Well, our Pentecost didn't go quite as expected, which is to be expected by now. In our parish, each person is invited to reach into a basket and draw a Gift of the Spirit for which to pray during the next year; our ride home began comparing and commenting on who had drawn what. I wondered if I would get the same one I had drawn for the last three years : Wisdom(was God trying to tell me something?). But this year, I drew Fear of the Lord. Interesting.
We spent Mother's Day at Grammy's with the rest of the family. Of course, this begins with the mad scramble to deliver their handmade Mother's Day cards, with detailed explanations of what each part of the drawing is and why it's there. Grammy is very patient to listen to so many child narratives! Then, there was the food, laughter, too much coffee, and the kids engaged in begging for cookies or gum, playing Wii (it was our gift to Papa last year), or making precarious but beautiful wooden marble mazes. Should have taken pictures of those.
A low-key, quiet day with the rain steady all day; the sunshine inside made up for the gray outside. Even though we missed Papa.
We scrambled home nearing bedtime to decorate our Pentecost Cake with 7 large roses for Gifts, 12 small flowers for Fruits, 11 yellow and white candles for Apostles, one blue candle for Mary, and one large blessed candle for Jesus, the Light of the world. Whew. Then we sang Happy Birthday to the Church. And then, we BLEW - the family version of a rushing, mighty wind! Cake was our "bedtime snack" on Sunday, then off to brush teeth and say prayers before being tucked in, just in time to listen to Christian radio's "Adventures in Odyssey."
It's always amazing when we manage to get the littles to their rooms in time to listen on Sunday evening!
A bit later, I found a quiet moment to pray the Liturgy of the Hours, but I almost hesitated to do so, knowing that when Evening Prayer was finished, so was the Easter Season. Realizing this made those last Psalms and Readings of the day so much more precious, and I savored them slowly, as if I were putting something away for a long time.
And I guess I was.
Sounds wonderful. :-) Busy, but wonderful. And I just had a little picture of you one day fielding all your kids' kids on Mothers' Day-- as "Grammy." You'll have to install one of those "Take A Number" tab dispensers.
The cake looks delicious, and almost too holy to eat!
Ordinary time, now.. yes. Yet there's never an ordinary day, what with a saint or 10 or 20 to celebrate every weekday and Mary every Saturday, and the Lord's own feast day on every Sunday.
I would guess from what you've said that your mom is holding up alright. Praise God.
There was a woman who looked astonishingly like you today at Mass -- same hair, same teensiness of frame, same way of dressing. You'll never guess who she reminded me to pray for, and to thank God for.
Posted by: Carol | May 14, 2008 at 01:49 AM
Yes, my mom is holding up well; my sister's upcoming wedding is keeping her well-occupied. Busy is the key, I think.
I am grateful for your prayers, Carol, though I know you pray for me often ;-)
But the poor woman who LOOKS like me... give her my condolences.
Posted by: Kathryn Mulderink | May 14, 2008 at 02:42 PM
Girl, you could be a model, and there's no way I'm going to believe that you haven't heard that before.
Posted by: Carol | May 21, 2008 at 07:54 PM
Now you have me laughing out loud.
And I'm pretty sure I have NEVER heard that before!
But you've made me smile this morning, and that makes everyone beautiful, eh?
Thanks for that, among other things.
Posted by: Kathryn Mulderink | May 22, 2008 at 08:55 AM
Sigh. Am I too old to be adopted? I'd do my share around the house. Really.
Posted by: Gabrielle | May 26, 2008 at 08:21 PM
No one is too old to be adopted into this family, Gabrielle! We seem to add new members weekly. It is a very busy house!
If you ever have the chance to cross the border, we're not too far!
Posted by: Kathryn Mulderink | May 27, 2008 at 11:03 AM