Mommy here:
This last challenge was a little bit harder to keep up with. We did
thank our cousins for their service in the armed forces and we have been trying to focus on doing nice things without being asked. We had mentioned to each of their schools that they might do a program or little talk on bullying but I don't think it was ever done. So I think we will move on.
I wanted to take a minute to mention how proud I am of all three of my sons. Joshie is doing all of the important 1 year old things but Jack and Nicholas are turning into exceptional young men. We recently moved into a new home and in what I would think has been a time of chaos, they have done remarkably well.
Over the past 4 weeks I would say no less than once a week is someone telling me something amazing about my boys. "Jack is such a good helper, always listens and participates" or "Nicholas is so mature for his age, very well behaved". I think as parents sometimes we can see our children as one extreme or the other. I am blessed to be reminded that mine are good boys.
Riding in the car on the way to school the other day we were listening to EWTN Radio and it was mentioned that there was a bombing in
Syria where 141 people were killed and 71 of them were children. I usually avoid these reports, turn them down and dismiss questions (right or wrong, this is my approach). Nicholas heard the report and says "Mom, did you hear that 71 Children died?". I swallowed hard and said "I did, but you know that was far away from here and we don't have to worry about that" His response was, "I know that, but 71 is almost 100 children. We should pray for them" I agreed and HE then proceeded to silently pray for the 71 children, who he did not know, somewhere far away, who had died.
I learned something from my five year old in those moments (as I often do, driving in the car with them), I learned that my fears and my anxiety are not his and that I shouldn't anticipate that they will be. I automatically thought this report would scare him and I pushed onto him my coping mechanism of reminding myself that these things happen somewhere far away and don't concern us. How quickly he reminded me that the hurt and suffering of all people is very much a universal Christian concern and that prayer and compassion are the little ways we can make a difference when there is nothing else we can do.
