Tuesday, March 6, 2007
Intro to Blogging tip...
Several people who I have now gotten into checking out this website have wondered how to leave comments. After each post, there is a spot that says "comments". If you click on that you can enter a message and post it. Fun way to share information!! Good luck!
Caitlin Ankle Update...
Caitlin had her cast removed yesterday and is walking around sort of like a normal person. She has a little limp-drag style walk going on, but her ankle feels very stiff and tight right now. She is slowly starting to work it out and trying not to scar people with her pretty scar!! I love you sis. You will be kicking a soccer ball again in no time...
Ellie...I love this post
Ok, so I will paste this post below, but it is one I loved today from my favorite site, coffee and diapers. This is so true!!
The purity of a child's prayer
Adults are so quick to want children to grow up. We forget that they are not just adults in training, but real living people with unique charisms all to themselves. They are capable of their own special relationship with God that we'd do best not to interfere with too much. Reading an old Montessori essay on this really put that thought in perspective for me. Moms like me get a big kick out of sharing funny little stories about their children's spirituality. Junior plays "Holy Communion" with brother, or starts baptizing the kids at the play group, or asks loudly during Mass where Jesus' clothes are on the Cross. These things are all "cute" to us. We laugh when they put a bowl of cereal in front of the statue because it looks hungry or when they sing church songs and do their own processions in the home. It's all so darling isn't it?!
Be careful with this.
Christ was very clear about letting the little children come to Him and if we are offering little giggles and smirks when our kids express their spirituality... we are inadvertently giving them the message that there's something "abnormal" or out of the way about it. OURS is the "right way" to worship: lofty, serious, and composed. But the little ones are closer to Christ than we are!!! And in their minds, they are trying to make sense of the spiritual world in ways that they can understand. This is beautiful and noble! Sometimes, it's hard to resist sharing with a friend something that my kids do that I think is funny or cute in a spiritual way. But I won't be making a public spectacle of it... especially if they are around. I certainly wouldn't want my spirituality to be the topic of conversations. Let's just say it right now, all kids from Catholic families do "sweet" things or say "cute" things regarding the Faith at one time or another. I think offering a gentle smile is fine when your child wants to cuddle the statue or pray for their toys etc. I may even make a note of it in the journal of letters I write to each of them (to give on their 18th birthday). But I don't think we should laugh or otherwise disvalidate what they are doing, especially in front of them. It's more than just "cute." Like the Blessed Mother, who experienced the mysteries of the Christ Child's spirituality, we should "hold these things in our hearts" because the prayers and rituals of our children are 100 times more pure and real than those of our own.
-Ellie
The purity of a child's prayer
Adults are so quick to want children to grow up. We forget that they are not just adults in training, but real living people with unique charisms all to themselves. They are capable of their own special relationship with God that we'd do best not to interfere with too much. Reading an old Montessori essay on this really put that thought in perspective for me. Moms like me get a big kick out of sharing funny little stories about their children's spirituality. Junior plays "Holy Communion" with brother, or starts baptizing the kids at the play group, or asks loudly during Mass where Jesus' clothes are on the Cross. These things are all "cute" to us. We laugh when they put a bowl of cereal in front of the statue because it looks hungry or when they sing church songs and do their own processions in the home. It's all so darling isn't it?!
Be careful with this.
Christ was very clear about letting the little children come to Him and if we are offering little giggles and smirks when our kids express their spirituality... we are inadvertently giving them the message that there's something "abnormal" or out of the way about it. OURS is the "right way" to worship: lofty, serious, and composed. But the little ones are closer to Christ than we are!!! And in their minds, they are trying to make sense of the spiritual world in ways that they can understand. This is beautiful and noble! Sometimes, it's hard to resist sharing with a friend something that my kids do that I think is funny or cute in a spiritual way. But I won't be making a public spectacle of it... especially if they are around. I certainly wouldn't want my spirituality to be the topic of conversations. Let's just say it right now, all kids from Catholic families do "sweet" things or say "cute" things regarding the Faith at one time or another. I think offering a gentle smile is fine when your child wants to cuddle the statue or pray for their toys etc. I may even make a note of it in the journal of letters I write to each of them (to give on their 18th birthday). But I don't think we should laugh or otherwise disvalidate what they are doing, especially in front of them. It's more than just "cute." Like the Blessed Mother, who experienced the mysteries of the Christ Child's spirituality, we should "hold these things in our hearts" because the prayers and rituals of our children are 100 times more pure and real than those of our own.
-Ellie
Sunshine...
It was a beautifully WARM day today here in the Pacific Northwest. The sun was shining and the temperature got up to around 64. It is amazing after so much "inside" time and rain and cold months, how a little sunshine can truly energize you. Angelica and I went to the commissary and she didn't make one squeak on the trip there, during the shopping, or even on the way home. She actually listened to her music, basked in the sun through the window and fell asleep!! If these are any signs of what the warm weather can bring....I am looking forward to spring even more!!
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