Wednesday, 8 February 2012

I Don't Have Six Kids

Reality check. Some girl who may want to consider counselling has claimed on a Catholic forum that Auntie Seraphic "went to a catholic college thus was surrounded by young devout catholic guys throughout her youth, got married straight out of college and now has 6 kids".

I did go to a Catholic college. There were young devout Catholic guys around, although most of them didn't pay much attention to little me, so I wouldn't call this "surrounded".

I married an anti-Catholic guy a year after college, divorced him shortly thereafter, got an annulment and then dated other non-Catholics (and two fallen-aways).* Young devout Catholic men were thin on the ground in those days, believe me.

When I was 37 I met a great convert Catholic, and when I was 38 we got married.

I don't have six kids. Barring a particularly startling miracle, I will never have six kids. I cannot imagine where anyone would get the idea that I have six kids. Especially as I have no children at all and am a little sad about that.

However, when you get married at 38, you know babies might not come. So although it's a bit sad to be my age, almost-three-years-married and childless, it's not a shock--unlike discovering some woman out there is claiming I have six kids.

It's a good thing I am having a good day, because on a bad day I might cry. But although I may never have kids of my own, today I have a strong sense of being able to help other people's kids. Usually these are kids in their 20s. Sometimes they have a problem and want my advice. Sometimes they are young parishioners who have fallen through a housing gap and want my spare room. And I love that I can help them. It's a little answer from God.

Me: Where's my baby?

God: I need you to take care of this one for two weeks.

Me: He's six feet tall!

God: So?

Me: Let's go ask B.A.

This is not today's post. (For today's post go here.) But I thought I should nip a blossom of lunacy in the bud.

*Update: And Volker! How could I forget the very Catholic Volker, my last and very favourite ex-boyfriend!? He may have broken up with me (the rat!) but he did buy front row tickets to a Bundesliga game when later I visited him in Germany. Jens Lehmann, my top football idol, was in net. That was extremely classy of Volker, I must say, and I'm sorry I bored him to death by talking so much about B.A.