Tuesday, January 09, 2007

Hot chocolate and holiness

Every once in a while I read a blog post that has me jumping up and down shouting "yes! YES!". Alice at Cottage Blessings just posted one in which she talks about sowing the seed of faith by building happy memories. Don't miss it!

One of the things I am happiest about this academic year is my new routine of taking one of the older girls to Mass on Tuesday mornings, followed by a treat. This morning was Angel's turn ... Mass, a couple of errands in town and then on to the coffee bar for a caramel latte (me) and hot chocolate with whipped cream and marshmallows (her). It is an extravagance, but it is also money well spent. I'm convinced that building a strong mother-daughter relationship is a top priority as she reaches adolescence - and time to chat while sharing a treat is a great way to do that. It also means that both girls' response to being reminded that it is their turn for Mass in the morning is "great!" ... which is just the response I want! Alice's post reinforced my feeling that taking one morning a week to do this is more important than any academics that get missed as a consequence, and also made me resolve to be more alert to spotting other ways to build the connection between faith and happy memories.

3 comments:

Nancy Ruth said...

What a great idea. My husband wanted to make sure that the kids liked the idea of university, so would take them individually to the faculty club for lunch.

Romany said...

Yes, yes, yes.

It's vital, approaching adolescence, to keep hold of our children's hearts.

These are the ideas Sally Clarkson writes so passionately about in her books.

Dorothy

Alice Gunther said...

You have no idea, Kathryn, how thrilled I am to read this--and what a great cup of cocoa! I need to go upstairs and find my passport . . . .

: )

Thank you for your kind words!