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A Word From Our Associate&
A Typical Mother's Experience
Recently, I had a humorous conversation with one of our parishioners, Karen Hinnenkamp. She gave me permission to tell this simple story, and I wish to do so, because I would like to point out certain aspects of holiness, right there, in the daily life experience of a mother.
One Sunday morning, the entire Hinnenkamp family went to Church as usual. Pat (husband and father of six), as he was helping the children step out of the vehicle and get into church, forgot his keys on the front seat of the van, and locked the door behind him. Thank goodness Karen also had a set of keys, so after Mass, he asked if he could borrow her keys, while he hustled two or three of the oldest kids on ahead, and got them in first. After gathering all the troops, they drove home and enjoyed a typical relaxing Sunday afternoon atmosphere: diapers, nursing, screaming, cleaning -- you know the experience.
The next day, at about noon, Karen got her three youngest all bundled up and ready to drive to school, to pick up Therese after kindergarten. In the middle of the journey out the door (and most mothers know that in itself is quite a journey), she suddenly realized she had no keys. Pat had accidentally kept them both, and brought them to work. So, with one kid in the car-seat crying, one out playing in the snow bank, and one screaming because he couldn't reach high enough to open the back door and let himself out, Karen decided to call Pat. She received a message from the operator, which said, "All lines are busy, please call back again later." (Sometimes I think the Lord just laughs when such factors occur, knowing that our patience is really being tried.) So she tried again, and after a few moments finally got through, only to hear that Pat was on the other line with his boss, and wouldn't immediately be available. Meanwhile, Therese is at school, and Karen is getting quite anxious, wondering what she could do. Finally she decides to call school, and Sister Gwendolin recommends that Therese cross the hallway and into the "Healthy Kids" room. (As a priest, I never heard of such a place, but I'm glad to know it exists). So, a little relief for Karen. At length of time, she finally gets through to Pat, who has to leave work early, to pick up Therese and bring her home.
Now the beauty of all this, is that neither Karen nor Pat ever once felt an ounce of irritation or thought a bad thought about each other through the whole thing. The truth is they've been through this kind of situation before, and probably will do it a hundred times before they're canonized. And many of you out there have as well. In the moment, this may feel and seem to be like a typical, ordinary, and rather unholy experience, yet I think it is full of grace. As John Paul II says, "Marriage and family life are a school of virtue/school of love," where we learn: e.g. patience (with each other), abandonment to God's will ("Ok Lord, I'm powerless to do anything at this point; I'll accept it as your will"), prayer ("Please Lord, take care of Therese") and humility ("Sorry, honey" - ha.). I don't believe these kinds of situations are coincidences at all. I
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