Family Fun - Playtime
Almost all children have a hobby whatever their age. It can often be a big thrill for a small child if Mommy or Daddy plays with them at their own game. Maybe it’s helping the child direct a battle of the action figures, or helping organize Barbie and Ken’s latest tea party. If you’re worried about doing it wrong, the average child is more than happy to correct and direct. For the child, it’s usually not a matter of an adult doing it well, but just doing it period.
Ó 2002 John Coleman
jcoleman@parishpilot.com
Making a Real Difference in
Families & Marriage
In today’s
"me, mine, more" world, maybe you feel like you’re the only
couple — or the only person — trying to raise your family in a
Christian way Well, you really are not alone, even though it may seem
that way CFM, the Christian Family Movement, is a network of families a
lot like yours who come together —from a parish or a neighborhood —
because they are struggling with the same issues of faith and family in
a world that pulls at both parents and children with a long list of
clearly unchristian attitudes and values.
These family groups
meet regularly to look at their lives from a gospel perspective and help
one another discover the best possible ways of responding in the light
of Christ and the gospel. To visit, join, or inquire about beginning
your own CFM group, Call Ken and Tern Harthen (810-775-8390).
Family Corner
Sharing Our Bounty
I learned about giving from one's bounty when my youngest
son, Peter, was four. I was sorting through his Tee-shirts one day,
putting aside some of the older and faded ones for the parish clothing
drive. When he asked what I was doing, I told him they were for some poor
children. He went to his bottom drawer and pulled out three relatively new
shirts and brought them to me, telling me he was sure they would like
those better.
That afternoon I realized the difference between Christian charity and
simply donating to the poor. I began to understand that with true charity
there are no "haves" and "have-nots." Christian charity is a sharing of
equals, recognizing we are all members of God's family. This subtle
difference of attitude was made clear to me when my four-year-old just
wanted to share with another little boy.
This Lent why not make an effort as a family to give from your bounty?
Talk to your children about being a part of God's family. Ask them to
choose some of their toys or other articles to share with brothers and
sisters they may never meet. Model this spirit of giving by sharing some
things that you still value. You might also choose one day a week during
Lent for a soup and cracker meal. By leaving the table still hungry you
can choose to experience a bit of the hunger many people have no choice
but to experience.
True acts of Christian charity bridge the gap between the "haves" and
the "have-nots." They are steps to building a world where everyone has
enough. What a great way to spend Lent: sharing with our brothers and
sisters and learning to give from our best rather than our surplus.
By Judith Dunlap
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"Where two or three
are gathered in my name, there am I in their midst." (Mt 18:20)
