EMPOWERMENT
Be Still
AND KNOW
By Her Excellency Rev. Dr. Iva Gloudon, Contributor
T
oday we have to consider many different formats when we speak about family and
family life. The traditional nuclear family of the Western world is being reshaped mainly to
address some of the modern issues that confront us all.
Older children who have graduated from university, for example, are returning to live with their
parents, as today a degree does not necessarily mean that they can find jobs to enable them
to live on their own. Aging populations also now mean that some grandparents live with their
children’s family.
In my case, I have always been single and did not birth any children, but adopted my three nieces
when their father, my brother, died. Almost twenty-four years ago when she became widowed,
my mother came to live with me. All of these non-traditional arrangements bring challenges to the
table that are definitely compounded when you are a woman in leadership who wants to maintain
a healthy family life, be successful at the job, and serve your God.
The first admission is that it is not easy and what works for some does not work for others. It is indeed
a journey of faith, and trial and error, but knowing some things up front will help to minimize the
errors and enhance the successes.
“
The traditional
nuclear family
of the
Western world
is being reshaped
mainly to address
some of the
modern issues that
confront us all.
"
The second admission is that you really want to succeed all around. You want to raise healthy,
well-adjusted children, and you want to satisfy yourself that your professional goals are realized.
It means that you sometimes have to give way, but in giving way, you are still satisfied that you
made a choice that you wanted to make and that you can live with it. After all, success is not
Family and Faith Magazine
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www.familyandfaithmagazine.com
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Monday, March 2, 2015
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