Love should be seen as something which in a sense never ‘is’ but is always only ‘becoming’” ~ St. John Paul II
All marriages go through a cycle. That cycle includes times of romance, when everything is going well, your love is full, and you are working as a team. It also includes times when things aren’t so great - we call this “disillusionment”. Disillusionment is when you don’t have the feelings of being in love; you may not even like your spouse very much! This is when we feel dry and even alone in our marriage and we need to choose to love. It is like times of dryness in our spiritual life. We still show up to mass, say our prayers, and go through the motions, but we don’t feel close to God. Our marriages can be like this as well! We need to learn that we still need to show up to work with our spouse, choose to smile and be kind, and speak with affection, even if the feelings aren’t there. In this podcast, we describe this part of the cycle of marriage and give some encouragement on how to deal with it and move through it because when you do, it leads to true joy, a love that is deep and real because it has been tested and tried.
“The family is where children discover how to be human. It’s where they learn how to respect and love other people.. where they discover their place in a family story larger than themselves.” -Archbishop Charles Chaput
We meet parents all the time who tell us, “My kids don’t get along!” and our response is, “Of course they don’t get along. That is kind of what your job is as parents. To teach them how to live in peace with other people and they practice this with their siblings.” Family is the training ground for life. This is where children learn how to be human - to fight, to forgive, to share, to live in community. Parents must be the stewards of the culture of the family and part of that culture is the relationship between brothers and sisters. The greatest gift a parent can give their child is a brother or sister - but that is just a starting point. We parents also need to intentionally work to teach those brothers and sisters to love each other. Because strong sibling relationships are one of life’s greatest joys. Listen in as we discuss this essential topic for parents.
Check out our blog post on this topic: Encouraging Good Sibling Relationships
Family communion can only be preserved and perfected through a great spirit of sacrifice.
- St. John Paul II
Let’s be honest. Parenting is hard. Some studies have shown that up to 18% of American parents regret having children. Though that statistic may not be completely true, it does show a growing number of people who don’t just struggle with being a parent, but actually resent it. We need to talk about this! It is good to acknowledge those feelings, but parents need to then move through those feelings, be curious about them, and make sure they don’t get stuck there. In this podcast, we talk about why people may feel this way and what to do about it. Our mission is to empower parents to embrace their sacred calling and we can’t do that without meeting parents where they are at. For those parents who struggle with this job - we hear you and you are welcome here. Listen in and join the conversation.
Check out our blog post on this topic: Help! I Hate Parenting My Kids (Sometimes)
Food is love, but it’s only love if it’s shared. ~ Fr. Leo Patalinghug
Family dinner is something so simple yet so important and foundational in your family culture. We need to constantly be reminded and encouraged to take time to focus on those relationships in our family daily, or at least weekly. In this fun, engaging conversation with Fr. Leo, we discuss family dinners, but also inviting others into our homes, and how to have true leisure. Fr. Leo makes the point that dinners together are not just important, they are actually essential! In this podcast we also talk about our upcoming cruise with Fr. Leo to Portugal and Fatima next spring. It is a river cruise through wine country but also to several shrines and holy places, particularly the blessed shrine of Our Lady of Fatima. We are blessed to have such a great friend in Fr. Leo and we hope that you will join us for this conversation, but also on our trip next year!
Fr. Leo’s organization - https://platinggrace.com/
Women Wonderfully Made FREE Webinar
Join us a the Cruise and Pilgrimage to Fatima - https://www.messyfamilyproject.org/fatima-cruise/
Check out our blog post on this topic: Do Family Dinners Matter?