Our Family Rosary

Part of our Lenten habits that I am trying to instill in our children this year is saying the Rosary together each morning before we start our studies. Though I would like to say that my children act perfectly and it is the holiest 30 minutes you would ever want to attend, well, the results are a little less than perfect with my 11, 8, 5 and 1 year olds. I have a wiggly 8 year old that likes nothing better than to play "peek-a-boo" with his baby sister, and an 11 year old, who normally could care less what his little brother was doing, but suddenly decides it's HIS job to correct his playing WITH the baby. Then since he's at it he decides it is also his job to manage and distract the baby himself... Then there is my 5 year old daughter that giggles every 2 minutes or so, and asks if prayers are almost over every other minute in between....

But God Bless us all, as I try to simply offer it all up to God. Do you think that Jesus ever acted up when He was a baby, while Mary was trying to say her prayers?.... hhhhmmmm... okay, maybe not... But I DO know that she knows and loves my little ones at least as much as I do, and I ask for her favor, prayer and guidance ALL THE TIME. I often wonder HOW protestants get along WITHOUT a devotion to the one that was CLOSEST to Jesus... I remember a former CCD teacher of mine once telling me of a particularly trying day when her kids were bouncing off the walls (she had 6), dinner was burning on the stove, her husband was late coming home from work and she could do NOTHING else but stand in the middle of the living room looking up and CRYING, "God, I am NO Mary, my husband is NO Joseph, and I don't have not ONE Jesus among my kids! Please HELP me!" After a few minutes she was able to pull herself together again, hubby came home, the kids settled down and dinner was on the table. I'm not sure that I was even married when she shared that story with me, and I would have NEVER have guessed that I would have been able to relate so well all these years later...

Tomorrow morning, we will try again... The kids take turns leading the prayers, so that at least keeps them focused for that short amount of time.... As I listen to my 5 year old recite, "Our Father, who art in heaven, hollowed by MY name..." I picture Mary, MY mother smiling down at us. God blesses the effort... The 8 year old struggles to sit still and NOT play too much with the baby, who toddles around taking all the rosaries from our hands, then handing them back, and the oldest gives a heavy sigh of distraction and Rose lets go another giggle... : ) We DO have much to be thankful for... Thank God for the season of Lent and giving us these golden opportunities to offer our hearts, minds and voices to Mary our mother and Jesus her Son!