Coffin Corner

Dear Bill ,
Below are your Marriage Moments and Parenting Pointers for AUGUST. 

585. Aug. 4: A trip down Memory Lane #3: As your relationship developed and you started to grow fonder of each other, what is one of the first endearing qualities you can remember that attracted you to your beloved?

586. Aug. 11: Just as Elijah recognized the Lord in a "tiny whispering sound" (1 Kings 19:13) so we must attune ourselves to the sometimes subtle signals our spouse gives of distress, warmth, concern. Learn to read between the lines.

587. Aug. 18: "A Canaanite woman...called out, "Have pity on me, Lord!...My daughter is tormented by a demon." (Mt 15:22) Jesus healed the daughter. Sometimes it is our intense love for our children that drives us to seek God. Let a child be a vehicle of grace for you today.

588. Aug. 25: A trip down Memory Lane #4: Can you remember when you first said "I love you" to your beloved? The place? The time? Recollect the feelings that welled up in you as a result.

PARENTING POINTERS*

583. Aug. 1: "All you who are thirsty, come to the water!...Come receive grain and eat...wine and milk!" (Isaiah 55:1) What is your family's favorite drink or food? Pick a day this week for each person to have one favorite food or drink.

584. Aug. 8:  10 Life Skills Your Teen Needs Before Leaving Home. #4 is Good Social Skills and Manners. #5 is Auto Maintenance. #6 is Essential Domestic Skills. Only Auto maintenance needs to wait till the teen years. Start at whatever age your child is. http://imom.com/10-life-skills-your-teen-needs-before-leaving-home/

585. Aug. 15: The Assumption. Mary's "Yes" of the Magnificat was the vehicle for God's entry into human history. Her Assumption into heaven brings closure to her role on earth - or does it? Just as the birth of your child is not the end of a mother's labor so when your child moves out of your home it is not the end of your parenting.

586. Aug. 22: Jesus said to the apostle, Simon, "I say to you, you are Peter" which means rock. (Mt. 16:18) Does your child know what his/her name means? Do you have nicknames or pet names for any of your children? Do they know the saint that their name comes from?

587. Aug. 29:  10 Life Skills Your Teen Needs Before Leaving Home. #7 is Being a Good Judge of Character. #8 is Work Skills and Basic Responsibility Any teen will flub these goals occasionally. That's what you're there for - to be there for the training period. http://imom.com/10-life-skills-your-teen-needs-before-leaving-home/