Tag: relationships
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Only the Good Die Young
Billy Joel wrote a very popular song back in the 70s named Only the Good Die Young. It is a very upbeat and catchy song in which he sings about prayers, rosaries, confirmation and Catholic family life. The only problem with the song is that the author is not very happy about his encounters…
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Courtship is not the Answer
I absolutely love the courtship approach to dating for my children, but it isn’t enough. Courtship is the idea that young people should only enter into an exclusive relationship when they are ready to get married. I have discussed in a previous blog post exactly what Dating with Purpose looks like, so go check it…
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Wow, that is a long time!
This past New Year’s Eve, my wife and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary. We decided to make it a big deal and so we let our adult children throw us a party to celebrate the joyous event. They rented a nice hall, brought in our favorite live band, had the event catered, bought a…
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The Cruelty of Dementia – Taking Care of my Father
Visiting the sick, it sounds easy enough, you visit someone who is sick, keep them company, bring them some food, take care of their kids, or bring them medicine. My family has been the recipient of this corporal work of mercy, with each of our nine children. Our friends and family would rise to…
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Joyfully Visiting the Sick
Our Time on This Earth is Short There can be joy in the dying process. I remember my reaction when my father was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer. It was significantly different from the other times I had experienced the loss of a loved one. In the past, I felt somewhat devastated and every fiber…
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Learning To Love During Death
It’s Hard to Grow Closer to Someone you Know is Going to Die I grew up in a loving family, we were very service oriented — giving of our time, talent, and treasure to help those in need. My parents constantly set an example, to show love in everything you do; give of yourself to…
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The Foundation of the Family
After almost 22 years of parenting, we have tried just about everything, encountered just about every struggle and have learned a lot from others about what it takes to have a happy holy family. This year Denae and I will celebrate 25 years of marriage. What a great gift the past 25 years have been…
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May Quick Update
The last few weeks our family has been too busy with activities related to aging parents who need special attention to allow for me to post our weekly article. In fact it has been almost one month since my last post. I have written about the dangers of being too busy and over the last…
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It’s All About Attitude
Attitude, we all have one. Our approach to a person, situation or event usually has a great influence on how it will turn out for us and everyone else involved. One bad attitude can wreck an entire party. The same thing can happen within our homes. There is one chapter in the book Arms of…
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Being the Servant of Others
“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.” St. John Paul II Homily October 7, 1979 On Holy Thursday, the Gospel recalls the washing of the feet of the Apostles by Jesus. He…