn out exactly opposite from the way we expect.

Then I Told Him That

“All I want to do is help you, and teach you, so you’ll learn the important things about life”.

He understands this.

Why? Because I’ve been saying it since he was an infant.

Over and over and over.

He knows that punishments or consequences are not something a parent wants to do, but something a great parent is obligated to do.

And we both are learning that even though society has long subscribed to “punishment for failure“, we are going to challenge the status quo with “reward for not failing“.

“Nothing you ever do for a child is ever wasted”.