The Big Issues

So, Christmas has been and gone; we had a good one, I won't bore you with the details which are no doubt very similar to many other people's festive breaks. It featured, in no particular order, too much food, lots of presents, family jokes, family spats, moments of great happiness, and others of extreme frustration. But here are a couple that I thought it might be worth sharing...


For the last couple of weeks, at Mass on Sunday, Boy #1 has been asking the Eternal Question.

"Where's God?"

Gosh, I thought, only 4 years old and already the big questions. It's a good thing my paternal grandmother isn't with us any more or she would have him signed up for the White Fathers before you could say St Bernadette.

Not wanting to befuddle him with too much information - and frankly, not being too sure of the answer to that one myself - I took the easy way out.

"God is invisible, darling. He's here, but you can't see him."

Boy #1 thought about that. "Is that because he doesn't want to disturb us?"

I giggled to myself, said he was probably right, and thought no more about it. But this conversation was repeated the following Sunday - and then again on Christmas morning. I gave the same woolly answer. It clearly wasn't satisfying him. Then, as we left the church after Christmas mass, he turned to me and, pointing at a priest we hadn't seen for a couple of weeks, said very loudly; "There's God! He is here, after all!"

Mistaken identity. Not so philosophical after all, then.


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We arrived at my parent's house on Boxing Day morning after a 2 hour journey following an early start. Boy #1 needed the loo. He insisted I go with him as the bathroom in question has a light switch he couldn't reach, and then asked me to stay.

"OK, of course I will if you want me too. Why?"

"Because I need a poo, of course."

"But you don't need me for that these days."

The following was said through gritted teeth as he discovered that sometimes poo does not appear of it's own accord but needs to be helped on it's way. So, remember; gritted teeth, the space between each word punctuated by a thoughtful pause...

"This.
Could.
Be.
Tricky.

You.
May.
Need.
To.
Ask.
An.
Adult.
To.
Help.
You."

Give me strength.