Prayer for those seeking employment

Momma has many requests for prayers, some are for healing, some for wisdom, some for comfort but lately, many are for employment.

Momma Explains and Prays: I am a big believer in prayer, a small prayer, a long prayer , in community or in solitude, prayer is my way of reaching out of myself and toward a higher plain. It is a comfort and solace, an invitation and celebration. Prayer is our communication with the God who made us.

Lately, many friends, family and acquaintances have asked for prayers to aid in their search for a job. I add each one to my requests. Since the economy is very challenging at this time and many are frightened and concerned for their future, I offer the following prayer from Catholic Prayers. It really speaks to all hearts no matter their church affiliation. I hope it will bring comfort to many of you who are suffering in this economic clime. God's peace and direction be yours.

Prayer for Job Seeker
Gracious and loving God, you know our need for meaningful work. Send your Holy Spirit to guide those who are searching for employment. Help them to recognize the gifts and talents you have given them.
Deepen their desire to follow your will. Inspire them as they contact potential employers. Give them patience as they wait for responses. Shelter them from feelings of rejection. Protect them from discouragement. Give them courage to overcome fear.
Shower on them the graces they need to persevere. Let this time of searching become an opportunity to grow in faith, to cultivate the virtue of hope, and to experience your healing love. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen

Letting them GO, Letting them GROW

Momma wants you to know that we all struggle with parenting. One question that often arises is
" How do I know when to let them go, even if it means they may fall?"

Momma Explains: Simply, as you let go, let them grow. If your child wants to do something that causes you concern, first examine the motivation for their request and the reasons for your concern. Although it is difficult to remain clinical, an unemotional approach is beneficial in analyzing the situation. When a child wants to try something new such as riding a bike, they often instinctively know that they are ready. While you may need to bandage a scraped knee or two, the child with the proper precautions, will learn to ride that bike. A bandaged knee does not keep a child from growing. Letting them try to ride that bike is a step toward their independence and self sufficiency, it is not a step toward self-destruction. When a child wishes to try something that you believe may be leading toward self-destruction, then you say " No !". Determining whether your fear is justified is a challenge which is why I do advocate using both literary sources and peer sources. Other mothers and fathers who share your value system are a wonderful source of advice. Good child development and parenting books are a worthwhile investment. We really do enter parenthood with little expertise or experience, which is why we are always learning along with our children. We do, however, have an obligation to prepare ourselves for the challenges of parenthood by reading, consulting and praying. Lord knows, we all need to pray our way through parenting.
As my children continue to grow, I watch them enter their own phases of parenting and I am touched when they seek my advice. Grandparents are a sound advisory board and they have that wonderful thing called experience on their side. Not all experiences are good but we can learn from failure as well as success. So as you continue down the road of child rearing, use your own instincts, sound judgment, outside literature, clinicians, friends and family but most of all use a prayer every night that you will guide your children to Grow as they Go.

College Kids Return Home

Momma spoke with many other parents who have College students now returning home. What was an anticipated reunion has become an INVASION !


Momma Explains: Before our children left for college we diligently loaded them up with new supplies necessary for their survival in the academic circus and dorm jungle. From aspirin to sheets, small refrigerators to popcorn cases, we shopped it all. We sent then off fully armed to face LIFE ON THEIR OWN. What we forgot is that they would be returning with ALL their newly acquired paraphernalia and any other items they managed to salvage during their stay at school. These items now are scattered, literally, through out the house. Hampers, Boxes, Microwaves, Clothes, Bedding, Books ( yes they did actually purchase some) , a multitude of stuff including the moldy refrigerator that must now only be used for the benefit of science. This collection has managed to invade hallways, garages, rooms, kitchens and any unused crevice available. It is the clutter of chaos decorative theme, and you must now navigate normalcy out of this. Short of torching it all in a big pork roast for the neighborhood, I really think each parent should be provided a SANITY SHED from the college. After all, those schools are charging quite a sum to house and educate the child, they do not provide the extemporaneous necessities so we do, but for goodness sakes, let them house them in a school provided SHED. What a great way to stimulate the economy, we need SHED makers, and SHED shippers, we could rent the SHEDS for a nominal fee. This is SHED housing, right on campus. Then, when the student returns to school all the mold, germs, and articles will have been safely housed at their school. Okay, now what parents are going to support this idea, lets get the economy off to a great start. SHED-mania for our sanity.

Remembering to give Thanks

Momma knows we do not wake up each day just full of energy and excitement but we can wake up to joy.

Momma Explains: One year I decided to get up each morning and thank God for something in my life. I would do this each day with out any repeats. At first I thought it would actually be a challenge to find that many things to be grateful to have BUT was I surprised as the list grew. First, we need to start by recognizing the small things in our lives that have made us happier, or our lives easier. Sometimes it is something as simple as the clouds in the sky, which give us beauty and rain and a great game of imagination if you watch them. Friends, family, food, birds, flowers, herbs, trains, computers, all took on a different light as I saw gratitude in their presence. I suddenly found that I was noticing things and people around me, noticing their value and my thanks. I offered thanks for the drivers who take my garbage each week, bless them. I offered thanks for pencils, really, pencils. Imagine when all they had was ink and quills? Our lives are so full of people, moments, items, and luxuries that we take for granted. Often the most minute items are the ones that we would be distraught if we had to live without them. For example, how would you do with out matches? Man did discover fire quite awhile ago, but every time we need to light the candles on our table, in the bathroom or more importantly on a birthday cake, have you ever been thankful. You should be, my icing would be running off the cake if we had to wait for me to rub flint and sticks to strike a spark. It is actually a joyous experience when you begin to realize all that you have for which to thank the Lord. Suddenly we are far richer than we knew. Try this THANKS game for a week, have the children participate. See what they discern as gifts and feel yourself responding to the joy of knowing that we are loved for we are so blessed, just look at the clouds.

I Will Not Let You Fail

It is the end of the school year and as many look forward to the free time over the summer, we may have to deal with poor grades, a struggling student, confused teenager or even an anxious bride. As parents, everyday is a challenge and an experience. So Momma offers the following blog to hopefully encourage and embrace that which we are called to accept as parents.

"I will not let you fail !" sounds like an impossible task when it comes to our children but Momma has a different interpretation of "LET" and what it means to us as a parent.

Momma Explains: According to most dictionaries the word " let " means to allow, permit or to grant and while as parents we do not possess super human abilities despite what our children believe,( they still think I have supernatural hearing) , we are asked to do almost supernatural tasks. And so as parents, devoted parents, we put our child's needs before our own. We are called to instruct, correct, console and encourage. We are called to direct our children away from the things that will cause them to FAIL and toward the things they need to succeed physically, emotionally and spiritually. So by the bold statement " I will not let you fail" Momma means that I will not let you do things that cause you harm, I will not walk away from you when you make a mistake, I will support you when you succeed and will pick you up when you fall. I may not be able to prevent you from making poor choices or failing at something but I will not LET you stand alone. I will accept a discipline that you have earned but I will support you through the difficulty. I will take away the computer game if it keeps you from your homework obligations, I will be the ONLY parent who does not allow their child to go to the underage drinking party!
( I always respond to the statement " But you are the ONLY ONE who won't LET me" with my favorite rebuttal ," Good I LOVE being NUMBER ONE !) Letting our children do things that are irresponsible is letting them fail. Of course it is always harder to be tough on them than to LET them have their way. Directing them is not easy, discouraging poor choices is time consuming, bucking the popular opinion is daunting but FAILING is not an option. Loving them is so easy when they are babies because they rely on and trust in us for all decisions. It is not easy to convince our child that our decisions are in their best interest when they think otherwise. It takes much fortitude when we have to pick up the child who was suspended or stand next to them at a hearing or stay up trying to encourage them to finish some blasted project ( especially when we are missing the one and only TV show all week that we take the time to watch ) - That is what Momma means when she says, " I will not let you fail ." And do not be discouraged if you can't be perfect , I mean even God our Father had to get tough and throw his kids out...Naked...and not even a meatball sandwich to take with them. However, Our Father stayed with them when they erred, corrected them, encouraged them and finally sent His Only Son to suffer and die to " Let" them Not Fail. You can remain steadfast and even when tired and down you can still press on, and your children will always know that despite all trials, in great times and scary ones, they have a foundation to stand on, one that keeps saying, I love you and
" I will not let you fail."