Confirmation, Rededication, Refocus
Today is a great day in my household. my youngest son is receiving what we Catholics call, his Confirmation. For those who may not know, the Catholic church has a series of sacraments or steps we take in our walk with God. In their most sincere form, they're designed to involve us closer in the church and help us grow spiritually. The Confirmation is particularly very important because it is the opportunity for a child, usually a teenager, to confirm his beliefs and if you will, validate that the Baptism his/her parents held for them when they were babies, is indeed still acceptable to them. That the grace the parents asked God to bestow on them when they couldn't speak for themselves, is a grace the now-teenager consciously chooses in his or her life.
I know to those of you from other beliefs or who may not believe at all, this may sound like silly mumbo jumbo, but I hope you will respect it as our belief.
Anyway, the point of this post isn't to teach you about Catholic traditions but to highlight that in our family, today is a day of renewal, rededication, and refocus. While our son renews his faith today, it gives his mother and I an opportunity to do the same. It serves as a milestone that our little boy isn't so little anymore and that our hope is the lessons we've taught him about how to treat people kindly, about distinguishing right from wrong, about being a good person, have taken hold as he gets ever closer to leaving the nest. I think we all want these things for our children whether we're religious or not.
Today also serves as an opportunity to refocus on those things which matter. Too many times, life gets in the way of the most important things in our lives, the people we love. We get wrapped up in meetings and "important" to-dos. We fling the kids to school and rush away only to pick them up, fling em to their after school activities, then pick them up and run thru the drive-thru on the way home and when we get home, everybody goes in a different room not to be heard from for the rest of the night. If you've got teenage children, more than likely you've lived this scenario once or twice. If you've got younger children, don't worry, it's coming.
But I submit, we have all the power in the world to change the dynamic. This is our life after all. You don't have to change your routines significantly. I know everyone is super busy and Lord knows more times than not, teens don't want to do anything with dear old mom and dad, especially when puppy love is in the air. Having said that, carving out some family time on the calendar can go such a long way. Have dinner together even if its one day a week. Make it Taco Tuesday, whatever. Just make it consistent and then make it a priority. Let your boss know that is the day you cannot stay, leave the social groups for another day, put everything aside and make that one night a family event. The kids will probably grumpily participate and you'll think you're just bothering them, but deep inside they will truly cherish it.
And if you aren't married or have children, maybe carve out some time to spend with that significant other. Date night sounds good. Or if you're not in a relationship, maybe that is the evening you focus on calling family and old friends.
My point is, all this work we all scurry around doing, all these activities which are "so" important, all this junk that we let pollute our lives and label as important isn't as important as those we love. Friends, Spring is in the air. It is a time for renewal, for new beginnings. It is a time to do something worth doing and I can't think of anything more "worth doing" than making time for those you love. Jobs come and go, colleagues are supporters today, enemies tomorrow. Friends are important, but family, family comes first.
I wish you a wonderful Sunday and I hope you'll consider my suggestions and spend the quality time with your family they deserve. I can't think of a single person who will sit on their deathbed wishing they had worked more. But there are plenty who will wish they had more "time" with those they love. You have the time, right now. Use it wisely. It's the only time you'll ever have.
I know to those of you from other beliefs or who may not believe at all, this may sound like silly mumbo jumbo, but I hope you will respect it as our belief.
Anyway, the point of this post isn't to teach you about Catholic traditions but to highlight that in our family, today is a day of renewal, rededication, and refocus. While our son renews his faith today, it gives his mother and I an opportunity to do the same. It serves as a milestone that our little boy isn't so little anymore and that our hope is the lessons we've taught him about how to treat people kindly, about distinguishing right from wrong, about being a good person, have taken hold as he gets ever closer to leaving the nest. I think we all want these things for our children whether we're religious or not.
Today also serves as an opportunity to refocus on those things which matter. Too many times, life gets in the way of the most important things in our lives, the people we love. We get wrapped up in meetings and "important" to-dos. We fling the kids to school and rush away only to pick them up, fling em to their after school activities, then pick them up and run thru the drive-thru on the way home and when we get home, everybody goes in a different room not to be heard from for the rest of the night. If you've got teenage children, more than likely you've lived this scenario once or twice. If you've got younger children, don't worry, it's coming.
But I submit, we have all the power in the world to change the dynamic. This is our life after all. You don't have to change your routines significantly. I know everyone is super busy and Lord knows more times than not, teens don't want to do anything with dear old mom and dad, especially when puppy love is in the air. Having said that, carving out some family time on the calendar can go such a long way. Have dinner together even if its one day a week. Make it Taco Tuesday, whatever. Just make it consistent and then make it a priority. Let your boss know that is the day you cannot stay, leave the social groups for another day, put everything aside and make that one night a family event. The kids will probably grumpily participate and you'll think you're just bothering them, but deep inside they will truly cherish it.
And if you aren't married or have children, maybe carve out some time to spend with that significant other. Date night sounds good. Or if you're not in a relationship, maybe that is the evening you focus on calling family and old friends.
My point is, all this work we all scurry around doing, all these activities which are "so" important, all this junk that we let pollute our lives and label as important isn't as important as those we love. Friends, Spring is in the air. It is a time for renewal, for new beginnings. It is a time to do something worth doing and I can't think of anything more "worth doing" than making time for those you love. Jobs come and go, colleagues are supporters today, enemies tomorrow. Friends are important, but family, family comes first.
I wish you a wonderful Sunday and I hope you'll consider my suggestions and spend the quality time with your family they deserve. I can't think of a single person who will sit on their deathbed wishing they had worked more. But there are plenty who will wish they had more "time" with those they love. You have the time, right now. Use it wisely. It's the only time you'll ever have.
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