A Gentle Reminder

Our faith is important to us and we do our best to attend church every Sunday.  This is no easy feat with our four kiddos, but we have tried to make the best of it.  Our church does not have a nursery, but even if it did, we have strong feelings about attending mass together as a family.   We often joke about our reasons for attending, since some Sundays it is hard to focus at all on what's being taught.  A few years ago we may have taken some "time off," but now we just forge ahead.

At times we may question how much any of us are getting out of mass, but there are moments I find myself completely amazed at how much our children are absorbing.  Today my youngest son came up the stairs holding a bright yellow plastic golf club raised up high.  When I asked what he was doing he replied, "This is my cross!  I am walking it up."

This was followed up with chairs being turned over so the legs could be candles, a blue stacking cup being used as a cup with "the drink" and then serving as the holder for "the chips."  I was instructed to walk up and get a chip and a drink, scolded for not saying, "In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit" in time with him, and informed he was "God" (until I asked if he was pretending to be Father Joe, which he was, so we talked about him being a priest, not God!).

Church would not be complete without playing the piano and singing at the top of his lungs, an animated story about Jesus Christ, and of course, putting out the candles once he was done with mass.  Clearly this was my sign:  our kids, though they may not appear to be, are paying attention. It was a gentle reminder:  our children are watching.  This isn't just about church, but life in general. Our kids may not appear to be attentive, but they are watching with open eyes and listening with open ears.