When We Cannot Say Except in Our Hearts

Last updated on: November 23, 2024 at 9:47 pm by Sherry Antonetti

0 Comments

When We Cannot Say Except in Our Hearts 2024-11-23T21:47:08-05:00 Sherry Antonetti

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

When my children were little, their exploits could be shared because the stories themselves were universal in nature even if the details differed. Who hasn’t dealt with a squirmy toddler who makes getting dressed in the morning an Olympic sport? What parent doesn’t know the seemingly endless grief of trying to be patient with a child who simply will not go to bed. Potty training, lost shoes, getting buckled into or out of the car, schedules, check ups, the list goes on, but the time flies by. They were funny moments preserved in internet amber.

Now that they are older, the stories may be universal but they no longer are mine to share. The internet is no less feral than when it took off, and capturing the roughness of growing up seems almost a cruelty to those in the process of trying to do it. So I don’t tell stories about my teens or even my college age or adult children not because I want to preserve a pollyanna “Everything is awesome!” fascade, but because my first job as a parent is to protect them from the world even as I try to educate them in the faith and about adulthood.

My own adolescent journey contains -as all of ours do, cringe worthy moments that I don’t want to revisit, and so I recognize that holds true for my children as well. However I can share when I trip over an insight that comes from being experienced at doing this sort of thing.

So I thought back to my older children’s going through this process, and about taking them and their friends out for pizza or to the movies, and recognized, I don’t do that much with the younger ones now that they’ve reached the same age. Impulsively, I told her to call three friends and I’d take them after school to the mall. She didn’t call them. She texted. I’m dating myself.

Friday was a snowy sleety rainy mess. Part of me hoped they’d cancel. They didn’t. Driving there, I took a photo of all of them together, asked them to set an alarm for five o’clock to meet me at the Shake Shack, and told them no matter what to stick together. They agreed, locked arms and skipped through Norstrom’s to the Urban Outfitters. There are times in parenting when you know you made the right call. Seeing them practically break into, “We’re off to see the Wizard…” qualified.

Yesterday, I wrote about vocations bringing community and joy. Sitting with them around a small table while they ate burgers and fries, the joy washed over me. Today, sitting with my family as we ate Linguini with clam sauce and celebrated their father’s birthday, I felt it again. Friday it tickled my heart as the students wanted to read the books for their book club. This is the reality we strive for, when people want to gather, when they discover something wonderful they did not know they would love. Moments of truth, service, beauty, kindness, fun, discovery, wonder and awe, these are glimpses of God’s goodness.

Hearing them fall over themselves giggling, singing along to their favorite songs on the radio, and discussing where they went and already planning the next time, it was a small thing –but life is made of all those small things, and if those small things are done with great love, that’s us responding to God’s invitation to live out our vocations. Will write more tomorrow, if only to keep discovering more of what it is God wants me to do.

Uncategorized

#raising adolescents and teens

prayer

vocation

Previous Post

November 21, 2024

Small Success Thursday

Next Post

December 8, 2024 Grief Makes You Stupid

Recent Comments

0 | Leave a Comment

"Being a parent is the greatest blessing. As a Father of seven, I know that ..."

Catholic Dad

Blessed Then and Now

"I love your post! A lot of us focus on making it to the mountain ..."

Catholic Dad

Easter Monday, Now What

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Advent Answered Prayers Blessed Mother Confirmation Devotion of the Sacred Heart Doctors of the Church Easter Family Humor family life Good Friday Growing up Healing Holy Spirit taps Lent Love in the little things Mary Undoer of Knots Not an Apologist Parenting Sacred Heart of Jesus Saint Therese of Lisieux Sin Small Success Saturday Teaching others and myself Uncategorized Waiting Writing Year of Saint Joseph

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz