I often say that family life is sacred and messy all at the same time. It is sacred because it is within the family that we experience the love and mercy of God. But it is also there that we are challenged to become the best person God has created us to be. And everyday family life is seldom nice and neat.

As parents and grandparents, we care and are concerned for our family members and often worry about their well-being or their choices in life. For some of us, the “worry gene” seems to overtake the natural concern that we have, sometimes to the point that it overshadows the joy that is inherent to the life and love that God graces us with every day.

Luke 12:22- “And He said to His disciples, “For this reason I say to you, do not worry about your life, as to what you will eat; nor for your body, as to what you will put on.” Jesus was speaking to his disciples, but also he is speaking to us today.

In one of their EWTN Podcasts, “More2Life,” Dr. Greg and Lisa Popcak spoke about the difference between being concerned for others vs. allowing worry and anxiety to overtake our life and well-being. Reflecting on this difference has been important to me, especially at times when in the life of our family there has been a big change. Recently our daughter and her family moved out of state, and my worry gene seemed to take on a life of its own.

In family ministry, we teach that at every stage of the family life cycle there are rewards, there are challenges, and there are spiritual tasks. In this new stage for my husband Mauri and me, the rewards are establishing our empty nest; the challenges are adjusting to being away from the grandchildren; and one of the spiritual tasks is to “surrender” to God. Everything belongs to God: our life, our family, our children, our home, work, and each day of life. For someone like me who can tend to have a bit of a controlling personality, it is not always easy to surrender; and yet I know  that God is loving and merciful to me even in the midst of my failure to trust and let go to him.

Matthew 6:34 – “So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will care of itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

In reflecting upon this conundrum, I wrote the following poem:

Keeping Joy Alive

Joy is essential for living

Life is for loving and giving

Family time is filled with moments of joy

The dancing of Elias – the laughter of Liana

The antics of Elian as he plays with a toy

The smiles of my Mauri as we share memories and dreams

Worry can steal my joy

When I focus on what might be

As if though I can control

The outcome for you and me

Only God in his Trinitarian love

Can know – will know –  His divine will

In my heart of hearts I know I need not worry

About something that has not yet appeared

But only be grateful for the moment

That is here and is real

Gratefulness allows my heart to open

And be filled with the joy of life

Take in that moment

Among the backyard weedelias

And the blooming Teresitas

Take in the “carcajadas de los niños”

Take in the breath of life

That is God’s gift of joy!