The power of prayer, beauty and work
Let us teach our children by example, our faith and our special relationship with a God that is all-loving. Let us show them how to pray, how to talk with our Lord, so that a special bond can also grow between them and their children.
Today, we need to pray for our senators to give them strength to kill the passage of the renewal of the death penalty law. Nothing is impossible with God and more things in this life are brought about by the miracle of prayers.
When the children were growing up, pointing out even the simplest of things was enough to keep their attention. Have you ever seen the beauty of the rose-colored calachuchi (frangipani petals) on the mother tree bereft of leaves? They are a bouquet of beauty to behold. All it took for us was to point out rainbows, waterfalls, mountains, sunrises and sunsets for them to appreciate.
Every summer we used to bring the children to the farm before we sold it. While we were developing the farm, all five of my children, from the eldest (a teenager) to the five-year-old were made to work. No one was exempted. The older ones made holes for the seedlings, the younger ones put fertilizers, and the youngest gathered sticks to put around the seedlings. They planted from early morning, took a break when the sun grew very hot and resumed when it was possible to work again. They also watered the plants.
The children had blisters, tiny wounds and sometimes bruises from falling down but there was no letup. Once, they were caught eating the peanuts they were supposed to plant. But after the scolding they got, nobody dared to do it again.
Today, I feel that a return to the very basics are what we need. Prayer can be taught by example. Beauty can be found everywhere even in the single red petals of the gumamela flowers. Work can be found even in the chores at home. All these lessons need are the parent’s monitoring eyes and ears to help guide our young again.
Let us do away with so much attention given to smartphones, tablets and computers. So much time is spent on social media especially with some young millennials spreading a hate campaign even at their very companions. How quick they are to criticize, to blame and yet they are wasting so much time on social media posting hate messages.
My children remember the hardships of work but they also remember the joys of accomplishments. They have become better persons because of the upbringing we gave them.