The School of the Family, by Chantal R. Howard is a wonderfully written story that tells of how to intergrate your stages of life with your Catholic faith to live a truely Catholic life. This book starts off with Mrs. Chantel Howard giving a back drop into her parents early life and marriage. She documents her parents struggles to "find" their faith and what it ment to each of them and to them as a couple. After her parents conversion they spent much time not only teaching their children the basics of faith, but to make faith part of every day, hour, and minute of your life. Mrs. Chantel Howard goes into her experiences as a home schooled student, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Which adds to this book humanity that every one can relate to. Her mother home schooled not only her and her siblings but a dear friend, and future sister in law, as well. Mrs. Chantel Howard also talks of the death of her father when she was still a teenager. Mrs. Chantel Howard dedicates a chapter to her discernment on if her vocation is to be a religious sister or to the married life. Which leads into her courtship with her future husband and the struggles they faced as a newly married couple, trying to be "holy". She goes on to talk of a conversation with a friend that promted her to pray for this friend only to have that prayer make her reflect deeper into her own life, reminding us all that life is short and humility is very much needed. The book ends with "The Family Rule", which hits on points such as; the missionary call of the family, the roll the Eucharist plays and having a devotion to Mary. The chapter then has a few "rules" for husbands and wives, and then a list of "rules" for children, which puts the thoughts into easly to read list form. Over all this is a very enlightening book for families, home schooling or not, to read.
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Preach the Gospel at all times. If necessary, use words. - St. Francis of Assisi
