We found this thought-provoking article that makes a great meditation for this new school year for all of us whom God has blessed with the Sacrament of Matrimony!
Read and see if it doesn’t nudge you a little to examine how we all tend to absorb at least some of the mindset of the world around us, even as we strive to be “a [joyful] sign of contradiction” to it, then pray for this deacon and all the clergy (and your spouse, if you have one or are waiting for one!):
http://www.catholicvote.org/dear-spouses-what-if-natural-family-planning-didnt-exist/
We know how tough it is with a larger-than-what-is-now-normal family (and we also realize that just a generation ago, our family would probably be a bit smaller than normal):
- Education is expensive, whether you school at home or send to a private or even public school (the kids are always in our neighborhood fundraising, and we hear from neighbors all the things they are expected to pay for or purchase nowadays).
- College, tech school, whatever after they leave home (or try to leave home), well…we paid off our student loans within a few years of being married with payments of (ready for this?) totaling $42.03 per month.
- Despite what the government reports, inflation has been HARD on the things we need most: like groceries.
- And most things now offer “family rates” that include only up to 4 people–have you experienced the same thing?
But–don’t most of us have it better, comfort-wise, than our parents’ generation? The struggles they had as children financially and with disease and, well, without air-conditioning and other comforts we take for granted?
Anyway, despite how much the culture tries to convince us that having more stuff is better for everyone involved (parents and children) than having more children — we don’t buy it (sorry for the pun).
So: Hug your kids and your spouse! It’s more fun than hugging your stuff!
PS HERE’S an eye-opening thought: Take a look back just one generation in your own family. Then tell us in the comments:
HOW MANY CHILDREN were in your kids’ GRANDPARENTS’ homes?
Here are our numbers for our parents (our kids’ grandparents):
- One set of grandparents came from homes with 2 children and 9 children, respectively.
- The other grandparents came from homes with 3 children and 8 children, respectively.
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14 on both sides
I married into a family with one girl and we had one boy. Both the marriage and the children [ages 14 and 5] came to a premature end.
I am now a priest with more children than I know what to do with. 🙂
I wonder if God, knowing I love children, decided to allow me to have children all my life? LOL
The grandparents were from families of 3, 5, 8 and 9. The family of 8 was raised by a widow and that grandparent had the strongest faith of the 4. All things work for good…:)
My children’s grandparents had 5 and 4 in their family on one side and 4 and 4 on the other side. We have 4 so far! 🙂
So interesting. Our kids grand parents were from families of 3, 5, 5, and 3. We have 4 and counting.
My mom and dad were both 1 of 3
My husband’s mom was 1 of 2
My husband’s dad was 1 of 5
The big irony, the largest family wasn’t Catholic
And we have 3
Although we jumped into learning about NFP and practiced it in the beginning of our marriage, we came to realize that, for us, to be truly open to God’s plan for our lives, we had to be truly open to life! It has been a wonderful journey of discovery.
One set-9 & 5
Other set -8 & 4
We have 9
My children’s grandparents came from families that had the following number of children:
6, 8, 10, and 14!!
The families of 8 and 14 each suffered the death of a parent, right after the last child was born, thus leaving all the child rearing and farming to a single parent! One was a male widower (the one with 8) and one was a female widow (the one with 14).