More than Granola

A friend from high school went through a phase of calling me "granola" in my young adult years.  I was always into something natural it seemed to her:  wore my hair fairly plain, used little makeup, insisted upon natural childbirth, breastfeeding and having our babies at home. We did, and still do, something most would consider radical: We plan our family naturally; one hundred percent organic, no harm to my body, or my husband's; convenient, free, fairly easy to use, and good for us too! Why this has not caught on in the midst of mass hysteria over organic foods and non G.M. (genetically modified) produce, is a mystery to me. 

 
I would like to say that we steered clear of contraception because we were Catholic and understood the meaning behind the Church's teaching. This understanding came later. We got hooked early on to Natural Family Planning for the plain and simple reason that it just made sense. If my body was only designed to be fertile part of each monthly cycle then why not read the signs and abstain from marital union periodically, when necessary? A man is fertile, by the way, all the time. He is easy to read. 

Natural Family Planning brings to my marriage something that could not come from contraception: communication, self mastery, trust, and a daily charted record of four symptoms of my fertility. Days have rolled into weeks, weeks into months, and then decades, of sharing in the most intimate way all of who we are as man and woman, husband and wife.  With both of us sharing the responsibility for our fertility, talking and praying about God's plan for our family, we bond emotionally as well.   

My challenge for all married couples is this:  If periodic abstinence is the one and only natural way to plan a family, why not consider it?  If a steady diet of good things, like granola, can sustain us in a way that nothing else can, consider what would happen with a 100% organic approach to fertility?

Caring for our bodies takes effort and requires just the right mix, the right ingredients, time and care.  Why would we expect anything less in the care and nurturing of our marriages? Expect more than being natural.  It's more than granola!

Click here for previous post on Church teaching

Click here for NFP link