Thinking about Generation Y

I attended a CCW meeting last night that featured a young transitional Deacon, Deacon Jacob Niemand, speaking about Marriage and Family life... my most cherished and favorite topic ever!  One thing that he pointed out at the beginning was that he is a member of Generation Y.  I realized that all of my kids are in this generation and I started to listen with them in mind... I just googled Generation Y and discovered that they are the generation born between the last 1970s and 2000.  My kids are born from 1980- 1989...

I did a photo study of putting clothes on the line yesterday... I find all things worthy of study and sharing, I guess.  I ask your forgiveness of my indulgences and with that said - I am giving huge and painful thought to giving it up for Lent - next year... I think I hear a sigh of relief out there... especially from my own family! 

The sock that dissappeared in the snow... now back to Generation Y... I have 5 children in that age group, plus I know many of the neices and nephews as I am the oldest of 11 and Pat the middle of 10!  We also have formed relationships with many of generation Y in working many TEC retreats and also teaching confirmation for many years... So we know and love many from this generation! 

I guess the closest to home are the 5 children that we raised.. our youngest is 22 and has returned to college life after taking a year to fight brain cancer! 

Deacon Niemand made some statements that I have noticed and realized sadly is the case..."The Y generation is addicted to being happy, and do anything to keep happy."  Yes, I do see that so often and that is why I preach from the rooftops that things is not the answer but being open to family and siblings is the answer!  The two perfect kids is a horrible lie from Satan that the world has taken to heart and as a result the pampered and privileged children do not know how to think past "me."

I just read an article about the Y generation in the work force - "Matt Berkley, 24, a writer at St. Louis Small Business Monthly, says many of his generation have traveled and had many enriching experiences, so they may clash with older generations they see as competition or not as skilled. "We're surprised we have to work for our money. We want the corner office right away," he says. "It seems like our parents just groomed us. Anything is possible. We had karate class, soccer practice, everything. But they deprived us of social skills. They don't treat older employees as well as they should."

Things happened in our family that "took us deeper." Deacon Jacob spoke of this as a way to deal with some of these difficulties...

Being open to family was not a smooth road for us... we had 6 losses over our nest years... One thing that I was counseled to do,but never could..."Why don't you wait until you know that you are going to have a baby before you announce to your family that you are expecting?"  I couldn't!  Now I see how it helped our children and our family to Go DEEPER!  Sharing the loss and grief with each one of these beloved brothers and sisters... took them to a deep level of knowledge that the world is not a bed of roses, and a huge appreciation for the siblings that they were blessed with. 

These crosses were a huge blessing and it has carried over to the girls now with pregnancy and family and opennss to having the children that the Lord wants for them... They embrace life and are open to it... knowing that they too could have a loss along the way, but taking advantage of all the modern advances in this area.  All 3 of the girls have done Creighton natural method, and Ruth is even an instructor! 

Another powerful step into deepness that we fell into as a family was to share the lives of the Saints... somewhere we got a wonderful Saint book for children, and when we would gather as a family for "prayer time" in the family room at night before bed... the kids would call out for this saint or that... John would always ask for St Rita for a long time...she got a thorn, from the crown of thorns, in the middle of her forehead, after she asked to share in the suffering of Christ...

St Maria Goretti was also one they asked for often... she fought off a man that was set on raping her at 14, and he stabbed her to death... she later appeared to him in prison and with her forgiveness and light - he was converted to Christ... so fitting to mention this today with the Gospel being from Matthew 18, where Peter asks Jesus about forgiveness... "I say to you, forgive not seven times but seventy-seven times."

It became so evident that the home is the place where we must take them deeper... yes, there were things that happened to us with our openness to life... but as hard as it was - I would not change any part and Pat never did anything but continually support me with each pregnancy and whatever was the result... They are all named and probably with us more each day than those that are here with us on earth... Christopher, Thomas, Joseph, William, Robert and Mary pray for your family here on earth - that we may all be together in heaven some day.

It was also some things that we actually did - consciously realizing that in our "domestic church" we wanted to promote and share the wonder of our Catholic faith and love of the Bride, the Church, and Jesus Christ the groom!  It is hard for me to realize that our kids are cradle Catholics... it just seems that my experience is their's also.  And in lots of ways it is, and the fact that I chose to be Catholic and cherish it beyond words - although I find many to try to express it- has flowed over my kids with wonderful results!  Now they are taking me DEEPER! 

Jesus, I love you and praise you!  I also know now that the cancer that we faced with John was all part of your amazing plan!  It took us to a depth of the "storm" that we never would have imagined possible..  It brought John and his family and so many prayer warriors to the realization that prayer is so amazing and powerful, and it is a truly a love communication between you and us!  We are forever changed and prayer has become as every breath that we take and every beat of our hearts!  We cannot survive without YOU!  When we are weak... you come to us and carry us as helpless lambs with the wolf breathing down our necks... We are saved and we cling to the Truth and the Love and with Trust we know that we are held close to your heart burning with LOVE for us!  We ask for the ability to forgive so that we can be forgiven.  Jesus, we trust in you!  Amen and Halleluia!

Bless-bless, Barb

One statement that Deacon Jacob made last night that really shook my world was that his generation has never not known abortion to be legal!  I found this uplifting article -"Generation Y"... the most prolife generation Yet!" by Joleigh Little

"Consider in the past year such headlines as the Atlanta Journal Constitution's "Abortion Activists Fight Youth Apathy" and Glamour magazine's "The Mysterious Disappearance of Young Pro-Choice Women." Read the pro-abortion spokespeople quoted and their frustration is almost palpable. They seem shocked that this generation of young people isn't buying into the abortion mentality.


But it's not such a surprise, really. Pro-life people have children, and raise them to understand that life should be protected. Pro-abortion people frequently have abortions.

But raising life-affirming children is only part of the explanation. Anyone born after January 22, 1973, is a survivor. At some level--consciously or subconsciously--they know they could have been just another statistic.

That tends to have an effect on a generation. How much that is true is showing up in many ways."