So today was the epitome of catholic chaos… As I ventured
out of the house today – 6 kids in tow – I said a quick prayer for patience and
of course that the lady at Starbucks would get my order right the first time. I
have no doubt that God heard both my pleas and laughed uncontrollably. But despite
the humor of it all, the adventure begins – grocery shopping. Of course it went
as expected. 15 minutes in, 2 screaming babies. 25 minutes in, 3 screaming
babies. 40 minutes in, I may have lost a baby… but I would never admit it. In
my defense, she found a nice hiding place behind the sugar on the bottom shelf.
Quite clever for a 3 year old.
Now, about half way though, my grocery list became a paper
airplane when I was counting the tomatoes and the other patrons didn’t appreciate
grocery cart bumper cars so I hastily headed to checkout as soon as I was close
enough to done ( 2 ½ hours!). Cranky, hungry, and well past my nap time I was
ready to concede defeat. As I approached checkout, I was greeted by the kind
lady with what that look “Tweety Bird” gets when a “Sylvester” runs into the
wall. If the look wasn’t enough, she quickly exclaimed “Did they all come out
of your body!?” Now I really wish my mind was working better at the moment; because
there are countless replies running through my head at this moment – many of
which would have been very uncharitable. But I settled with “No, just picked up
a few random ones on my way to store.” She didn’t say too much after that, I don’t
think she appreciated the humor in the response…
Needless to say it was a long morning, followed by sweeping,
mopping, some homework, and dishes. As I look forward to a nice relaxing
evening it was quickly dashed by the realization that today is the “Feast of the
Assumption of our Blessed Mother.” I don’t intend to marginalize the
significance of today and our Holy Mother. It was not the celebration of this important
day that dashed my fantasy of a blissful night – it was the realization that I had
to once again venture out of the house with my 6 children. To make matters
worse, it was at 7 pm… just before bedtime! Not a good combination at all. But
off to church we go…
It didn’t take long for things to get interesting… baby
crying, little ones restless. Fighting over crayons and stickers. Singing as
loud as possible during the readings. It was all out Chaos, and with them came
an overabundance of “looks”. Not the pity looks you would expect, more like the
“why don’t you shut that kid up?” look. Just what I needed to end an otherwise
chaotic day. Now that the story is out of the way, here is my rant for the day…
When did kids become the new bubonic plague? Although I am
often impressed that some of the folks we encounter can count to 6, I can’t
figure out their need to count them twice as we walk by. When did 6 kids become
so taboo? We live in a society where having 6 cars is more acceptable than
having 6 kids. Buying a 7 figure house is normal – expected – but 6 kids is “crazy”.
A society where were we have a greater concern for our retirement than the legacy
we leave within our children. Sad to say the least. It is indicative of the “me”
culture that we live in today. The same culture that has normalized killing the
unborn for convenience and sex is just an instrument of pleasure. A culture
where we redefine nature for our own gratification. It’s not just sad, it’s
deplorable. I will conclude this rant with one final thought… at the age of 80,
I may be living a meager life – but I will be doing so with more blessings than
there is gold in Fort Knox (is there really gold there?). As for today’s Chaos –
I wouldn’t trade a minute of it. Between all the shouting, crying, and
headaches there were moments of pure joy that would have never occurred otherwise.
Like during mass – MA (keep in mind she is 3) asked where God was. I quickly
told her he is all around us and watches us from heaven. She quickly responded
by jumping down and looking under the pew exclaiming “where is He, I can’t see
Him?” That was followed by her sticking her tongue out… “Can He see me do this?”
A moment we won’t soon forget….
Behold, children are a heritage
from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a
warrior are the children of one's youth. Blessed is the man who fills his
quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies
in the gate.
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