Written by Erin Greene, Kindergarten Parent
Our hearts are restless until they rest in you.
St. Augustine
Like many of us, I’m pulled in too many directions. My little ones tug at my heartstrings when they are disappointed or sad. I can’t always keep up with my email, and I’m often one step away from forgetting a water bottle, permission slip, or returning library books on time. Last week, I rolled up to school, proud of myself because I was a few minutes early for the 7:50 start time, only to realize there was no school that day! Yes, indeed. That really happened. Sometimes life is a blur. But no matter how consuming life can be, I know I need to carve out time for my prayer life, my creative life, my time with God. Cura Personalis, caring for the whole person, reminds me how essential it is to keep God at my center.
Cura Personalis guides me when I take care of my children. It nudges me to help them recognize the areas in their lives that bring them joy and feed their soul. Their lives are busy too. My children are blessed to be part of the Holy Trinity community and the larger Washington, DC neighborhood. They are cared for, they are challenged, and they are exposed to a broader world in the nation’s capital. But this life also comes with full days and very full schedules. Carving out time for them on the weekends to explore their passions in their own space, with less time constraints, helps them discover where their hearts are leading them. It brings them back to God and caring for the wholeness of their being.
My five year old loves to create inventions. We will spend hours immersed in his creative world. He leads and I support him. In these quiet moments, my message to him is, “Trust yourself. Dive into your passions. Follow your heart now and always.”
My two year old finds wonder in our our small backyard and nearby Rock Creek Park. When he’s out there, he’s finding God. Whether he’s gathering leaves, collecting rocks, or just digging in the dirt, his heart is happy. As we linger there a few extra moments, I hope he knows this is exactly where we should be. “Enjoy. Explore. Be you.”
As a family, we are all still learning how to keep Cura Personalis top of mind. Living in a way that honors Cura Personalis will be a lifelong pursuit of mine, and I hope for my children as well. But even when I stray, I know I can always come back to quiet moments with God. When God is at the center, I know I am well nourished and my family is too.
The Holy Post 