F - A - M - I - L - Y

What makes a family a Family??? Let’s take a closer look at the word FAMILY!!!!

F - Free. A family is a place where we are free. We don’t have to wear masks. We can be who we are and still be accepted. We know that if we go off track we will be gently pulled back.

A - Advice. A family is the place where we find our best advisors.   They are the people whom we can turn to for inputs at crucial junctures, trusting in their honest feedback and desire for our good.

M - Moulded. A family is a place where we are moulded into the persons we are. They influence us during our most tender years when we learn fast. They instil in us the framework on which we build our ideas of what’s right and wrong.

I - Identity. A family is a crucial part of our identity. It represents our roots, our background, our culture, language and values.

L - Love. A family is held together by mutual love. As is always the case when different individuals live together, there are contrasting ideas and conflicts arise. Yet, what keeps the family together is love.

Y - Yearning. A family is built on the foundation of faith, a deep yearning for God. The family prayer is an expression of this yearning. A family that prays together stays together.

            Finally, the family is about US, it’s about putting the others at the centre. If anyone puts themselves at the centre, the family will struggle to be a family.

            So, let’s put the others before us and let’s build our families…Let’s build better and stronger families in 2016!!!