jeff noel.org

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words. If so, then here’s the photo answer to today’s question:

It Was A Spirit-Filled Celebration

Wednesday.  Children’s Liturgy of the Word.

Our son (9) attends Catechism, and Miss Jenny (may or may not be her real name), leads this small (12) group of future spiritual leaders, fututre parents, and possibly, future Catechists.

And then there’s me, a struggling Catechist.

The past two years I’ve been invited to assist on Wednesday nights. This was a natural and desirable opportunity, since I drive our son to attend.

Otherwise, I’d  just sit in the car, doing work on a laptop, which is what I did three years ago when this started.

But this year, something is different.  Mostly my schedule.  It’s the busiest I can ever remember being.  Ever.

In fact, the first month, September, was the busiest travel month all year.  I missed every single session.  October was not much different.

I feel like dropping out.  If I can’t give it my all, my full attention, I feel guilty.

What would you do?

Ever heard the phrase, “It was the straw that broke the camel’s back”?

It’s a phrase I’ve heard a 1,000 times in America.  Camel’s are incredibly strong and resilient.  However, they do have a breaking point, a threshold that can be too much, and they collapse.

And when the breaking point is about to be reached, it can be something as small and light as a piece of straw.

Yesterday was like that.  Was asked to substitute as lead teacher for last night’s Catechism class.  For a variety of reasons (one’s I feel are valid), my son and I skipped Catechism last night.

Just couldn’t do it.  Preparing for and leading the class was more than I could bear.  Yes, guilt started to overwhelm me.  Yes, felt I couldn’t say no, but did anyway.

Yes, from a distance, it only looked like a small and light piece of straw.  Carpe diem.

PS.  We did do the lesson at home, so our son wouldn’t fall behind.

jeff noel.org is different from jeff noel.com - But you already knew that right?  If you didn’t, they are different.

jeff noel.org is about our spiritual being.

jeff noel.com is about the need for a small business entrepreneur to have an “office”, or “warehouse”, or “headquarters”, on the Internet.

If you are an aspiring business person, you’ll readily understand this. If you’re a casual reader, first of all, thank you for your interest.  For a small time guy, trying to help others in a big time way, creativity and courage are two fundamental ingredients.  Everyone understands that.

It felt good to be back in the classroom last night.  You could sense, and feel, and see God’s Holy Spirit in the classroom.

This is our son’s third year in Catechism.  This is my second year having the privilege to be a classroom helper.  However, I missed all four September classes due to my business travel schedule.

A colleague commented at the end of the business day,  “I don’t know how you do it”.

I asked her, “You know I write five blogs, everyday, then run five miles, and volunteer for things our son is involved in”?

And she already knows how hard I work as a professional speaker – she is, after all, a colleague, and a parent, and Catholic, etc.

What I have learned is that being incredibly busy is part of life.  Or not. Figure out what you want to contribute and then go from there.  Carpe diem.

Last night after delivering a Web Seminar, I picked up our third-grade son, like every other day.  Except Wednesday, we have Catechism.

He’s a student and I’m a junior assistant deputy teacher.  Miss Jane runs the class, and I sort of help by staying out of the way and pitching in here and there.

Anyway, our routine is a drive-through fast food place for dinner, eat on the way and in the parking lot. Clean ourselves up a bit.  Class 6:30 – 7:45PM.  Head home.

Our son could barely walk on his right leg, so we did not go.

We never know when he will have pain, where he will have pain (it migrates all over his body), or how long it will last.

It’s just a part of our landscape.  We simply do the best we can, and keep moving forward.

Catechism.  Missed the first one last night.

Life is insanely busy for many people.  Organizational structure can help alleviate (not eliminate) common, everyday hassles.

To that end, every day my wife takes our son to school (no bus service available).  I pick him up. When there are exceptions to this process, the alternate plan is simple and crystal clear.

Everything changes.  Like when I travel.  Like yesterday.  So I missed the first day of Catechism.

Not a big deal.  Usually.  Except for one thing.  I volunteer as a “junior assistant” third-grade Catechist teacher.

The full time teacher is a pro and can clearly handle my absence.  But it’s not her I’m worried about.