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How often do we ponder, show or tell our families how much we appreciate them?
How often do we thank our children for being the good people that they are? How often do we hug them? How often do we sit and share their tears? What a masterpiece the child / parent relationship is, born of perfection waiting to come to fruition through love, patience, humility, and depth of learning and teaching that flows from child to parent and back.
I have a son who is 18, who has hands of genius. He can create solutions to any problem mechanical. My daughter, 13, with her nose always in a book is just like daddy, she who just tonight played him to a stalemate in chess. "Better brush up on your skills, pop!" she winks with satisfaction. My youngest, Mikie, is 27 months, a bundle of confused and anxious energy figuring out life and its inherent tumble of emotions. I bless you my son, in your effort to learn. It is a long road. A struggle supreme! Extraordinaire! I only have some of the answers, but I will unreservedly share them with you, and in turn, learn from you, the gentle rub of my back after a violent sneeze that you saw attack your defenseless daddy. Bless you my son.
It is here, the family where we love, learn, are strengthened and turned toward that of the critical—eternal truth and understanding. It is here where we learn to sacrifice for the other, struggle against our innate selfishness toward the wonder of Christ's charity within. It is here where we learn sharing, giving, compassion, patience, respect, obedience, hope, hard work, tenacity, humor, fun, frolic and play. It is here where we suffer together, holding back tears in silence, merely holding until our strengths return to each the desire to get up, the desire to go on.
Family? Without it there is no society. It is society. Nothing outside of it has purpose. All that exists is enhanced by it. It improves our school halls, meeting rooms, churches, synagogues, mosks, temples, boardrooms, if done right with all that we can take from it to enhance, imbue, and sustain.
Family is where the teacher becomes the taught, the learner the teacher, the strong one weak, and the passionate one sober. Here is where all the animosity and struggle of life works within its laboratory, waiting to be taken to the streets by loving, caring, patient, hopeful hands.May the holiday season bless you with the struggle of understanding. The passion of hope. And the truth of our purpose and the blessed world to come.
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