Parents, no matter how they try to refrain, cannot help but dream of their children’s future. Painting pictures of glorious lives of love, happiness, and fulfillment, parents hope for the best.

My children are already thinking about their futures. Some, like little Romeo (youngest child), more than others.

Romeo has a whole list of things to be when he grows up. I know, because I acted as his secretary as he dictated said list to me. Five years on this earth has put  lot of ambitions in ths boy’s head. Among them are:

  1. “Chef (already known for his famous recipe of pasta, cut-up hot dogs, and ketchup)
  2. Swimmer
  3. Baseball player
  4. Football player (like cousin Peter)
  5. artist
  6. Build a house
  7. Open up people’s bodies who are already dead, using snippers. Then, draw their insides, like Leonardo da Vinci.”

Romeo dreams of college, where he hopes to “work all of the day and part of the night”, studying the insides of fish and humans.

Go, Romeo!

Middle child, the more serious, analytical one, is sure he will be an artist. That is all he wants. He s like a hawk circling prey when his dad is working on the computer. You see, dad is a graphic artist, and sometimes brings his work home. When he does so, middle son hovers over his shoulder. I am convinced he will be operating his own business in 10 years.

Oldest child shared his ambitions with me last week:

“Mom, when I grow up, I want to be a cashier. But if that doesn’t work out, I hope to be a vetrinarian or an electrician”.

So you see, we are reaching for the stars, here!

What do I want? I am not sure. I see their gifts and hidden potential. What they can be is endless. Most of all, I want them to know God. If they follow Him, they will be all they should.

I love the movie “Millions”, about a little boy with a great spiritual sense. Damian is 7, and has experienced the death of his mother. He finds a large amount of money, and struggles with what to do with it. Throughout it all, Damian is visited by saints. To Damian, the spiritual world is very real, so real that there is no oddity in St. Peter making a personal appearance in Damian’s room.

Towards the end of the movie, Damian meets his mother, as one of the saints. He is so glad to see her, but cannot understand what she did in her ordinary life that places her among the company of the likes of St. Claire and St. Joseph. He asks her what miracle she did in life, to merit company with the saints. She answers (may not be exact, because I loaned my copy of the movie out), “Don’t you know? My miracle was you.”

Gets me every time…. My children are the miracle of my life. No matter what they do or accomplish in life, their very being is a miracle I witness every day.

Life just does not get better than that.