Serving with a Smile!

My 3-year-old and I had lunch together this weekend, just the two of us. We had a “girl’s day” while the boys were at a football game. I let her choose the location for lunch – and she picked Panera because she wanted soup! (So proud of that girl – too refined for McDonald’s at age 3!)

I assumed that since it was only the two of us, she would dominate the conversation. At our family meals we usually have to fight for who gets to speak. Of course she would love the opportunity to have my complete attention!

Can the rhythm of routine bring faith formation?

Summer is most definitely over. Mornings are cool and crisp, and the smell of campfires float through our open windows in the evening. The leaves have just started to turn – when you actually stop to look you can see the bright green world fading into orange and brown. Beyond these sensory cues is the presence of the school-year routine. Work, school, soccer practice, dance lessons, church, repeat; each day we go through the same motions, and each week follows the same pattern.

In reality, the existence of any routine is a sign that summer is long gone!! Summer is fun and busy; every week is unique and filled with a different family adventure to look forward to. But as we sink into fall, we settle into rhythm.

Which came first – Our service or God’s presence??

It seems God has put service on my heart this week.…

I occasionally attend a Taize service on Tuesday during my lunch hour. (Taize service = repetitive prayer through song and silence.) On this Tuesday, we ended our short meditative time together by chanting the latin words “Ubi caritas et amore; Ubi caritas; Deus ibi est.” It is a beautiful chant – sweet lyrics and soothing tempo. But it is the translation that stuck with me:  “Live in charity and steadfast love. Live in charity; God will dwell with you.” 

This was the start of my shortened week. Numerous opportunities followed to ponder this word “charity” and what it means in my life as child of God. Charity: defined as “benevolent goodwill toward or love of humanity” or “generosity and helpfulness especially toward the needy or suffering.”

Celebrating a different kind of “first steps”

At this time one year ago, we had a toddler in our midst. Our young daughter was in diapers, just learning to speak, still so very dependent on her dad and I to entertain her. But now, quite suddenly it seems, I have this little girl in front of me. She speaks real sentences and can tell us about her day, she can put on her own shoes (when she chooses to, of course), she is capable of controlling her emotions (sometimes), and we’ve been out of diapers for months and months! The time between age 2 and 3 holds an amazing transformation!