Reflection 12: Our First Vocation Is Family

If you’ve been reading along, you’ve probably already picked up on this. My wife is the entertaining one. I’m more of the serious, logical type. That difference shows up in our writing, but honestly, that balance is a big part of what makes our family work.

I also realized I never properly introduced our kids, so let me fix that.

We have two little ones, E and G. E is our boy and he’s two and a half. G is our girl and she’s six months old. They are a lot of work, a lot of noise, and somehow still the greatest joy in our lives. God has truly blessed us through them, even on the hard days.

For the sake of privacy, we’ll be referring to them as E and G. They might look like me, but you won’t be seeing them here. We’ve chosen to protect them from social media and from the unknowns of the world for as long as we can. This space is about our life, our faith, and our calling as parents, not about putting our kids on display.

Our goal as parents is simple, but not easy. We want to raise saints. Not perfect kids. Not kids who look good on paper. Kids who know Christ and live their faith in a world that often pulls them in the opposite direction.

That doesn’t mean we’re trying to earn our way to holiness or prove anything. We believe that by raising our children to love God and live for Him, our own hearts are being shaped too. Parenting has a way of sanctifying you whether you’re ready for it or not.

I’ve been finishing a book recently about raising boys, and one idea really stuck with me. As parents, you might have a career. You might have personal goals and dreams. But when God blesses you with children, they become your higher calling in that season of life. Especially when they’re young.

That truth has changed how we think about everything.

There are so many kids today being formed more by the world than by their families. Influences are everywhere, and not all of them are good. That makes our role as parents feel more important than ever. We want our children not only to know Christ, but to understand their Catholic faith and live it confidently, even when it feels completely countercultural.

We’re figuring this out as we go.

My wife and I both went to school. We both earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees, and like many families, that came with student loan debt. For a long time, we focused on careers and personal aspirations. None of that is bad, but through prayer and discernment, we’ve started asking harder questions about what God is calling us to right now.

Lately, that question has been about presence. How do we create a life that allows us to raise our children together, without placing all the weight on one parent? How do we pursue financial stability while staying emotionally and spiritually present at home?

We don’t have all the answers yet.

What you’ll see as you continue following along is us being honest about that process. The discernment. The uncertainty. The small steps we’re taking to align our life more closely with what we believe God is asking of us.

Some families have figured this out already. Many are still in the middle of it, just like us. Our hope is simply to share the journey, not as experts, but as parents trying to be faithful with what we’ve been given.

We’re just getting started.

Prayer
Lord, thank You for the gift of our children. Help us lead them with wisdom, patience, and love. Guide our decisions and show us how to order our lives according to Your will. Help our family grow closer to You each day. Amen.

See you in the Eucharist.