"Most of us go to our graves with our music still inside us, unplayed." Oliver Wendall Holmes
Hello!
The music in me has not been muted - unplayed. Only time will tell if I succeeded in playing it well. For now, I am content that I played it.
That music took the form of writing on virtue and value-based parenting - the most important vocation in life. To bring up children - future citizens - is no easy task. It is demanding. It is 24/365. Yet it is rewarding - to watch children grow into responsible adults. It is a pleasure that is unmatched; a joy without measure.
I have had the good fortune, with my beloved wife Mabel, to raise four sons - the pride of our home. That they lived by the standards we cherish, compensates us far more than we deserve. We thank God that they turned out right, because there are some good parents who shed hot tears for children who drift. They tried but failed. God was missing in their plans.
As parents, we can watch over children in some ways, not always and in all ways. We cannot put a lid on their thoughts or govern all their actions. Knowing our inadequacy we relied heavily on God and His all-embracing protection. We believed that He would work His wonders, if we let Him! And He did!
In my recently published book, THE CHILD IS FATHER OF THE MAN - TIPS AND TECHNIQUES FOR WISE PARENTING, I have tried to share lessons my wife and I learned in our parenting, over 44 years. With God on our side, it turned out right.
The book was the last stage in a process: 1) I started with a series of 12 articles on parenting, encouraged by Joe Antony SJ - the former Editor of The New Leader. The articles were published in some magazines and on some American Sites. 2) The favorable response I received prompted me to host a blog, which you have been visiting. 3) With the push I got from the articles and the blog I advanced to the next stage - the book. It is available in print and ebook formats - Amazon and Kindle. It is published by Wolf Creek Press, Oregon, USA. My website - www.ignatiusfernandez.com - has details and links.
Now that the book is available, I think the purpose of the blog is accomplished - to serve as a preamble. Therefore it is time to sign out. With this post I shall halt my contributions to the blog - which is 140 posts old. I thank each of you for visiting my blog. I hope it gave some of you impetus in your parenting mission.
Before I close, I would like to share a thought with you: Is there music in you that is unplayed? Look for it; find it. And play it. Perhaps you like to write, paint, compose/play music, dance, photograph, or excel in some area of your choice. Start now. Tomorrow may be late - because we do not know what is in store for us. Trust in yourself and God and take the first step. You will not regret it.
In the same way, let your children find the voice that is silent. Let them give expression to it. Nurture that. In time they will change halting steps into firm, measured paces. Who knows there could be a Mozart, Monet, Charles Dickens, Milton or Albert Einstein within the confines of your home! Unchain the child. Give it space. Give it wings. You owe it to the child.
I wish you and your children happy journeys in life!
God bless.
Ignatius Fernandez
www.ignatiusfernandez.
Hello!
The music in me has not been muted - unplayed. Only time will tell if I succeeded in playing it well. For now, I am content that I played it.
That music took the form of writing on virtue and value-based parenting - the most important vocation in life. To bring up children - future citizens - is no easy task. It is demanding. It is 24/365. Yet it is rewarding - to watch children grow into responsible adults. It is a pleasure that is unmatched; a joy without measure.
I have had the good fortune, with my beloved wife Mabel, to raise four sons - the pride of our home. That they lived by the standards we cherish, compensates us far more than we deserve. We thank God that they turned out right, because there are some good parents who shed hot tears for children who drift. They tried but failed. God was missing in their plans.
As parents, we can watch over children in some ways, not always and in all ways. We cannot put a lid on their thoughts or govern all their actions. Knowing our inadequacy we relied heavily on God and His all-embracing protection. We believed that He would work His wonders, if we let Him! And He did!
In my recently published book, THE CHILD IS FATHER OF THE MAN - TIPS AND TECHNIQUES FOR WISE PARENTING, I have tried to share lessons my wife and I learned in our parenting, over 44 years. With God on our side, it turned out right.
The book was the last stage in a process: 1) I started with a series of 12 articles on parenting, encouraged by Joe Antony SJ - the former Editor of The New Leader. The articles were published in some magazines and on some American Sites. 2) The favorable response I received prompted me to host a blog, which you have been visiting. 3) With the push I got from the articles and the blog I advanced to the next stage - the book. It is available in print and ebook formats - Amazon and Kindle. It is published by Wolf Creek Press, Oregon, USA. My website - www.ignatiusfernandez.com - has details and links.
Now that the book is available, I think the purpose of the blog is accomplished - to serve as a preamble. Therefore it is time to sign out. With this post I shall halt my contributions to the blog - which is 140 posts old. I thank each of you for visiting my blog. I hope it gave some of you impetus in your parenting mission.
Before I close, I would like to share a thought with you: Is there music in you that is unplayed? Look for it; find it. And play it. Perhaps you like to write, paint, compose/play music, dance, photograph, or excel in some area of your choice. Start now. Tomorrow may be late - because we do not know what is in store for us. Trust in yourself and God and take the first step. You will not regret it.
In the same way, let your children find the voice that is silent. Let them give expression to it. Nurture that. In time they will change halting steps into firm, measured paces. Who knows there could be a Mozart, Monet, Charles Dickens, Milton or Albert Einstein within the confines of your home! Unchain the child. Give it space. Give it wings. You owe it to the child.
I wish you and your children happy journeys in life!
God bless.
Ignatius Fernandez
www.ignatiusfernandez.
