This is a topic I think about often. Before I had kids, I envisioned taking them along with me to serve at local nonprofits..of course, everything went smoothly in these dreams (laugh with me, parents). Now, I am totally naptrapped in toddler/baby stage and exhausted in general, but also by the thought of bringing them all somewhere with the hopes of doing something else in addition to caring for them. I actually had to pull back from a mentor role because of the energy taken by my mother role and it hurt my heart to see my dream of charity and children dissolve a little. All to say, I am so grateful for this thread, to see that avoiding insularity is on others’ hearts, and to read examples of ways people are doing it. From casseroles to Catholic worker houses, ya’ll are rocking it! Thank you for the inspiration and digital fellowship.
I had four babies in four years, and had the same sentiments hit me in their younger years. I just did the small amount of helping I could as they were growing. Now my young adult children help others at least as much as they saw me help - in particular, bringing meals to new moms or families with illnesses or deaths. The little seeds you are able to plant will bear much fruit in future generations.
When people act as though they have infinite energy and resources and when they believe putting themselves first means unreasonable selfishness, it can mean that they fail to realize that their energy and resources are finite. The end result? Burnout.
This is a topic I think about often. Before I had kids, I envisioned taking them along with me to serve at local nonprofits..of course, everything went smoothly in these dreams (laugh with me, parents). Now, I am totally naptrapped in toddler/baby stage and exhausted in general, but also by the thought of bringing them all somewhere with the hopes of doing something else in addition to caring for them. I actually had to pull back from a mentor role because of the energy taken by my mother role and it hurt my heart to see my dream of charity and children dissolve a little. All to say, I am so grateful for this thread, to see that avoiding insularity is on others’ hearts, and to read examples of ways people are doing it. From casseroles to Catholic worker houses, ya’ll are rocking it! Thank you for the inspiration and digital fellowship.
I had four babies in four years, and had the same sentiments hit me in their younger years. I just did the small amount of helping I could as they were growing. Now my young adult children help others at least as much as they saw me help - in particular, bringing meals to new moms or families with illnesses or deaths. The little seeds you are able to plant will bear much fruit in future generations.
When people act as though they have infinite energy and resources and when they believe putting themselves first means unreasonable selfishness, it can mean that they fail to realize that their energy and resources are finite. The end result? Burnout.
Hi Barbara
I actually wrote a recent blog post on burnout and regrouping. I'm Mary from the Catholic Worker shelter listed above. Here's the link https://stlydiashouse.org/sunset-at-sabbatical/ and also another blog post about God's wisdom in offering spaces of sabbath and rest, even to the point of a Jubilee year of redistribution: https://stlydiashouse.org/a-much-needed-sabbatical/