“To maintain a joyful family requires much from both the parents and the children. Each member of the family has to become, in a special way, the servant of the others.” (Pope John Paul II)
Early Saturday morning, my dad would cry out “Rise and shine!” This woke us up for our weekly ritual and we all knew what to do. My dad would take charge of cleaning all the bathrooms. My mom would focus on the kitchen. My two older brothers Tom and Jim would cut the grass, wash the cars or shovel the driveway. I would vacuum the floors, dust off the furniture and fold the huge pile of clothes. Even my sister, who was in a wheel chair, would do her part by sewing a quilt, little by little. During the week, my sister and brothers helped me with my homework, we took care of the dishes every night so mom and dad could have their quiet time together, my brothers invited me to play hockey and basketball with their friends…in short, there was a great spirit of team work and collaboration and yes, we were a very happy family!
Wow! I’m amazed Father… I cannot get my family to do any chores joyfully… it’s always angst & anger & push back from my children… How did your mom & dad instll joy in your family? I do try to keep my spiritual life well tuned, daily prayers, daily offering, Adoration, confession, etc. Tips/suggestions would be appreciated! 🙂
A response from Father Michael…..
Dear Friend in Christ,
Thank you for your comment. My dad explained to us that we all needed to chip in to make it work, that we are a team and we are all responsible for the work around the house. He provided for our needs and education and this was the least that we could do. My mom and dad also had a great spirit in their own work and their attitude definitely rubbed off on us. A certain realism is also needed…it is hard to be really happy about cutting the grass or washing the car, but at least we were generally positive and understood that this was fair and reasonable.
God bless,
Fr. Michael Sliney, LC