Neat poem about St. Brigid

I ran across a poem about St. Brigid while looking for prayers to saints Brigid and Bernadette, since those are the saints whose names I borrowed for my children's middle names. It's a cute poem, but I also liked the commentary by the poster:

"There is a problem here. On the one hand, it can be argued that if our family members do not choose to make sacrifices for God we have no right to make that choice for them. . . . On the other hand, I far more frequently hear Christians argue that their sacred duty to keep everything nice for their spouses and children prevents them . . . from volunteering even quite moderate amounts of their time and money for worthy causes down the block. . . . You will note that Saint Paul, writing to the Corinthians, told them that marriage, while instituted of God and a sign of the union between Christ and His Church, was not without its dangers to the spiritual life of the Christian. But the danger he saw had nothing to do with sex. He was concerned instead that the married are tempted to overvalue security, to feel that they cannot afford, for their families' sakes, to take chances. . . . I have no final answer to give, but commend it to your consideration."

This really hits home. It's a dilemma that takes on a different shape for me, since I am the Catholic half of a mixed-faith family where the other half is agnostic. Right now I know I should be pushing to share more of our family's gifts with others - and yet, and yet . . . you can probably guess the myriad of ways that I end that phrase which begins "and yet". If you do not suffer from "and yets" yourself, undoubtedly you know someone who does.

There is one "and yet" that is worth mentioning: God has given me many gifts and resources, and yet I do not know, at this point, just how he is calling me to use them.

For now, I think God will be most pleased by me adding prayer and discernment into my life. But just in case, maybe I should start praying this little prayer: "If I'm wrong about Your Will, Lord, please hit me over the head with my mistakes so that I cannot ignore You, and lovingly correct my errors. Amen." A cheeky prayer, perhaps, but I believe it is also sincere.