Being Bookish

As children, it can be difficult to truly appreciate and understand the life of a parent. And that's okay. Ideally God did not design children to be weighed down with the pressures of adulthood. The hope and joy is when children grow into adults, and have children of their own, that they begin to unfold the love and mystery of parenthood. The late Tim Russert makes a valiant effort to understand and appreciate the life that his father, Big Russ, lived, and provided, for his children in Big Russ & Me, Father and Son: Lessons of Life. A wonderful collection of thoughts, feelings, and lessons for parents and children.

In the first seven chapters there are many themes: food, respect, faith, and many more. Russert seems to allow his feelings to flow easily from page to page, but as we learn, it was not easy for Big Russ to communicate his feelings. Do we make the effort to communicate our feelings to others and especially God? Do we take the time to listen? How do you and your family communicate feelings?

Big Russ seems to have made a strong impression on young Russ in the way he taught young Russ to respect others, an important concept that is often lost in modern parenting. Respecting your family by thinking progressively, being grateful, and caring for one another. Respecting others by giving strong first impressions, being honest and hardworking, and treating others as you would want to be treated. How do we model respect? Do we take care of our aging parents? Do we look others in the eye when they speak to us?

Faith played a large role in Russet's life and he spoke candidly about being an altar boy and going to Catholic school. Many changes were instituted after Vacatian II and Russert talks about the adjustments in his life. Faith was everywhere for him, at home, school, and at church. How do we already show our faith? How can we model our faith even more?

Family. It's a challenge, but one worth undertaking. Russert talked openly about the importance of sharing meals together, doing homework at the kitchen table, going to baseball games, and spending time with each other. We all try to do this in different ways. Share how your family loves to spend their time together.

I hope everyone keeps reading the book and if you haven't, borrow a copy soon. Please feel free to comment even if you haven't read the book. It's worth the journey.