Did I Do Enough? And What Can I Do Now?

I recently returned from visiting one of my sons and his family. They had just welcomed our twenty-first grandchild, and I came home thinking about the beautiful life they are building.

I watched the way they care for their children—patiently, lovingly, and with a peacefulness that stayed with me. My daughter-in-law is an amazing woman. Quite frankly, they all are. God has blessed us in a very particular way: my children have married well, and I am deeply grateful for that.

Raising children has always been challenging. But as I watch some of my children raise their own families, I notice they are doing certain things more intentionally than I did. Some have removed screens from their lives, or greatly reduced them, and it really seems to work for their families. Apparently, clean living and screenlessness are a thing—and I can see why.

What I noticed most was not a perfect home or perfect parents. I saw something I wish I had understood better when I was raising my own children: they are not trying to do it all on their own. They are raising their children with God in the middle of it.

Did I do enough?

There are things I wish I had done differently. I wish I had worried less about getting everything right. I wish I had made more room for the small, quiet moments. I wish I had remembered more often that faith is not only taught in lessons and plans. It is also passed on in a mother’s prayers, the forgiveness offered after a long day, a family meal, a ride to Mass, a rosary held in a tired hand, and the simple decision to begin again.

But I do not want this to be a story about regret

I am left with hope—hope that God is not finished with me yet. There is still work to be done. As I get older, I want to share my love for this amazing God and for His Bride, the Church. I want all of my children and their children to know how much they are loved.

I may not be raising little ones anymore, but I can still pray. I can still listen. I can still welcome, encourage, learn, apologize, tell the stories of faith, and be present. I can still be a grandmother who helps make room for God in the life of our family.

And perhaps that is where this blog begins: not with all the answers, but with a desire to keep growing, keep loving, and keep pointing the people I love toward the God who has been faithful through every season.

With gratitude,
Judy
The Catholic Corner