I hope you are well. You can watch my reflection I posted yesterday on Holy Wednesday for Holy Week. I hope it speaks to your heart. Let me know in the comments below.
God bless you as we enter the Holy Triduum today!
I hope you are well. You can watch my reflection I posted yesterday on Holy Wednesday for Holy Week. I hope it speaks to your heart. Let me know in the comments below.
God bless you as we enter the Holy Triduum today!
Greetings on Good Friday…
My 4 year old grandson on FaceTime the other day said, “Grandma, we can’t get together because of coronavirus.” That gave me a jolt. Wow. Not only did he say the “c” word, but he knew that this is what what’s going on. His Mom was even a bit surprised. It turned out that his Dad had explained it to him when they were washing their hands. That simple teaching helped my grandson to understand why they were washing their hands extra now, why the nursery school is closed, why he couldn’t see his friends or his Grandma.
I recently chatted on the airwaves about families and how they are coping in this pandemic. The radio host wanted me to give some tips and also to chat about my book Reclaiming Sundays. I decided to put together a list in a blog post too, to hopefully benefit families.
This time of uncertainty during the pandemic can cause much anxiety. Explaining things to children in the best way that they can understand can certainly help to alleviate anxiety.
Families always need a schedule to feel grounded – to feel stability—to have a rhythm to their day—With any change in the family, I believe that it is even more important to have some sort of schedule in place. Schedules help so we don’t feel loss of control or to be OUT OF CONTROL. This is for children and adults alike.
Write your hopeful schedule on a dry erase board, or your tablet, or a piece of paper as a reminder. Hang it up and refer to it often. You don’t have to be regimented in keeping it, but you can certainly try to stick to it.
No doubt with little ones (and older ones!!) schedules need to bend a bit – people need to be flexible. We should do our best to work together, especially during this trying time.
Despite the fears that we might experience, this is a time for great HOPE! Even if we cannot get out to the structure of the church, be prayerful and holy in your domestic church at home. Set vibrant examples for the children, carve out the necessary prayer times, set parameters to ensure that life doesn’t become a free-for-all situation. Show your love and smile often! It’s contagious (in a good way!).
HOLY WEEK AND EASTER ARE FAST APPROACHING: Even if churches are closed, along with your family, dig into this time like never before! Pray for many graces! I heard Cardinal Burke say that this is a time of GRACE!
Ask for the graces!
These are just a few tips to hopefully help your family to stay the course, to alleviate unnecessary anxiety, and to grow closer as a family and closer to God.
God bless you! I’ll try to post more soon – perhaps some recipes, crafts, and other ideas.
PS My similar article was published here at CatholicMom.
We have just completed our Lenten journey and are now celebrating our Easter JOY!
It might seem odd that I am already speaking about our next Lenten journey. But, I want you to know that I’ve got you covered! I have a brand new family Lenten book (fourth in my series) for you! Here is the book cover image.
I hope you like it. It will be available in early October! As always, for a ridiculously low price of under $3.00.
Relish in your Easter JOY!