On October 7, 1979 Pope John Paul II, at a Mass on the Capitol Mall in Washington, D.C., encouraged parents to think about having another child. “Decisions about the number of children and the sacrifices to be made for them must not be taken only with a view to adding to comfort and preserving a peaceful existence. Reflecting upon this matter before God, with the graces drawn from the Sacrament [of Matrimony], and guided by the teaching of the Church, parents will remind themselves that it is certainly less serious to deny their children certain comforts or material advantages than to deprive them of the presence of brothers and sisters, who could help them to grow in humanity and to realize the beauty of life at all its ages and in all its variety.”
Someone gave us this poem written anonymously. We framed it and had it for many years in our living area.
Some have banks and some have gold
But you have a child in your arms to hold;
Some have power and some have land
But you have the touch of a little hand;
Some have wishes and some have pride
But you have a kiss at eventide;
Some have fame but you have more:
The patter of feet on the bedroom floor.
A dear good-night in the darkness there–
And the tender words of a little prayer.
A tousled head on the bed lay
At the end of a happy day,
And the light of the stars on a happy face,
And a darling smile that the moonbeams trace.
What matter then if wealth we miss,
For what is wealth compared to this!
Anonymous
For those expecting a baby, consider kangaroo care by mother or father.
Sheila Kippley