“…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” Galatians 5:22-23 Full self-disclosure? (It's a blog, ain't it?) I struggle with generosity. If this virtue is a fruit of the Spirit, then it's the luscious fruit I've always envied. I admire people who are naturally generous, whose souls leap immediately to give of themselves, whose thoughts turn instinctively towards the needs of others. I try (at least I think I try) to train my heart to stretch beyond its selfish rhythms. But still I struggle with my knee-jerk reactions: me, mine, my nearest and dearest. Motherhood made me simultaneously more and less generous. Pregnancy and childbirth and nursing are certainly sacrifices of love, and I know I have given of myself generously to my children in these ways. To say nothing of trying to stay present to these sweet small souls in the midst of the daily rush. But parenting young ones also exhausts me, and I find … [Read more...] about 9 weeks for 9 months: prayers for pregnancy (month 6)
everyday parenting as spiritual practice
