Catholic Husband

Love / Lead / Serve

Cherish Your Family

The life of a family is one of seasons. There’s the season before a couple has children. There’s the season when they have young children. There’s the season when the children are becoming adults. Finally, there’s the season when the children are grown and are starting their own families. Each season has it’s joys and challenges. The key to living a successful family life is to cherish each season.

I am lucky enough to be Benedict’s primary caregiver during the day. We’ve worked out a very nice system that gives us both time for play and time for rest. When he’s awake, we’re together. When he’s asleep, I’m working. I’ve enjoyed the time when he was an infant and wanted to be held. I’m trying to enjoy this time when he’s getting ready to walk and starting to speak.

We have limited time with our families each day. Work, activities, appointments, and other events keep us apart on a regular basis. We’re all growing and we all are trying to meet needs, but it’s important that the time we have together is special.

Each stage of life is special. It can be easy to look back and wish things could be as they were. The problem with an outlook on life that’s constantly longing for the past is that it misses the true beauty of the present. Yes, Benedict is getting into things that are getting him into trouble, but he didn’t used to be able to laugh.

The time we spend with our families should never be wasted. Every moment doesn’t have to be highly structured and maximized for efficiency, but we can take advantage of elevating ordinary activities. I personally believe this is why dinner together around the table is so important. It takes something as routine as eating a meal and turns it into a shared experience.

It may sound trite, but we need to cherish our families. We need to recognize them as the gift that they are. It’s our privilege to nurture a marriage, to raise children. It’s not always an easy task, but it is a wonderful one.