Kevin: "Dad was I this small?"

Dad: "Yes son you were once that small"

The joy of teaching a culture of life to your children is that even when the baby gives a yelp, the older kids know this is part of respecting life from conception to death. You know you succeed in reaching their souls with with this understanding when they have such great awe for the new members of the domestic church...and all people created in the image of God around them.

My older children saw the trials Mom went through for nine months to get John Paul to birth. They understand more than ever the depths of love she had for each of them before they were born. Each of our children, at the age of reason, now understands this baby was their baby brother from the moment of conception in the womb (even if they haven't had "the talk.").

The big kids will soon will associate what Mom suffered as part of her agape love for each of them, when only our God knew their name and destiny. The older kids now also understand in a larger sense why abortion is decidedly agains the commandments of God. John Paul was never a bunch of harvestable organs and stem cells. John Paul was John Paul when two halves became one whole.

As crazy as the calendar is now these are the good times. As crazy as life will get it the coming days, months and years if we get the concept of agape in their heads and hearts I think we have a good chance of succeeding as parents. I hope we raise children who fulfill the Lord's two great commandments: To love the Lord with all your heart mind and soul. To love your neighbor as yourself.

I pray to God we, and parents everywhere, achieve this noble goal as well. For there is no other option than this if we are to form a civil society where peace can reign.

-ehw