Life & Family | Virtue´s Clues

There are certain rhythms of small town life that give a gentle cadence to each day

by Sara A. Blalock | Source: Virtue's Clues

The toll of the church bell, the wail of the train, and the quiet daily activities of its inhabitants all contribute to the beat. Most of the time, we don’t think about the rhythm to which we are marching.

Rarely do we observe and acknowledge it. Today, though, I did.

I live in a neighborhood peppered with older folks. On my walk home from volunteering at school, I saw an older neighbor getting into the car of an even OLDER neighbor. One of the activities for them in my town is to gather in the community room/senior center for cards or bingo and a noon meal.

Normally, I don’t think about this daily event, yet observing the women made me think about the cadence of my life. So much of being a homemaker is service: to my family, to my children’s school, to my Lord in daily sacrifices. The Catechism says “Those Christians who have leisure should be mindful of their brethren who have the same needs and the same rights, yet cannot rest from work because of poverty or misery.” (#2186)

This little old lady—a sprite 85-year-old—is “mindful of her brethren.” She walks to a similar beat of service. Though she is older, her gait more relaxed, the rhythm still dictates her steps. Service to others is a lifelong habit. Her age matters not for she still has much to give, and willingly does so to her family and neighbors. Perhaps the reason she is so sprite is because she still hears the music within her heart and soul.

Lord, help me to listen to the music, the rhythm that you are playing for me. Teach me to walk in time with that music.


Sara Blalock is a homemaker residing in rural Northwest Ohio.  She is a mother of 2 and expecting her third child in January 2012.  She can be reached at cnblalock@frontier.com.



Questions or comments? Please, write to Fr. Nathan Miller, LC at nmiller@legionaries.org