Yesterday was Easter. (Happy Easter to all of you who celebrate it!)
We drove up to my grandma's house to meet up with the whole family for a nice lunch. It was wonderful to see everyone, especially my spit-fire grandma who will be 97 this June!
On the way up in the car, we were listening to the radio ( country as usual!) and the kids wanted to know the title to every. single. song.... !!! But that is not the point right now. The song "God Bless the Broken Road" by Rascal Flatts came on. I LOVE Rascal Flatts and (after giving the title) starting singing lightly and off key as a usually do. I was interrupted by a thoughtful Grant who asked, "What does Bless mean mommy?" On Easter of all days, that question brought me to tears.
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You need to know about me... I was raised Protestant Christan but always questioned my own faith and the beliefs of the church. As a teacher of ancient history and religion, I find my questions even greater as an adult. To complicate matters further, my husband was raised Jewish. Although his family doesn't really practice their faith on a regular basis, his parents especially still have strong ties to the faith.
To this date, I have done nothing in the way of religious education for my children. We celebrate various holidays of both faiths with the appropriate family. We go to church at Christmas. We've talked about God and how he created all things. We've explained to the kids that our family who've died have gone to heaven.
I won't choose any faith that tells the children that other faiths are wrong. That biased view not only alienates part of our family but goes against one of the beliefs I feel strongly about. I also don't want to give up my Sunday mornings but I suppose I might have to bite that bullet. I have found a local Unitarian Church that seems to fit our needs but it's a bit loose even for me. Although I don't know if I have another option.
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So back to the point...
My 4 year old brought me to tears because he didn't know what Bless meant! And I couldn't explain it to him. I felt like the most awful mother in that moment. I want my children to have the freedom to question faith but first they need to know about it. I only hope its not too late, and I hope that the Sunday school teachers don't think I am awful when my kids finally do start religious education and know nothing! Oh the questions that will bring up...
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