I like this question. I am going to give it more thought but what comes to my mind is, for the kids that live close to us, a more regular visit would be nice. I know when Dad and I were young parents and didn't have a lot of money we would almost weekly or twice a month or so go and visit Grandma and Grandpa L. It didn't cost anything but gas and the kids enjoyed it. How about a call from anyone of you - just an impromptu call to see how we are doing? These are inexpensive yet bonding means between us. Great question. I will give it more thought. Love to all, Mom
There will never be a shortage of ideas for practical things that we could do to grow in our bonds to one another. Being "practical" is what most of us are best at. The question that comes to mind for me is, (especially being so far away) just how much do I value my family relationships and what am I willing to sacrifice in order to make it a priority. Most days I seem to be willing to sacrifice very little--it's the poor timing, the inconvenience, the cost, etc. that seems so great. When really if I'd stop more often to reflect on my choices, to become more conscious, I might see things differently. I might see that the love that could be shared within a family is highly undervalued these days. It might be a deeply counter cultural experience for me to seek a stronger family connection. Maybe I might value more phone conversations, see that the time spent opening up is valuable. I might see that some people really feel loved when someone remembers them with a card ( I suck at this historically).
What I think is that the practical stuff just becomes second nature when the heart places value on something. Just some thoughts...
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3 comments:
Hey gang, check out the DeWaal family blog site for the question of the week. Why not start up another family converstation with each other?
I like this question. I am going to give it more thought but what comes to my mind is, for the kids that live close to us, a more regular visit would be nice. I know when Dad and I were young parents and didn't have a lot of money we would almost weekly or twice a month or so go and visit Grandma and Grandpa L. It didn't cost anything but gas and the kids enjoyed it. How about a call from anyone of you - just an impromptu call to see how we are doing? These are inexpensive yet bonding means between us. Great question. I will give it more thought. Love to all, Mom
There will never be a shortage of ideas for practical things that we could do to grow in our bonds to one another. Being "practical" is what most of us are best at. The question that comes to mind for me is, (especially being so far away) just how much do I value my family relationships and what am I willing to sacrifice in order to make it a priority. Most days I seem to be willing to sacrifice very little--it's the poor timing, the inconvenience, the cost, etc. that seems so great. When really if I'd stop more often to reflect on my choices, to become more conscious, I might see things differently. I might see that the love that could be shared within a family is highly undervalued these days. It might be a deeply counter cultural experience for me to seek a stronger family connection. Maybe I might value more phone conversations, see that the time spent opening up is valuable. I might see that some people really feel loved when someone remembers them with a card ( I suck at this historically).
What I think is that the practical stuff just becomes second nature when the heart places value on something. Just some thoughts...
Jon
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