Like-Minded People

Saturday the whole family went to a picnic with a group Hubby and I belong to. The group is a couples' prayer group, Teams of Our Lady (TOOLs). Normally, just the couples (6 couples on our current Team) meet once a month for a meal and then sharing on a spiritual book we are studying. Occassionally, we get the families together. Hubby and I have been on this team a little less than a year, and so our girls have not had a chance to interact with the children of the other couples. We met at a house on a lake. Lots of oak trees providing shade, a huge yard, a dock to fish off of, a swimming pool, etc. It was absolutely gorgeous. There were about 20 kids there and after the first few minutes of awkward introductions, they were off and running (literally) and were acting like they'd known each other for years. The Imp came home with an email address to keep up with one of the girls she met. It was so wonderful to share an afternoon and evening with other families of like values. We didn't hear any swearing (from adults or children). It was rejuvenating for me as I didn't have to fight an uphill battle with my children. They didn't come asking to do things I disapproved of. All the children have similar home rules. There was no peer pressure to be worldly cool. They all know they have strict parents and they all know they'd have serious consequences for misbehavior. So I enjoyed just sitting back and not worrying about what my kids were doing as they ran around the yard, even when I couldn't see them. In addition, Hubby and I got to spend time with 5 other couples and talk and share about everything and nothing. Lots of great conversations including one about the Christian symbolism of Spiderman 3. And every so often you would hear an adult say, "It is so nice to have this group to support us as we try to live Christian married lives." If you want to run a marathon, a great way to ensure success is to train with other marathon runners. If you want to lose weight, join a support group. If you want to work out, get a buddy. The research is there. We are social people and social support for our endeavors increases our chances for success. The same is true for marriage. If we want to have healthy, successful Christian marriages and families, we need to get support from others. It's hard upholding Christian morals with the commercialism and materialism and ME-ism that abounds. Last night I heard one little boy tell another, "My parents won't let me see that movie." and the reply was "Neither will mine." End of conversation.
Hubby and I really believe that marriage is a work of art in progress. In order to keep the art beautiful you need lots of tools. Good communication is a key tool required for any successful relationship. We talk to engaged couples all the time about adding tools to their marriage toolbox. We've used that analogy for years. When we joined Teams of Our Lady and found out the acronym was TOOLs we thought, "Perfect. This organization is a great tool to keep a marriage tuned-up." There are lots of different marriage support groups, some formal and some informal, but getting together with like-minded people is a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon/evening.