Your mission in life

This is NOT a religious post

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One of the things that fills the longing in my heart is the Jesuit homilies. They are never extreme and never bigoted, and never overtly religious either, but rather, they are simple and thought-provoking, and as I see it, little reminders for me about living a better, more fulfilling, life.

Last Sunday, I couldn’t attend Mass, much to my disappointment, but rather than beating myself up over it, I recalled what Fr John of Mill Hill Missionaries said at Westminster Cathedral the Sunday before in his homily. In fact, Fr John said many meaningful things (Wisdom from a Ugandan soldier), including the fact that there are other ways of finding God and meaning, not only via the Christian God though we must do our bit to spread the light (I absolutely love this philosophy).  At the end Mass, he asked us to do a few things, and one of this is to create a peaceful environment for our children for their spiritual growth.

It resonates deeply in me. There is a part in all of us that wants to be heroes and heroines, that want to live extraordinary lives, to be adored and to receive accolades, but really, some of the greatest work is done, often unseen, in the home.

It is also one of the most difficult, probably because there is no recognition, no monetary rewards and no great prizes for the millions of men and women who put their lives quietly into building a warm, loving home for their children. We often can’t see it, but we can feel emotions in every brick of the house, we can pick up the vibes. It’s not about how big or luxurious a house is, but the thoughts and feelings of its inhabitants.

I was home in my parents’ house last weekend and for my brothers and I, it is “the nest”. I wouldn’t have swapped it for the world, and this is where I return to, knowing that my parents have kept my old bedroom exactly the way it was when I lived here. My mother had put her whole life and her happy smile in every brick of this house ❤

Main photo: my daughter in her paternal grandparents’ house. It was just a very simple house in a humble neighbourhood but there was lots of love in that house.