Care Talks

ERNIE MAIPID with ARIA

How apt it is that the Church should herald the beginning of a new year with the feast of Mary, Mother of God. With last night’s riotous sending-off of the old year still ringing in our ears, we recall a ‘going’ and now, a ‘coming.’ In both instances, we celebrate God’s caring love!

Two years ago, we left the country to visit our three children in Australia, all of whom had left home earlier and made family. We have eight grandchildren. 

As we wondered about our next step, staying at home, the children cajoled us to follow. ‘Who will look after us?’ they asked, ‘mindful of our growing old?’ 

The ‘hand that cares’ brought us over!

Our coming allowed us the continuance of online nightly family prayer huddles in the rosary. 

We started during the pandemic to keep the family together in the face of a breaking world, and this new year marks our fifth year.

Our hearts are full, telling stories, re-telling them, and adding new stories daily as our grandkids hold the beads nightly and take turns at the mysteries. Before that, they lay their thanksgiving reasons and petition prayers before a God and His Mother, Who (I imagine) are so softened and tickled at the innocence of the children’s hearts and the purity of their words!

I believe the Spirit causes us to plant seeds of faith in our grandchildren’s young hearts! I say so because I am led to see future prayerscapes where the Spirit tells me they had learned daily prayer, the discipline of examining their day of God’s movements and going to Him for their needs from our early efforts at faithful family prayer.

In this context, I introduced White Butterfly’s role in my faith growth to my granddaughter, Aria, who also takes her talent at writing as a gift from Him. She repeatedly asked me if Tita Celia had ‘approved’ a nine-year-old’s membership in the WB Team.

I earlier discussed with Aria what I might write about, considering this great Marian feast and the topic of caring. I told her the thought of interviewing and writing about her mom’s love for children and how God has blessed her with a venue for this passion by leading her to work at Mother Duck, Enoggera, as an Early Childhood Educator. Aria took to the task, super-excited. She later submitted her scribbles.

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I’m excited to write my first article for White Butterfly about my Mama! 

I interviewed my Mama about her experiences as an early child educator with babies and toddlers. My Mama always wanted to be a teacher and loved working with babies. 

Mama is always excited to go to work but also enjoys her time at home. Before she goes to work in the morning, she always looks forward to seeing the babies. To my Mama, the babies are little humans, and we must mold them into capable and good citizens.

The babies always make Mama happy because they are very kind and sweet. Mama loves being with them. 

I love my Mama so very much. ‘Thank you for taking care of me and making every event special!’

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I’m happy and confident that my nine-year-old granddaughter has a clear heart about caring. Blessed Mother, whom we invoke in our daily family rosary, has made sure of that. How else can she see vividly into her mom’s love and excitement at poring herself with the babies and molding them into productive humans?

Caring has its way of talking, just like constant prayer, constant thinking, constant communicating and connecting, constant responding, and constant loving!