Thee Family Tree

I decided to actually sit down and write my book on family. I've written the preface and decided to put it on my blog:

My original intent of writing this handbook was to pass on many family “jewels,” traditions and recipes to my kids in the form of a keepsake. As this book went through my head over the years, a friend encouraged me to write to a bigger audience. She thought what I had to say, many could learn from. For some people, raising seven kids gives me credibility and makes me an expert in several areas such as organization, communication, frugality and discipline. There are many moms out there who have raised more children than I who could have, just as easily, written this book. So, what else gives me credibility? Could it be my family background?

My husband is from a family of 9 and his mom has 30 grandchildren and as of this writing 5 great grandchildren. His family tree is a perfectly shaped triangle. I come from a family tree that looks like a web designed by a spider on caffeine: 2 parents, each with 3 marriages, 17 children between them, 32 grand kids and 15 great grand kids. The experiences I can pull from within my extensive family is wide and varied with many visibly present lessons for the kids to learn from. I would call this a type of comparative research. Hmmm…..could credibility come from my education and work experience?

My degree is in Organizational Communications with a Business option. My business career was very short, only four years in the Industrial Relations department of a large corporation. I spent those four years traveling factories auditing EEO policies and practices, training management in Teamwork, Behavioral Interviewing, Active Listening, and Franklin Time Management. When marriage two began, the career ended and my family career began. I have 7 children and all the experience that goes into raising them and homeschooling them. My children find me credible, but I still wonder how one achieves credibility?

As I contemplate credibility a few things come to mind. 1) We are a very successful family. Don’t get me wrong, there is screaming, and fighting, and chaos at my house, too, but for the most part my marriage is awesome and my kids are all great friends to each other, they are caring and joyful, they love God and they are successful at what they do. 2) Over a short period of time we have experienced much sorrow and many struggles in our family. Our strength can be found only in our strong faith in God. 3) We have had the opportunities to be very generous. We have also been on the receiving end of great generosity. All of these experiences have taught us that obedience, gratitude, love and humility will bring so much joy and peace. I guess on the outside, looking in, how we have handled ourselves in these situations, and how we are living our life and our faith, and being examples to our children, is also setting examples for others. Our example is credible. Our example has to be credible…it must be credible.

My “new” goal of this handbook is to pass down to the next generation the importance of family, which seems to be not only losing its importance, but also losing its meaning.

Generational Healing

We always go to John's mom's house every Sunday for the family rosary...along with his other intown siblings. At the end of the rosary, chaplet & intentions, we say the following prayer. After the prayer, I have included one of todays readings, which makes me question if there is such a thing as generational sin. Hmmmmm.

PRAYER FOR HEALING THE FAMILY TREE
Rev. John H. Hampch, CMF

Heavenly Father, I come before you as your child, in great need of your help. I have physical health needs, emotional needs, spiritual needs,and interpersonal needs. Many of my problems have been caused by my ownfailures, neglect and sinfulness, for which I humbly beg your forgiveness, Lord. But, I also ask you to forgive the sins of my ancestors whose failures have left their effects on me in the form of unwanted tendencies, behavior patterns and defects in body, mind and spirit. Heal me, Lord, of all these disorders.

With your help I sincerely forgive everyone, especially living or dead members of my family tree, who have directly offended me or my loved ones in any way, or those whose sins have resulted in our present sufferings and disorders. In the name of your divine Son, Jesus, and in the power of His Holy Spirit, I ask you, Father, to deliver me and my entire family tree from the influence of the evil one. Free all living and dead members of my family tree, including those in adoptive relationships, and those in extended family relationships, from every contaminating form of bondage. By Your loving concern for us, heavenly Father, and by the shedblood of your Precious Son Jesus. I beg you to extend your blessing to me and all my living and deceased relatives. Heal every negative effect transmitted through all past generations, and prevent such negative effects in future generations of my family tree. I symbolically place the cross of Jesus over the head of each person in my family tree, and between each generation. I ask you to let the cleansing blood of Jesus purify the blood lines in my family lineage. Set your protective angels to encamp around us, and permit Archangel Raphael, the patron of healing, to administer your divine healing power to all of us, even in areas of genetic disability. Give special power to our family members' guardian angels to heal, protect, guide and encourage each of us in all our needs. Let your healing power be released at this very moment, and let it continue as long as your sovereignty permits. In our family tree, Lord, replace all bondage with a holy bonding in family love. And let there be an ever deeper bonding with You, Lord, by the Holy Spirit, to your Son Jesus. Let the family of the Holy Trinity pervade our family with its tender, warm, loving presence, so that our family may recognize and manifest that love in all our relationships. All of our unknown needs we include with this petition that we pray in Jesus' precious Name. Amen.

Book of Ezekiel 18,1-10.13.30-32.

Thus the word of the LORD came to me: Son of man, what is the meaning of this proverb that you recite in the land of Israel: "Fathers have eaten green grapes, thus their children's teeth are on edge"? As I live, says the Lord GOD: I swear that there shall no longer be anyone among you who will repeat this proverb in Israel. For all lives are mine; the life of the father is like the life of the son, both are mine; only the one who sins shall die. If a man is virtuous--if he does what is right and just, if he does not eat on the mountains, nor raise his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel; if he does not defile his neighbor's wife, nor have relations with a woman in her menstrual period; if he oppresses no one, gives back the pledge received for a debt, commits no robbery; if he gives food to the hungry and clothes the naked; if he does not lend at interest nor exact usury; if he holds off from evildoing, judges fairly between a man and his opponent; if he lives by my statutes and is careful to observe my ordinances, that man is virtuous--he shall surely live, says the Lord GOD. But if he begets a son who is a thief, a murderer, or who does any of these things lends at interest and exacts usury--this son certainly shall not live. Because he practiced all these abominations, he shall surely die; his death shall be his own fault. Therefore I will judge you, house of Israel, each one according to his ways, says the Lord GOD. Turn and be converted from all your crimes, that they may be no cause of guilt for you. Cast away from you all the crimes you have committed, and make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. Why should you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies, says the Lord GOD. Return and live!

Gardener's Helper

I have discovered a wonderful site called Daves Garden that lets you keep a blog and a journal about gardening. The journal is basically a database of all your plants and a record of what you are doing with them, etc. It has more plant files and information on plants, sellers and buyers and traders and other gardeners than you could ever use. It is awesome and where I have been spending most of my time the last few months...of blogging that is. Not that I ever did too much of it anyway. My title will link you there, have fun!

God is so Good

Well a lot has happened financially, physically & spiritually since my last post.

Financially:
We have been barely making it with our 28% pay cut, but are perfectly content with that, because for about a month we thought John was going to be without a job all together. We qualified for Hawk-i health for our kids' health insurance, and I keep discovering new ways to save money. I will say that the online survey taking thing is a complete waste of time. I tried it for about 1 month and I made a total of about $20 woopie!

Physically:
I went in to the doctor's when I was sick and they found an enlarged thryroid, so I have had sonograms, radioactive iodine scans, thyroid function tests, calcitonin levels checked and needle biopsies taken. I am waiting for the needle biopsy results, which I find out tomorrow, but I think all is going to be fine. My brother Rex has Medullary Thyroid cancer and it is 50% chance siblings and children would have it, so I was a little scared, but all results that I have back so far are normal.

Spiritually:
Through the trials and tribulations I have grown to trust in God more than ever. John lost his brother Kevin in January, so this has been a real struggle for him also. I received the following prayer in an email the other day. Of course with my OCD tendencies I had to totally rearrange it so that like sentences were grouped together and I had to correct the grammar, but what it had to say was awesome for what I needed. It gave me total peace after reading it, and within a few hours we were given the great news that John would keep his job.

Dear Lord,
I thank You for this day. I thank You for my being able to see and to hear this morning. I'm blessed because You are a forgiving God and an understanding God. You have done so much for me and You keep on blessing me. Help me to start this day with a new attitude and plenty of gratitude. Let me make the best of each and every day to clear my mind so that I can hear from You. Please broaden my mind that I can accept all things. Let me not whine and whimper over things I have no control over. And give the best response when I'm pushed beyond my limits. Please keep me safe from all danger and harm.

I pray for those that are lost and can't find their way. I pray for those that are misjudged and misunderstood. I pray for those who don't know You intimately. I pray for those that don't believe. I pray for all my sisters and brothers, for each and every family member in their households. I pray for peace, love and joy in their homes that they are out of debt and all their needs are met.

Forgive me this day for everything I have done, said or thought that was not pleasing to you.

God I love you and I need you, come into my heart, please. I know that when I can't pray, You listen to my heart. Continue to use me to do Your will. Continue to bless me that I may be a blessing to others. Keep me strong that I may help the weak. Keep me uplifted that I may have words of encouragement for others.

I thank you for my belief and trust in you. Every battle is in Your hands for You to fight.

Amen