First, let me start off by saying I am sorry I did not post on Friday! I had absolutely every intention of posting and then by the time I was able to after I finished cleaning up and packing, we had to leave for the airport. And then I tried to get this post up Monday and yesterday, but it just didn't happen!!
Anyhow, as I mentioned the reason that I didn't post on Friday or Monday or yesterday was because we flew home (well I guess our old home) in order to attend my younger brother's Confirmation! Of course, we also got to visit with family and as an added bonus, we were able to spend Mother's Day with our Moms! And then my parents came out to pick up my sister from College and visit from Monday until today!
Let me start off talking about the most important part of the trip. We had the privilege to witness my younger brother make a promise before God and the Church that he would live the Catholic Life, no matter the consequence - whether that is loss of friends, persecution, etc. I am so incredibly proud of my brother and who he has become and his witness to the faith. He has and continues to be an inspiration to me and T.J.! The actual Confirmation Mass was beautiful and the homily really got to the heart of the matter. The Priest reminded us that once you are Confirmed you don't stop going to Church, you don't hide in your room and stop practicing the faith. You go out and shout the Good News to all. My brother took the name Benedict as his Confirmation Saint. How incredibly beautiful to see how St. Benedict has made his way into my brother's life. St. Benedict, pray for him!
So, we had the honor of visiting family. Family is very important to me and despite the fact that for right now at least we live away from them, I try to spend quality time with them when I am around them and to make an effort to spend quality time with them on the phone or on Skype or through whatever method I can. While I don't always talk with my grandparents and cousins, I try to stay connected with my parents and siblings, both my biological and in-laws, as much as possible. Therefore, I am so glad when I get to spend time with them when we travel home or when they travel here. I won't lie, sometimes visiting home is more stressful than relaxing and that is because we have to or want to visit with everyone in the family. I really don't like that part. I love the fact that I have in-laws and a larger family now, but it is so difficult to be home for a short weekend and spend any quality time with anyone it seems. But we do try!
We also really valued getting to spend Mother's Day with our Mom's. The past four years we have missed Mother's Day due to finishing the school year, so it was quite a treat to honor the women who said yes to life and gave us the ability to be a part of this world and teach us how to be adults. We are so thankful for their love and encouragement in our lives.
I truly appreciate the time I get to have with my family. I encourage you to remember to hold your family close, both physically and mentally. Whether you get to see them on a regular basis or not, be close to your family. Teach each other to be holier. Strive to be a domestic church. Never stop running towards God, and always remember that when you are married your family will only function the way it is supposed to if you and your spouse are working together and that relationship is constantly being built up. And if you haven't talked to someone in your family in a while, give them a call or if you are close enough, stop in and say hi. You don't need to see every person in your family all the time or talk to them every week. If you go a few days without talking to your parents or your immediate family, that is okay - what matters is that you have a genuine relationship with them! But never forget to have a daily relationship with your spouse, they are the most important family you will ever have!
May you and your family be richly blessed!
P.S. I just finished reading Consuming the Word by Scott Hahn on the airplane. It is an absolutely wonderful book that articulately describes the Word, the Eucharist, the Mass, and Scripture. If you are looking for a good read, I highly recommend!
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