A Late Sunday Afternoon

Just My Daddy checking in.... I actually blogged sometime back about the many thoughts that are going through my head... but was erased when I was publishing it. oh well. I guess God knows best. There were stuff that obviously He felt that they ought to stay within my head. I guess I just needed to ventilate (a word that I've learnt in my last 1+ year in the social service sector).

This weekend has been a working weekend for me. Sat afternoon/evening was spent at Vivo City, together with the rest of the team manning a counter at the Launch of a Community Programme by Dairy Farm Singapore (The Cold Storage Group). CCSS is the adopted charity of Dairy Farm and we were there to sell coupons (proceeds will go to CCSS), promote CCSS (about the programmes and services of CCSS), sell the lovely paintings (done by the children from CareHuts) and the arts and crafts done by the elderly, etc. And I was in church to oversee the counter for the return of the donation cards. So, I'm contemplating taking the day off tomorrow to rest.

Was supposed to attend a friend's wedding but looking at the demands this weekend, we made a choice to stay home with the family. My family needs me around. My kids need their father - just to be around. Even as I'm writing this, Megan is sitting on my lap, reading this. :-)

Seeing my family - all taking their afternoon nap, while typing my blog, is so therapeutic for me. I just feel contented. Looking at Joe curling up into a ball, lying on my bed next to mom just brings a smile to my face. The energised Megan is just at one corner reading her book. Or at least trying to read her book.

Being around the family is important and making the decision to be with them and say No to certain commitments take courage. I recently met a brother-in-Christ who is an itinerant minister (who works in a para church organisation and preaches at other churches), has a family of 6 kids (the 6th one is arriving within these couple of days) and he and his wife homeschool the 5 kids.

We asked him how he managed the family and if I recall correctly, his wife and him just manage it. As far as I understand, they have no other help (no parent or in-law support), no domestic helper. Just them. The eldest is responsible for the second one and the second is responsible for the third one and so forth. And 1 thing I've learnt from him and respect him is that he knows how to say No. He said No because he feels that he needs to be with the family, stand alongside his wife cause if he's not there, she'll be there managing on her own, which is kinda tough (with a big family). And he said that when he's out too often, the kids' behaviour will show. As the father, when he's around, coaching them, teaching them, imparting values into their lives, the kids will grow up well.

That is an important lesson for me. To learn to say No. To know what's God is calling me to do this season and to stay focus. To be with the family. To be with Sal and support her. To take care of the kids so that she too will have her time and space for some respite.

The kids are growing up. If the father is too caught up with work and other businesses and not around for the kids (and his wife), how can we expect our kids to grow up loving God, living His values and be God-fearing man and women. The foundations we lay in their lives will be the bedrock of their character in future.

Hence, I've always loved story telling time with my kids. I try to make it as animated and fun as possible, getting the kids involved in the story and where relevant, impart a nugget of wisdom. Eg last night. I read them a story called the Saddest King. In this story, everyone in the kingdom is always happy, no matter what happened - a burnt dinner, a bunch of withered flowers, stepping on doggy poo, etc. Why? Because the king made a decree that no one is to be sad, angry, grumpy etc. It is against the law until one day a little boy cried and the guards brought him to see the king. The king has the widest smile you can ever find. But during the conversation, the boy found out that behind the smile (which is a mask), he finds a king who is very very very sad. You want to find out more, you'll have to go to the NLB to borrow the book. At the end of the story, I told the kids that if they are sad (at any point in time), they can always talk to ... Joe shouts out - Jesus! YES! I said loudly... Yes you can talk to Jesus... but they can also come to daddy and mommy and talk to us, so that we can talk about it and pray about it. If they're happy, they are also welcomed to tell us the joke that made them laugh (like Meg told me she tickled granny and laughed uncontrollably after that - and we laughed together). ... And in their anger, do not sin (a memory verse they learnt in Discoveryland last week - Ps 4:4 quoted Megan).

That's why I deliberately spend time at the library to borrow books for them, so that I can read to them.

ok... meg and joe's up. Gotta run... Time for their bath and off to dinner.... Checking out.

My Daddy.