St Gabriel Windows

St Gabriel Windows
Photocopy c. 2013 Jamie Laubacher

Sunday, September 01, 2013

Our family–God’s family…

This month is our big start of back to school.  In fact we begin the day after tomorrow! 

Today we enjoyed one last big family get together celebrating Sept. birthdays with the family at a special restaurant and catching up.  I forget how much younger my children are then any of the cousins on either sides of our families until we get together again!  This is one reason I am grateful for my children’s friends and always welcoming to them because we have such an age gap going on.  My husband is the baby of the family (and so am I), and the last youngest of cousins on either side would be 25 yrs old…then my oldest son picks it up with 22…on down the ladder with my bunch, with no other cousins close to their ages.  My oldest son has a cousin that’s 2.5 years older than him, that he’s a twin with (almost quite literally, they could be twins!) and my daughter has a cousin gal five years older than her (that looks just like her Aunt Denise.:)…but they aren’t as close because of the five years difference.  (the cuz friends here in 2009, still babies!)

Doug and Ian

It’s so funny how families are designed by God’s special plan – we just take it as it is!  My children have long been adopted and welcomed into other families through the years, so they have others besides their cousins naturally, and that always does a mother’s heart good to know that there are other families outside of family, that care about their children as much as family would.  I am grateful for my own second mom and dad growing up, with my dear friend Kris – I was always welcome at their home,  and went on many vacations with them.  Likewise, Kris practically lived with us many summers and to this day although the miles are between us, we stay in close touch.  Her youngest son, a Godchild of mine, just came to visit recently, on his trip across the states back home.  It was wonderful to see this young man growing up and another generation of hope to carry on.

So, we too, are welcoming to our children’s friends; our home by it’s very nature is in the middle of town and so many just stop by at random.  It’s been this way for years and I really wouldn’t have it any other way.  We love when friends stop by any time. Hospitality is a virtue …

Which brings me to God’s family; and welcoming them and inviting them into the word of God. I have been preparing to begin leading a bible study prayer group for our parish this Fall, and it is finally been confirmed and organized, and blessed by our pastor.  I’m looking forward to it and I think my family will benefit from it as well.  I know I need it.  And my teen son will put to use his confirmation gifts by helping to watch other children that may have to come for the evening study. He has been growing more responsible by the minute (and working through his anxiety heroically). So, we are doing it “as a family”; my husband included, as he will also be available to help lead in my place when needed.  So we have been praying daily about this endeavor and are pretty excited about it.  Our resource is almost endless as we’ve chosen the Liguori Catholic BIble Study series to help facilitate the study.  We are starting with Acts of the Apostles:

This is a wonderful to the point, “prayerful” series.  We will do the first eight weeks following this resource, take a break, and pick up with another book of the bible in winter, and likely another in the spring. 

And so it is, as we say hello to yet another Labor Day, and yet another school year, we look forward to how God will speak to us and use us this year ahead……I have a feeling that this is going to be a very good year.

God bless+

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