The Catholic Leader Flipbook - Issue 5594 - March 22

24 / 32

24
The Catholic Leader, March 22, 2020
Family + faith
FAMILY FAITH
WE are living in unprecedented times.
As I write today, My Dearly Beloved has gone to work but will
return for lunch, in his normal way.
I will cook for him, as I do when I can and am home. It’s his
“normal”.
Miss 18, who completed high school last year, is rehearsing a
musical presentation within a lunchtime group of local others and
the dalliance will be followed by a visit to the gym.
Her new “normal” routine is a mix of work, study and play,
supported by local therapies for emotional and physical wellness.
Miss 18’s non-neurotypical self is coping well with the change
in routines, from the regularity of school to freer times post,
although it’s a constant dialogue of positive reinforcement, trial
and error.
Her sister, Miss 16 was at the doctor yesterday, far from her
normal.
Last week was a series of highly-stress filled days and nights
before exams and assessments, reasonably normal and expected.
She’d also done a public speaking competition and within days
of weather changes from thinking it’s summer to suddenly winter,
came out worse for wear.
The weekend resulted in her coughing and spluttering within
isolation and at a healthy distance from us all.
This reality meant Miss 16 couldn’t cantor the psalm at Sat-
urday’s Vigil, nor see any friends, certain teenage angst for the
latter particularly.
We’d also had an overseas visitor last week although she’d
been in Australia for six weeks and was well, and that meant
many “not-so-normal” outings and plans.
Yesterday doctor’s visit alleviated any serious concerns but
Miss 16 remains in isolation, on the up and up, hopefully back
to her normal soon, yes even looking forward to and asking for
assessments.
Master Six-and-a-Half was quite uninspired about going to
school today and we erred on the side of caution because of a
persistent runny nose and evident sore throat, following many of
the school’s suggestions to do exactly this.
He’s been asking for his new “normal” to be home schooling,
having tested these waters on the Christmas holidays when I was
ready and willing to be more productive with time, post festivi-
ties.
I heard on the news just now that President Donald Trump has
encouraged American parents to consider this form of education.
It may come to that here too and we know families who have
for some time or are considering it.
Personally I’ve found home schooling rewarding for all three
of our offspring, for varying reasons and at different stages of
their education.
It was rewarding because God was the ultimate teacher through
these times.
And God continues to teach and guide us through unprecedent-
ed scenes and stages, as we accept or lament our new definitions
of normal.
Our situation and struggles differ from yours, and every indi-
vidual, couple or family on the planet, but we are united in the
need to live our best lives.
So what can we do to help ourselves, those we cherish and oth-
ers at a distance?
I was pondering these very questions in Adoration of the
Blessed Sacrament on Sunday and here’s what I came up with.
Our prayer lives are more important than ever. If and where we
can, listen to the rosary or any other form of prayerful accom-
paniment at home especially. This will hopefully lift anyone’s
mood, as it does mine, no matter the circumstances, and point to
BY SELINA
VENIER
the Divine in all things.
Read the scriptures daily, making it routine and a new normal
if this isn’t regular.
Talk about their relevance, especially with young people and
children, even those you call or Facetime or email. Don’t be
limited by the people in the room.
Investigate and discuss the saint of the day.
These true stories reach beyond the pages and images found
and come alive.
Young people can enter into artistic representation to enhance
understanding, too.
Best not tell you about the paint and canvases in Miss 16’s
space.
Enjoy the sunshine. Vitamin D and fresh air, where you can
enjoy it and as is practical and reasonable without overdoing it,
will benefit beyond the body to the mind, soul and spirit.
Plant or weed something.
Where we live, not everything flourishes through the winter but
there’s nothing better than enjoying the sunshine and tilling the
soil at the same time, enjoying the fruits of the eventual harvest
of vegetables or fruit. I even half enjoyed weeding for two hours
recently, as back breaking as it was, simply deciding that it was
my Lenten penance.
If you’re wondering how someone is, do this strange thing
called actually contacting them.
God teaches and guides through unprecedented scenes
BY SELINA VENIER
Selina Venier is a
journalist, author
and teacher but,
first of all, a wife
and mother-of-
three
Stay informed with the
important issues that affect you,
your family and your faith
Keeping Faith with You
Subscribe: | phone: 07 3324 3555
I’ve been praying for my elderly grandmothers daily and
while they’d start to think things are abnormal if I contacted
them more often than not, I do it anyway because I know their
isolation is beyond the physical.
I could keep going, and perhaps will, next column, but space
and time are limited.
Sometimes I ask God for “five more minutes” or more, in
any given moment, oftentimes “just another day” to finish a
task or improve a project, a situation, an endless number of
things.
We never have enough time so make the most of the present.
ůŽŽŬĂƚƐĂĐƌĞĚƉĂƌƚƐŽĨ
ĂŶĚƌŽůĞƐŝŶĂ ĂƚŚŽůŝĐ ŚƵƌĐŚ
,ĂǀĞLJŽƵĞǀĞƌǁŽŶĚĞƌĞĚǁŚĂƚƚŚĞŶĂŵĞƐŽĨƉĂƌƚƐŽĨĂ
ĐŚƵƌĐŚĂƌĞ͍,ĂǀĞLJŽƵĞǀĞƌǁŽŶĚĞƌĞĚǁŚĂƚƚŚŽƐĞƐĂĐƌĞĚ
ƐƉĂĐĞƐĂƌĞƵƐĞĚĨŽƌ͍
/ ĂŶ^ƉĞůů ĞůŽŶŐŝŶŐŚĞůƉƐƚŽƐĞĞĂŶĚƵŶĚĞƌƐƚĂŶĚŵĂŶLJ
ƉĂƌƚƐŽĨĂŶĚƌŽůĞƐŝŶĂ ĂƚŚŽůŝĐ ŚƵƌĐŚ͘
/ůůƵƐƚƌĂƚĞĚďLJĐŚŝůĚƌĞŶ͕ƚĞĞŶĂŐĞƌƐĂŶĚLJŽƵŶŐĂĚƵůƚƐĨƌŽŵ
ƚŚƌĞĞƚŽϮϬLJĞĂƌƐ͕ƚŚĞƌĞĂĚĞƌĐĂŶĂůƐŽƌĞĂůŝƐĞƚŚĂƚŽƵƌ
ďĞůŽŶŐŝŶŐƚŽƚŚĞ ŚƵƌĐŚ͕ĂƐĂďƵŝůĚŝŶŐĂŶĚĂƐƚŚĞWĞŽƉůĞ
ŽĨ'ŽĚ͕ŝƐĨŽƌĂůůĂŐĞƐ͘
/ŶƚŚŝƐǁĂLJ͕ Ͳ Ͳ>ͲKͲEͲ'Ͳ/ͲEͲ'ĐĂŶďĞƐƉĞůƚĂŶĚĨĞůƚďLJĂůů
ǁŚŽďĞůŝĞǀĞ͘
IROGOLQH
Œ¥¦žŸ——›š
tƌŝƩĞŶďLJ^ĞůŝŶĂsĞŶŝĞƌĂŶĚŝůůƵƐƚƌĂƚĞĚďLJLJŽƵŶŐ ĂƚŚŽůŝĐƐ
BACK TO SCHOOL SPECIAL
I Can Spell Belonging
25
copies
for
$100
a book about the Church for
young people
By Selina Venier
AVAILABLE NOW!
Order today by calling Selina on 0409 735 462
Practical approach: “Enjoy the sunshine. Vitamin D and fresh air, where you can enjoy it and as is practical and reasonable
without overdoing it, will benefit beyond the body to the mind, soul and spirit.”