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ACTIVITIES? JUST WHAT DO YOU DO AT A CCL CONVENTION?

reflections from an avid convention attendee

-by Julie Skokna

Short answer: Have a heck of a good time with other CCL families from all over the nation and the world while hearing excellent talks by renowned speakers!

Longer answer: Well...

WHY OH WHY
Many times my friends have wondered at why we get so excited every two years when our CCL Convention comes up. They can't believe that we could so look forward to such a gathering and be willing to travel halfway across the nation to attend! This is all the more amazing to them considering we have a "larger than average" family, eight kids and two tired-but-really-happy parents.

I think the "lure of the convention" centers on the fact that seeing other teaching couples, promoters, and CCL Central staff is so encouraging. Sometimes those of us working in the Natural Family Planning (NFP) apostolate or those of us using NFP can feel like we are the only ones around with such beliefs. We may be the only ones in our community or parish who use NFP or teach it. Our chapter gatherings are so helpful, but there is nothing like seeing a huge crowd of "CCLers" in one spot that the convention can give.

restless and yet happy....

THE JOY OF TRAVEL

We have built our family vacations almost every two years over the past 20 years on attending the CCL Conventions. I remember making the trip from Chicago, Illinois to Omaha, Nebraska for our first convention in 1982. We had been certified as teachers for a year and it was in the B.C.era (before children) for us. The time to talk on the road is a treasure, one that I did not know to appreciate until we had little ones and I was climbing over car seats with snacks and doing puppet shows to make the miles go by! But even now we do get hours alone when all the kids fall asleep as we drive. I think we get more time on such vacations of quality alone-time than we do at home actually.

With a bit of planning, we have obtained booklets from the offices of tourism from the states we would be passing through. We took time to go to the library and select books of history too. Our kids have been "treated to" listening to Mom read from the tour and history books as we sped through amazing historic areas taking time when we could to visit sites such as Civil War battlefields, heart-stopping mountain views and The Grand Canyon, our nation's capital with all the teaching opportunities it afforded. Having a Daddy who is a high school history teacher is a nice resource for us too! Tony always seems to know something interesting about any area or state. What remarkable discussions we have had with the older children making the miles pass quickly.

ARRIVAL
The moment you arrive at a CCL Convention, the excitement of your vacation doesn't come to a stop. Your first stop is the Registration table where you will obtain your room keys and packet of Convention materials with campus maps, schedule, and information. Arriving early the day of registration is nice, but not necessary. You will have time to settle into your rooms and get acclimated to the campus. You will certainly see old friends or make new ones within a few minutes of arriving.

OPENING MASS
The opening Mass worship service in the late afternoon of registration day gathers us together. It is a time to be thankful for safe travel and just being together. It is a time to pray for a fruitful convention and good time for all. There are daily Protestant and Catholic Mass worship services throughout the convention as well as time for confessions and prayer. Even if you are not into daily worship, you will find the chance for a quiet time of reflection just what you may need in the midst of a busy 3 days.

FAMILIES
For a "family planning group" convention, you will see quite a few kids! Why is this so? Using Natural Family Planning and especially teaching and promoting it makes you really think about the power of your fertility. You will find that many of the families are "larger" because this attitude helps couples be more open to life. Does this mean that you would find yourself out of place if you don't have any children? No, way, but for the duration I'll bet you will feel like you do have kids! It is heartening to see the adults helping each other to keep all the kids happy and safe.

From the little babes-in-arms to the crawling "rugrats" to the toddlers who will make you smile, it is much fun. What I have found too is that it is not the distraction one would think having so many children at a convention would be. The activities for the older kids are very well-planned and the little ones who hang out for the talks with their parents are so good. If there is any crying, the Rock-n-Rest Room is closeby for a Mommy or Daddy to retreat and still hear the talks on the audio system in some capacity.

THE MAIN TALKS AND WORKSHOPS
The intellectual heart of the convention is apparent in the quality of the speakers who deliver the main and workshop talks. I find myself wanting to take notes so as not to lose a morsel of the ideas presented. Finding this impossible usually, I console myself that the main talks and workshop talks are recorded and available at the end of the convention and afterwards by order. The tapes make for great conversation-starters on the trip home too.

THE DOWN SIDE(?)
Is a convention just "perfection on earth"? No. There are times we get tired and overwhelmed running the kids back and forth and sometimes getting dragged away from a talk by a busy toddler or unhappy baby. This used to bother me. I thought I was being cheated. "Why do all those other people get to sit, relax, and listen?!" Poor me. Well, as I began to realize that missing some parts of the talks wouldn't spoil my time, I began to see that I was being given a gift too. When a Mother or Father "misses out" on anything due to caring for their child, they are recompensed generously. Of course, the main reward is being with your little busy person caring for his or her needs. I have found that I'm not the only one who ends up walking around during a talk and quickly I find a new CCL friend to share the time with. The convention is not just about hearing the talks, but being together. What treasured conversations I have had and what amazing insights I have received from other "poor" Mommies or Daddies who are tending their children. So, do not let the fact that you have a baby or toddler prevent you from attending the convention. I have found no place on earth where my children are more welcome and put first. The Rock-n-Rest Room is another alternative where the main talk or Mass can be heard on an audio system and you can enjoy seeing your child happily play or sit and nurse or feed your baby quietly.

Convention time, like any vacation, can be stressful, so "pack your patience" and prepare for a wonderful time together.

THE WAVE
A highlight of any CCL Convention for me has been: The Wave. Since we often have sleeping babies in the main talks and workshops, so as not to disrupt the slumber, "vociferous applause" has been replaced by a hearty wave of hands. If you really like what the speaker is saying, you might wave both your arms above your head! It is fun when a speaker may not have been apprised of this tradition ahead of time. At one convention, I remember the dear Bishop waving back kind of quizzically! It was quickly explained to him that we were signifying our "silent applause" for his erudite speech!

DINNER'S SERVED
It is true that dinnertime is a hectic time both at home and at any convention. Our convention team is doing everything possible to alleviate this for our families including having shifts for eating and a picnic dinner one evening. Cafeteria-style eating with a bunch of kids is challenging, but we have seen that there is always help to be found and somehow we all get to enjoy a nice meal together. The children like the variety of foods available to them too.

We have never been the best early risers, so we bring milk in a cooler and cereal so we can have a little something in our rooms before venturing out to drop the kids at their childcare groups and attending the talks. Or a few of us will stop over at the dining hall to have a more complete breakfast. Basically, you do what works for your family.

GETTING STUFF - VENDOR BOOTHS
You can find the best stuff to buy at a convention! The vendor booths provide a chance to view and purchase many different items from books to toys to natural products to jewelry to videos to you-name-it. If you have a business or organization, the convention is a really great way to get out the word on your products and apostolate. Since we luckily have a HUGE area for our main talks at Convention 2004, the vendor booths will be conveniently located all around the seating area for the main talks. This is an ideal situation for vendors who will be able to hear the talks and be so accessible to the participants during the convention.

CHILDCARE - THE CORNERSTONE
How could we participate in a convention without really good childcare? Let's face it - kids get bored with talking. That is why we have so appreciated the great work of the Childcare Committees at the conventions we have attended over the years. We watch our children go through a bit of a transformation.

• First day: grumble.... "Do we really have to go?.... I don't know anyone... "
• After lunch first day: "Well there was that one kid I remember from the last convention.... we are supposed to do something fun this afternoon..."
• Second day morning: "Come on, I don't want to be late!"
• Afternoon 2nd day: "My friends and I are going to make a really cool craft - isn't swimming today? - We've gotta' go - hurry Mom!"
• 3rd Day: "Oh, we don't really have to leave today do we?...."

And then they look forward to seeing their CCL friends at the next convention.

The quality of the childcare volunteers and activities for the children makes all the difference in the world. I love to see the little crafts the kids proudly bring back and hear about the fun games they played, prayers they learned, and shows they saw. I vividly still remember one convention that brought tears to my eyes watching our son and oldest daughter sing with their group for the parents at the end of the convention.

IT DOES COME TO AN END
This is both bad news and good news. It is hard to say goodbye to new and old friends and leave the party atmosphere of the convention. Then again you realize you just could not keep up the pace forever! It is a feeling of "beginning" to pack up and set off on a journey towards home which should easily include seeing many new sites with the family. We credit our excursions to the past conventions with giving us the opportunity to adventure to The Rocky Mountains, Grand Canyon, Washington, DC, Lake Superior & Canada, and more places our children still talk about. Travel, especially with the kids, has been broadening and educational for us all.

We are anticipating this convention in a special way this year of course, as it is in our area, but it will be no less of an adventure!

Julie & Tony Skokna have been a teaching couple for the Chicago Chapter of The Couple to Couple League since 1981. The Couple to Couple League teaches Natural Family Planning worldwide. http://ccli.org