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© Ron Chapple Stock/Getty Images It was 3:07 on a glorious afternoon in late May. I was sitting in my car with the power turned off and the windows wide open. The baby was dozing in her car seat while we waited in the car line for the school bell to ring, signifying the end of another busy school year and the beginning of sweet, sweet summer. Read my unique tip for enjoying summer with your children at Praying with Grace !

When we talk to children about suffering, it's unhelpful to discuss WHY bad things happen. Suffering--a result of the Fall--makes no sense in and of itself. What children need to hear is that our suffering can be a powerful source of good for others. Jesus shows us how. Children can learn to be sensitive to suffering. When adults empathize with them ( I'm so sorry you tripped and scraped your knee. Oooh, I know that must hurt! ), they learn to share others' sadness. And when empathetic children grow up, they become courageous citizens who defend the weak and the suffering. I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.   (Ezekiel 36:26) Please click on over to Praying with Grace to read more of today's article and to see the reflection & activity sheets for children.

This story was posted in 2010, in another blog: " Birthright " Drifting at the Edge of Time and Space (February 19, 2010) Despite the stories you've seen, there never were very many Voini. Like any alter, each Voin was expensive to grow. Also, unlike the Gung Yan, Voini had earned an unpleasant reputation during the recent wars. Between limited production, judgments after the Suspension and 'Voin hunts,' there are now perhaps only a few dozen surviving Voini. Perhaps it is best this way.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .