Some people have a lot more appreciation of children than I do. Part of that may be my upbringing, or the feeling that, though children can be delightful, they create a lot of work. Put it down to my laziness, perhaps, which is one of my many faults. Also, I was not raised with a strong work ethic, as many are fortunate to have been. Or even, perhaps, because I don’t know/have the best childrearing skills, I find it difficult at times.
Fast forward to my current life. Having had the blessing of two children in California, one who is in her late twenties and the other in his early thirties, my husband and I moved to Ohio three years ago to be near them and our grandchildren. Being in my late sixties, I envisioned a life of relative ease, compared to when I was a full time mom/homemaker, who volunteered and did some part time paid work.
It has turned out that I work a lot harder than some other periods of my life. I’m growing vegetables in our backyard. I grow a lot of these from seed, in our basement, and when I grow too many, I pot them up and give them away. I do a lot of the other garden work, except lawn mowing, and large shrub and tree trimming. Of course, there’s house cleaning and laundry, and washing dishes by hand, since our dishwasher is not working correctly. I do some cooking, but not every day, and we are fortunate to be able to eat out sometimes. We also have two cats, one of which requires medicine twice a day. Church and volunteering takes up some time, about 10-12 hours per week. There are other day to day tasks, and somewhat frequent doctor appointments, averaging once or twice a week.
The other added task — or opportunity, or blessing, to put it positively — is helping watch our three current grandchildren. I rarely do this alone, but usually with my husband or with the other grandparents. Even with their help, I find it very tiring at times, but also rewarding.
So, a few days ago, while anticipating the fun and the work, I was partly excited and partly grumbly. Part of me wanted a nice quiet, peaceful day. I kept praying for a better attitude, and the Lord answered me by putting a Scripture verse in my head: “but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.”” (Matthew 19:14). I knew then that I could count on God’s help, and that He was, and is, changing my attitude for the better.
clarakatalin 
Siren Warning
Next to our church building is a building housing the school gym, meeting rooms, and other facilities. On top of the building sits a community [air raid] siren, which is tested every first Wednesday of the month at noon. I believe the main purpose of the siren system is to give warning if a tornado has been sighted in that particular county. Of course, it could be used for other warnings. You’re supposed to have a way (radio or otherwise) to find out what it’s about. I am grateful for those who set up and maintain a system to warn people of danger.
Today (first Wednesday of the month) we were worshiping at the 11:30 Mass in the church, and the siren blasted off at noon, before Mass was finished. The priest just keot going and the people acted like nothing was happening, except little kids who probably got scared by it. It IS quite loud, being perhaps 100 to 200 feet away. The first few times I heard sirens here, they were a bit scary, though I learned that the first Wednesday occurrence at noon is just a test. The real ones are scarier. My first one happened just after arriving home in the dark, under a heavy downpour of rain. I heard the siren and didn’t know what to do, being my first summer in the midwest. I called my son’s mother-in-law (we are quite good friends), and while on the call, I think the siren stopped. But it turns out, you are probably supposed to go to your basement to be safer.
The homily (talk by the priest) included a warning about being in a faction or “tribe” and losing sight of the overall transcendence of God because you’re bogged down in your own opinion, wanting to be right, or boasting about your own “tribe”. (This was inspired by the Scripture text: 1 Corinthians, chapter 3.) Many homilies or sermons, if the church is worth its salt, warn about attitudes and sins that are not pleasing to God, and/or not helpful to the unity of the church. So, be grateful when you are given a warning. It might save you and others a lot of grief.
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