“John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” It was of him that the prophet Isaiah had spoken when he said: A voice of one crying out in the desert, Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths”, Matthew 3:1-12
This is the period of the year when the home is full. The children are back for the Christmas holidays. If you are still a parent who drives your children to school, now you can enjoy your bed and wake up at your pace without the alarm noise!
More people at home means increased expenses. That is why as a family you must sit down and plan for these long holidays. How do you use your little money wisely? If you are married, I recommend you draw a family priorities budget. Start by listing all your anticipated expenses for the months of December, January, and February. Which expenses are applicable – rent, food expenses, health insurance (or savings) in case a member of the family falls sick you need cash, water, and electricity, tithe, clothes, communication (phone and transport), school fees and entertainment. List all applicable expenses to you. Rank the expenses in order of priority or importance to the family and the estimated cost for each. The most critical expenses are those ones you cannot do without. No family can do without medical care. Food. Water and electricity. And if you still live in a rented house, you must pay the landlord else your Christmas could be disturbed with an eviction notice!
If you don’t have a monthly salary or if your salary is not guaranteed because it is performance-based, the month of December and January could be a tough one. Explore ways to supplement it. Go write a one-page resume, of your skills in keeping homes tidy, doing errands and request a person who is respected in the community to be your referee. You could approach them while at the Church. Of course, you should be trustworthy, hardworking and a person of integrity. If you have a talent like music training or chess, this could be a good opportunity for you to speak to the Parish priest to organize some classes for the children who are just at home. You can advertise “free guitar classes at Mbuya Kindergarten for 5-10-year-olds. You just contribute to my transport of 5k per child per class.” Since this is your hobby, soon you will have a class full, and before you know it money is flowing from those parents who need special attention.
Now that you have planned for a wonderful season, don’t forget to be in good books with God. Go pray and avoid actions that you may later regret. The worst thoughts are the road not taken, opportunities skipped and that one-off night outing you should have to avoid since it was the turning point.
The children need your time at home. Don’t let them just roam. This is the time to challenge them as well as explore their talents.
Copyright Mustapha Bernabas Mugisa, 2019. All rights reserved. Visit mustaphabm3.sg-host.com, to read, 7Tools of an effective board member book. Go to Aristoc and buy a copy today.
