No Slowing Down

By Sarah McDonald

Maybe it’s because another baby is due any day. More likely, though, it’s because I have thoroughly enjoyed each stage of my children’s lives so far. I often wonder how we have found ourselves with an 11-year-old whose foot is as big as mine, but I’ve never wished to go backwards.

Are there decisions we’ve made that we would want to reconsider? Sure. Are there disciplinary actions we wish we would have taken or not taken? Definitely. Are there opportunities we sometimes feel we missed out on? Yes, but going back in time or slowing it down – no, that doesn’t cross my mind.

As my children get ready to go back to school for the 2022-23 school year, I am more excited about what’s ahead. I am excited to witness their growth and formation. I am excited to meet their new baby brother, even if it a test of patience and letting go of anxiety. I am excited and hopeful for the future, not longing to go back.

When I look at photos of my big kids as babies, does my heart ache? Maybe. But not for longing for what was, but in thanksgiving for the opportunity to watch my babies grow and for allowing me to remember in full color and video their sweet beginnings.

We are responsible for raising a new generation of Catholics who are going to be tested in ways we couldn’t even have imagined. If my trepidation is based on anything, it’s not them aging too fast, but the world they will be entering.

So, let’s look ahead to the future and raise our babies according to what St. Catherine was inspired by the Holy Spirit to write, “Be who God meant you to be, and you will set the world on fire!”