A Loving Family

A father was coming home exhaustedly and 7 years old son come up welcoming and opening the door cheerfully. While taking his suitcase, the son asked his father....

Son : Dad...may i ask you a simple question ?

Father : Hmmm....what's the question ?

Father : Daddy...how much is your one hour salary ?

Father : That's not your business....,why did you ask that stupid question ?

The father getting angry.

Son : I just wondering to know....please tell me how much you got in an hour at your office ?

The son trying to beg to his father hoping desperately for his father's answer

Father : 20 thousand rupiah(=+ 2dollars) for one single hour. Why do you want to know about it ?

His father asking again..

Son mumbling : Oh....20 thousand rupiah....

The son looking down,he was staring at the floor

Son : Daddy..may I borrow 10 thousand rupiah from you ?

The father getting little bit angrier immediately and then said, "Oh, so that's why you did ask me about my income per hour...

What will you do with that money ?Ask me 10 thousand ?To buy more toys ?I am working so hard to get that sum of money, and then you just playing and wasting that money ?It's enough....,

I want you to go to bed now... !!

Then the son stayed in silence and slowly walking towards his bedroom . The father sat in the sofa and wondering why his very little son asking him sum of 10 thousand rupiah.

After 2 hours passed, the father got calmed back, the thought passing his mind that maybe his son really need it for his school purposes because he never ask that sum of money before. He felt very guilty and then walking towards his son's bedroom. He found his son still not sleep yet.

Do you really need that 10 thousand my son... ?So take it.....

The father then took a sheet of red colour 10 thousand rupiah from his wallet and gave it to his son. He was waking cheerfully and smiling happily.

Thank you so much Daddy! "Then he lifted his pillow and took out another sheet of 10 thousand rupiah that now looked dingy because folded by the pillow. Seeing the money, the father got aggrieved and felt bitter.

"Why did you ask more money for you did already have that much of money?And where did you get it ? "

The son turned down his face....discourage to stare at his father face.Crushing the money in his hand and then he talked softly....

This money.....I was spending it day a day from my daily allowance from you that you gave for my purpose at school. I asked you another 10 thousand rupiah for I have no money anymore.....

Do not have anymore money for what.. ?

The father cut his son's word.

Dad....now I already have 20 thousand rupiah in my hand ....Please you take it. I want to buy from you one hour of your time at the office. I would like you to return home earlier tomorrow......

I want to get a dinner with you............

The son said it without noticing his father

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This story is not just for the father but for all of us who are members of our family.

The message is simple, Invest your time for your family.

Christ himself at the age of twelve, when he went to the temple and preach about the words of God. at that age He already knew what his mission here on earth and he fully knew what he was doing. The question is, in spite of truly at twelve years old, Jesus knew exactly what he wanted to do, and he knew that he can already do his mission, Why he would still for the next 18 years, hide himself within the family of Nazareth and be an ordinary member of a family?

Is the 18 years of Jesus wasted because he did not start his ministry when he was 12 years old?

Why wait for 18 years? and then begin it only at the age of 30.

Because Jesus wants to share with us the importance of the family.

What he wants to say is, Family life is much more important than professional life.

Yes, we need to work, but if your job gradually destroy and separates your family, that is not something that you should choose. The family, Jesus tells us is so important that for 18 years he was an ordinary family man.

There is a moment when a family experience some misunderstanding, even with the family of Jesus, Joseph and Mary. When Jesus was left in the temple not knowing by his parents, that is a moment of tension. But in the end Love for God and Love for each other will overcome all of these.

In our family, which today is called to be the institution that is most under fire. Some said, You want to destroy the society? Destroy the family. But in a family where there is true love, you can almost be sure that you will have real good and loving citizens of the land.

Jesus tells us, Give time to your family, invest quality time for your family to grow in loving.

Family is important,

Presence is important,

Time for each other is important.

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Few days from now, will say goodbye to the year 2010, and we will welcome the year 2011.

There will be so much preparation for that event, food, parties, gifts, cultural beliefs to attract good luck and of course fireworks. All of these is for us to have a prosperous new year. I also believe that it is good to do it, but there is nothing greater than this, that on that day, your family gathers together to pray as one, and a loving family may truly be yours.

Again and again,

FAMILY is important,

TIME is how you make that family, loving.

PRESENCE is the greatest gift that you can give to each other.

Jesus decided to be a part of a family, and he teaches us two important things, that the family cannot be together as one without someone who has truly in love with the lord and the lord is not the king of your family. second, family can only be a true place where you can feel that this is the place where you always want to be, if in that family, love is truly experienced.

Love deeply and Love passionately, you might be hurt but it is the only way to live life completely.

May you have a blessed new year,

Ash

(inspired by Fr. Mar)