Smorgasbord #57

Beautiful Family | Christian Household | Sandwich

Nov 15, 2024

Beautiful Family

Diana had all the kids during the wedding Mass of our friends, the Enfields, while I was sitting with the groomsmen up front. Our 3-year-old fell asleep on Diana during Mass, which tied her hands. Our daughter and secondborn fought until our firstborn stepped up to bring peace to the pew. It was rough, yet she did it.

During the afternoon, a few people told me what a beautiful family ours is. The first one, I thought, was more of an encouragement to keep bringing the kiddos to Mass, but as more and more people echoed the same sentiment, I started paying attention.

The next day, we went to Sunday Mass; again, there were some challenges. It was nothing serious, but I did not think our family was beautiful. If anything, some ugly behaviors were going on.

But then two people we talked to after Mass said the same thing: You have a beautiful family. I started thinking that beautiful doesn't mean perfect; we're far from that. I believe that beauty comes from Diana and me wanting to be more of what we ought to be. Married life and family life are part of our plan for salvation, and we take that seriously. God is the author of beauty, and we're just trying to reflect him in our lives.

Forming the Home

If you have read Heavyweight, you may have seen me talk about Brandon as my accountability partner for weight loss. Well, Brandon is AJ’s cousin (the guy who got married last week), and together, they have a podcast called InkleDeux where they have, as they call them, meaningful conversations.

Brandon gave AJ the night off and tapped me to record an episode with him about forming the home, specifically the Christian Household.

We use Ephesians 6 as a starting point and discuss family culture, ending destructive generational behaviors, building up our children, and how fathers can set the tone for the household. Towards the end, we discuss the importance of nurturing the relationship between spouses while raising children, given that they will eventually leave. I don’t want to find out I don’t enjoy spending time with my wife one-on-one after the children leave the home.

Feel free to check out the episode and let me know your thoughts. I miss podcasting, but I don’t have the resources to do it consistently. Who knows, maybe the Peregrino Podcast may become a reality one day. If you had to choose between reading a newsletter and listening to a podcast, what would you choose and why?

Sandwich

Yesterday morning was hectic. My oldest son had an early orthodontist appointment to get his fixed and removable retainers. After that appointment, I would take him and my secondborn son to school (we have them in Regina Caeli Academy, a homeschool hybrid). This meant we had to be ready thirty minutes before the usual Thursday schedule, plus I needed to go into the office after drop off (I usually work from home).

Diana was putting together the boys’ lunches while everyone asked for breakfast or where their shoes were. I had just taken a protein shake to break my fast but was still hungry. I wanted to ask her for a sandwich to take to work but decided against it and went to get ready. I figured I could get some breakfast burrito or something on the way to the office and help her deal with one less thing.

I grabbed my bag, water bottle, coffee, and keys as I was saying goodbye—we were running late for the orthodontist—when suddenly I heard Diana say, “Hey! This is for you.” On the counter was a ham and double cheese sandwich on sourdough bread (my favorite), cut in half, inside a Ziploc bag. I thanked her, kissed her goodbye, and took off.

It was a fantastic sandwich made with love and care. I consciously tried to chew every bite about thirty times so I wouldn’t just wolf it down like it was whatever. I enjoyed every little bit of it. When I got to the office, I texted Diana.

W: Thank you for my sandwich. You totally read my mind. I felt very loved [heart eyes emoji]
D: I knew you wanted to ask but stopped yourself. Which actually made me feel really loved lol

The point I’m trying to make is this: always put two slices of cheese in your ham and cheese sandwich. If it is Tillamook’s mild cheddar, it's even better. Most importantly, as Charles Dickens once said: “No one in this world who lightens the burdens of another is useless.” Sometimes, it’s better to lighten someone’s load, even at your expense. Granted, this is something small, but if you get used to doing small selfless acts, it gets easier to do bigger selfless acts. It’s a way to show someone you love that you love them.

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Sobremesa

Aside from the Holy Family, which family has filled you with awe?
What was(is) your favorite family tradition?
Does a sandwich you didn’t make taste better?