Brotherhood Revisited {Full House for Christmas}

Under obedience to photographer-mom, Zachary holds his little foster sister for the first time, as Peter assists.

"Are you glad to have your son home?" a friend at Church asked before Mass yesterday.
"Sons. Yes, very glad to have them home!" I answered honestly.

Our family reunification project - aka Christmas Vacation - has begun in earnest, with dual arrivals within 24 hours: Peter from Christ the King high school seminary in BC, and Zachary from sophomore year studies at Notre Dame. 

Learning new skills on Christmas Break, Zachary comforts a newborn.

Zachary's homecoming package included an introduction to his foster sister (known on the blog as) Angelina.  After being home for a few days, Zac asked if Angelina does anything other than sleep and eat, but so far only one fussy stretch and a few alert moments have convinced him otherwise.

Back to the joys of brotherhood, our three guys have enjoyed time together doing guy things like working out after dark in the snow and watching the televised Seahawks game with Tim on his birthday.  This time with a full house will surely fly by, but we will certainly do our best to make the most of our every moment together.

Peter shows 'Luke' and 'Leia' the ornaments on our tree.

Hosting our former foster twins for two days, a favor to their mom whose work schedule conflicted with the daycare holiday closure, brings us ever more family fun in these final days before we celebrate the birth of Christ.  So much joy, such great times to cherish...

 

Peter continues the Christmas decor tour with little friends in tow.

Training Future Fathers {On Handling a Newborn}

Pre-performance rehearsal with first time baby handlers and 'Angelina'

When Father Abbot suggested little Angelina play the part of baby Jesus in Peter's high school Advent play, we were quick to give our consent.  The high school boys were delighted to have a real live baby in the play, rather than the lifeless doll with which they'd been rehearsing.  But their delight was tainted with a dose of understandable nervousness, given that the two young men with baby handling parts were novices in handling a newborn.

Tim gives a few baby handling pointers to the cast of Christ the King's Advent play before showtime.

Tim gladly stepped up to the task of training the guys in the fine art of baby handling, meeting about an hour before show time to offer a few pointers and allow for hands-on experience under close supervision.  The guys warmed up to Angelina right away, and practiced picking her up and passing her off, two important movements for 'baby Jesus' in the upcoming Advent show.

Rehearsing the hand-off of baby 'Jesus'

As the time for curtain drew near, we prayed that our little foster daughter would remain calm and quiet for her debut performance as our Newborn King.  Our prayers were answered, as Angelina gave only the slightest indication of liveliness during the show, squirming a bit in the arms of 'Mother Mary' to the excitement of the audience, many of whom had assumed the figure was probably a doll.

The Three Kings pay homage to baby Jesus in the arms of Mary.

Cast of Christ the King's Advent play, with our son Peter the centurion

Seminary of Christ the King's high school orchestra performs at the Advent program.

In addition to the great privilege of delivering the 'baby Jesus' for the high school play, we enjoyed an outstanding Advent program by the high school and college seminarians of Christ the King.  The high school orchestra, though only a few months along, performed pieces suited for third year, including a favorite piece from Lord of the Rings, and pulled them off beautifully under the direction of Father Peter Nygren.  The entertaining vignette put on by the major seminarians highlighted their unique skills and abilities, including a humorous and fantastic martial arts display and a rousing Celtic musical number.   Under Father Prior Benedict, the high school boys' choir sang "O Holy Night" in its original French, an angelic delight for those of us in the audience.

Bridget, Peter and baby 'Angelina'

Our heartfelt thanks to the monks, teachers and prayer warriors at Christ the King Seminary and Westminster Abbey.  We trust that your efforts, by God's grace, will have everlasting results in the lives of our son(s) and in our families.

Giving Thanks {Giver + Receiver}

Someone recently quipped that Thanksgiving was 'all about abundance' and cited the number of pies Bridget bakes for the feast as exhibit A for the abundance argument.  Truth be told, I bake quite a few pies for this celebration.  I love pie.  My mom always baked pies for my birthday cakes, but I digress.

The heart of our celebration today centers on 'giving' thanks...to Someone.  Getting stuffed on seasonal delicacies and saturated with televised sporting entertainment may be the hallmarks of the day in many American families, but the true meaning still remains: We give Thanks to God for His abundant blessings.

Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and pay your vows to the Most High. Call upon me in the day of trouble. I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me . . . Mark then you who forget God, lest I rend and there be none to deliver. He who brings thanksgiving as his sacrifice honors me. To him who orders his way aright, I will show the salvation of God. ~Psalm 50:14-15, 22-23

What better place to thank God than in His holy house, the Church?  The word Eucharist means thanksgiving, and by God's grace our family will begin this secular holiday within God's house, praising Him and receiving Him in holy Eucharist.  The rest of the holiday is, as they say, gravy.

The kingdom of God is not a matter of eating or drinking, but of justice, peace, and the joy that is given by the Holy Spirit. Whoever serves Christ in this way pleases God and wins the esteem of men. Let us, then, make it our aim to work for peace and to strengthen one another. ~Romans 14:17-19

  
I give my humble thanks to God:

• For the gift of life and faith given to me by my parents in cooperation with our Lord who gave His life to save me from my sins
• For the gift of eternal life offered through my baptism and renewed through frequent sacraments, especially Holy Communion and confession; for the Holy Catholic Church
• For the gift of our marriage, and my husband's infant baptism on the same day as my own
• For our children Zachary, Joseph, and Peter; for our other pregnancies and miscarriages
• For our parents, grandparents, siblings, families, Godparents, priests, and the Church Triumphant ~ the saints in heaven
• For our Godchildren, foster children, spiritual children and their families
• For our friends, prayer warriors, benefactors, students, teachers, readers, employees, contacts, Scouting and home schooling families, 
• For the Fraternal Society of Saint Peter (FSSP), Benedictines, Carmelites, Passionists, Dominicans, for our Seattle Archdiocese, and our parishes
• For our health, home and daily sustenance
• For our freedom and for those who defend true freedom and the right to life for every human being
• For Truth

I offer thanksgiving to Almighty God for the many and varied resources so readily available to build up my faith and deepen my knowledge of the Truth:

The Holy Bible
Divine Intimacy
Divine Office 
Church Militant TV
Father Z's blog 
Audio Sancto Sermon Series
The Holy See
Spiritual Food for Thought
Father Broom's podcasts
Father Jim Northrop's podcasts
Father Lappe's homilies
Father Hollowell's blog
Father MacRae's blog
The Radical Life
Divine Mercy: Saint Faustina's Diary

And lest I forget, there is one last thing to be especially thankful for on this day:
Pies!

Home Weekend with a Twist

Peter and Joseph prepare for a ride on Galbraith.

Mountain biking, duck hunting, football viewing, and a pizza dinner were all part of the predictable plans for Peter on his second home weekend this fall.  But the big (tiny) surprise rested in his arms as he welcomed a new foster sister, Angelina.  Peter woke up early with lots of love to share and helped feed and bathe our little visitor at the crack of dawn.  Of course early rising is part of Peter's normal routine at high school seminary, but nevertheless, his willingness to jump right in was heartwarming. 

'Angelina' rests in Peter's arms

Joseph's role as the primary teen assistant around the house is relaxed on Peter's home weekends, so not only does he anxiously await opportunities for fun with his little brother once a month, but also gladly shares the chores and duties.  Joseph, true to his easy going nature, joined Peter for a chanted evening prayer (praying the Psalms) one night, doing his best to follow the unfamiliar routine reverently.

Peter feeds 'Angelina' breakfast.

We celebrated another first for Peter as he moved up the ranks of altar servers at our local parish, accepting Father Altenhofen's invitation to serve as acolyte.  Just as Zachary mentored Joseph a few years ago, Joseph trained Peter before vesting, and stood nearby in the role of cross bearer ready to assist if any situations arose.  Peter handled his new liturgical role with poise and reverence, and took great care to perform his duties properly and not to draw attention to himself.

Peter serves as acolyte at Sunday Mass, behind the scenes at E's baptism.

Peter serves first Mass as acolyte, assisting Father Joseph at the altar as Joseph looks on from the cross bearer seat.

Returning to school Monday evening with a bag of clean laundry and a pile of books, Peter greeted his schoolmates and spent a few minutes in the game room before the bells rang for evening prayer.  As many of the major (college) seminarians had not yet returned from home weekend, several of the high school students, Peter included, were able to pray vespers from within the Benedictine's choir.  Joining the community's Liturgy of the Hours in the abbey church and feasting on home made piroshky (freshly prepared by the high school boys under Father Peter's tutelage) rounded out my monastery drop-off experience quite nicely.  Peter's home weekends really are a blessing for all of us.

Working the Night Shift {Fostering a Newborn}

After Mass on the Feast of Saint Charles Borromeo, we answered a call to take in a newborn whose parents cannot yet take care of her.  Due to a strange 'coincidence,' it seems like Saint Charles himself was involved in this new foster placement, but I'll save the 'communion of saints' story for another day.

For privacy purposes, we shall call her Angelina on the blog.  To answer the most common question: No, we don't know for how long she will be with us.  It could be one week, one month or longer.  The fostering process involves much mystery and many moving parts.  Our prayers (and hopefully yours) go out for little Angelina and for her family at this time of separation and the various trials and tribulations accompanying such an unsettling occurrence.

Within 24 hours of our new foster placement, our friends began showering gifts upon little Angelina.

Speaking of St. Charles...
St. Charles Borromeo, St. Peter Canisius, St. Turibius of Mongrovejo and St. Robert Bellarmine are the only four people mentioned by name at the beginning of the Catechism of the Catholic Church; cited as responsible for the Council of Trent, which gave way to the modern day catechism. Have you ever looked at the Catechism of the Catholic Church?  Inside, the teachings of the Church are clearly taught with Biblical citations throughout.

If your authority on what the Catholic Church teaches includes lapsed and/or poorly catechized Catholics or anti Catholics, there's a good chance you'll be pleasantly surprised when you discover what the Church actually teaches and why.

Recently, someone shared an interesting fact gleaned from a historical study of the reformation.  Another asked in response, "I wonder if you will also study the counter-reformation?"  If studying one side of the great divorce of the Church makes sense, doesn't studying both sides of the huge break seem appropriate?  The documents from the Council of Trent make for some interesting reading:

CHAPTER XII
RASH PRESUMPTION OF PREDESTINATION IS TO BE AVOIDED

No one, moreover, so long as he lives this mortal life, ought in regard to the sacred mystery of divine predestination, so far presume as to state with absolute certainty that he is among the number of the predestined,[74] as if it were true that the one justified either cannot sin any more, or, if he does sin, that he ought to promise himself an assured repentance.

St. Charles Borromeo was a key player and brave leader in the counter reformation, and quite an effective reformer within the Church.  He's also a personal friend and a great and powerful intercessor, alive in heaven.  My grade school and parish Church was named in his honor, and I consider him one of my finest teachers.  Thank you, Saint Charles Borromeo; please pray for us!

Heroic Parenting {Father Cozzens' Story}

Bishop-elect Andrew Cozzens shows his mother, Judy, a pectoral cross given to him by Archbishop John Nienstedt. (Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit)

Abort my child? No way, says bishop-elect’s mom

The devil tried to kill Father Andrew Cozzens before he was born, by tempting his pregnant mother to kill him through the words of a pro-abortion doctor who labelled her unborn child a 'freak.'

Praise God for Judy and Jack Cozzens' strong faith and God given grace to resist the culture of death and the father of lies.  The Cozzens' amazing story exposes the underlying (demonic) forces presenting abortion as simply a 'choice.'  The devil will always choose abortion, and tragically, many mothers and fathers will not have the strength or the conviction to resist the temptation to kill their children.  May God have mercy.

Please pray for those tempted to abort.  Please pray for abortion clinic workers to seek healing and find employment outside the industry of death.  Please pray for the truth about abortion to be known in every human heart.  Fast and pray for an end to abortion.

Sanctify them in the truth; thy word is truth.

-John 17:17

Young Priest Climbs Tall Ladder {and 6 other stories}

Joseph competes in the individual medley relay at the district finals meet

1

In an all out effort, Joseph nearly earned himself a spot on the state swim team at the culmination of his first year competing in the varsity sport.  About one second distanced him from the opportunity to join his teammates at the state meet this weekend and defend his team's (four-year-running) state championship title in Washington AA swim and dive.  As a small consolation, Joseph and Tim will travel to the state meet and volunteer as timers for the finals, so Joseph will be on site to witness the excitement.  Though he would much rather be in the pool than on the deck, his final swims at the district meet were personal bests with a 1.11 breast 2.24 IM, and his team won the district title (again).

Peter sports his new Star Rank patch

2

Peter earned his Star Rank this week, after successfully completing all the requirements, which include a Scoutmaster conference and a board of review.  His next goal: Life Rank.  Peter's new leadership position, Troop Guide, will give him an opportunity to mentor the incoming Boy Scouts this spring and summer.  We lift up our prayers for the national leaders of the Boy Scouts of America, at this time when the organization faces a serious well-funded and skillfully launched attack as outside forces attempt to force their Pagan agenda upon it.

A photo texted home by Zachary from his retreat

3

Zachary's second semester at Notre Dame well under way, he fled campus last weekend with a bus full of dorm-mates and a few clerics for a short retreat on the shores of a frozen Michigan lake.  Talks, confession, Mass, and hours to explore the snowy wilderness gave this Knott Hall retreat its appeal.  We received several messages with photos (a dream come true!) and brief texts relating the successful tracking of various wild animals to their dens and moon lit explorations of the countryside.  Other funny text messages from Zac this week include:

• "I've spent probably over an hour explaining to people that I'm not afraid of bears." 
• In response to my apology for 'dropping the news so suddenly' that an elderly parishioner died: "Is there a less sudden method? She half died... three quarters...okay she died. Thanks for the update."
• In response to my texted request to 'take pictures' after the elated students and fans stormed the floor following the recently televised 4OT win by the Notre Dame basketball team:  "Of my TV?  I didn't manage to get a ticket."  I thought he was watching from the stands, not from his room.
• "Speechless" first thing in the morning on February 11th, alerting us to Pope Benedict's abdication.
• "I suddenly have realized why eating fish can be a penance."

Raw expansion opportunity

4

Tim acquired a new location our next pawn shop, this one in a neighboring town about thirty minutes south.  He will soon be outfitting, staffing and operating our fourth business, and the commute may require him to upgrade from the 1995 Toyota 4Runner he's driven the past decade and a half.  His staff recently expressed regret at the new vehicle possibility, since the roaring engine gives away his impending arrival by about two blocks, giving them plenty of time to get back to work and look busy before he bursts through the door.  No imminent plans for a stealth-mobile, but there's only so many miles his 4Runner can handle before it's mechanisms give up (car talk).

Father Josh on high before Sister first vows

5

The most unexpected sight at St. Joseph's Passionist Monastery in Kentucky had to be the young priest perched atop a 15 foot ladder just inside the chapel entrance.  Father Josh was pre-positioning a birds eye view camera soon-to-be stealthily operated during the Mass of Religious Profession for my friend, Sister Cecilia Maria.  I met Father Josh in the receiving line in the nuns' parlor after Mass, and learned that he operates Lolek Productions, and is a missionary in evangelizing our culture and sharing the Gospel through the media.  His team's efforts yielded a high quality vocation promotion video for the Passionist Nuns.  Check it out!

Peter, Father Joseph, and Joseph at Benediction

6

Our Lenten prayers are joined with the worldwide Church for Pope Benedict XVI in these final weeks of his pontificate, and for his successor.

'Luke' looks up to Peter in goal

 7

Our delightful former foster twins routinely beg to come and visit us, according to their mom.  We schedule visits as often as we can, and love hearing their new words and funny expressions.  She still begs for food, he's still ambivalent towards meals; he loves to zoom around the house on the plasma car and she prefers to be next to someone.  They are in the potty training process, so they come with pull ups rather than diapers these days.  Two two and a halfs guarantee entertaining visits, but the fact that these two ask to go to Church whenever we're riding in the car together gives me something even greater to smile about.

Click over to Jen's place where nearly 200 other bloggers have shared their 7 Quick Takes!

Capturing Christmas {2012}

The Mass of Christ.  Christmas.  

O Holy Night!

Spending time with our extended families and friends before Christmas ~ the appetizer.

Spending time with our extended families and friends after Christmas ~ the dessert.

The main course ~ assisting and worshiping at midnight Mass and Christmas morning Mass (with a few hours of sleep in between) offers pure satisfaction to our hungry hearts.

Weston, Peter, Violet, Joseph, Sawyer and Zachary: a complete set of cousins on Tim's side

Nearly the complete set of cousins; plus a few spouses and our little (and grown) ones on Bridget's side

The heart-breaker: digesting the reality that so many baptized Christians will not choose to worship God in His Church on this holy day, nor faithfully on Sundays, nor on any day.  With lives so full and so blessed, they lack the desire ~ or the will ~ to physically and habitually return to God's house to give Him praise, thanks and glory.  The call God Himself placed upon their hearts has been somehow muted or crowded out in the noisiness and business of life.  Yet He waits patiently for each one of us to return to Him.  Our Returning King offers His endless mercy as a perpetual Christmas gift, free of charge to anyone who simply, humbly asks.

Rocky at Christmas

Uncommon Friendliness {Toddler Love}

Peter with the twins at Benediction before Mass

The twins skittered around in the gathering space today before Mass, as we whispered reminders of a few simple rules Church etiquette.  Following last week's double altar dash, general noisiness and mayhem, we've coached and trained in preparation for today's return to Mass. 

"No running in Church.  Quiet voices in Church."  Like little parrots, they echoed the directions ~ visibly excited to attend daily Mass with us. 

Their heads turned in unison toward the front doors of the Church each time another worshiper entered.  A select few merited big smiles and waves, and others got nothing but the tandem sideways glances.   One woman, whose son died suddenly a few months ago, received much more...

When she entered the Church, Leia ran toward her saying, "Hi!" and looked like she was about to give her a hug, but changed her mind and sheepishly retreated with a shy grin.  Luke jumped off of Peter's lap and ran straight for the woman, saying, "I want a hug!"  In a move that was both bold and totally out of character ~ he gave pure two-year-old love to the grieving mother.  Luke hugged her and let her carry him to a nearby chair where he sat contentedly on her lap for several minutes.

Shortly thereafter, I related the tender moment in amazement to the sacristan.  She smiled as she shared that the intention for today's Mass would be for the repose of the soul of the woman's deceased son.  Timing is everything, and God's timing is perfect!

Fostering Peace {Eternal Joys of Foster Parenting}

Acolyte Joseph with Father Joseph; Benediction at Sacred Heart Catholic Church

Our recent experience as a foster family reads like a fairy tale in some chapters, and a little like a horror story in others.  The challenges we faced with the maze of daily logistics as a family of nine were sometimes crazy-making.  Parenting seven kids (aged one through nineteen), with several needing delicate handling due to traumatic pasts, required plenty of prayers and lots of help from friends here and above.

Our relationship with the twins (nicknamed Luke and Leia here to protect their privacy) continues to blossom and grow; their mom considers us family, and regularly brings the kids to our house for visits.  They are chattery two-year-olds now, their spunky personalities emerging with every new word and expression.

Recently, Luke found me working in the kitchen and began asking, "Gate...gate...open...hep you!"
I asked him, "Why do you want me to open the gate?" 
"Church... Go Church!" Luke emphatically replied.
I promised Luke that we would be going to Church soon, but "not right now, in a little while."

About one minute later, his little while had passed and he began begging, "Church... Church... Go Church!"

Not every two year old begs to be taken to Mass, but for Luke and Leia, going to Mass with us has become a favorite activity, something they eagerly anticipate.  Seeing Jesus, dipping their little hands in holy water, smiling at familiar friendly faces, holding (wearing) rosaries, and singing are highlights of their visits to Sacred Heart.  Some of Luke's first words were "Holy!" and "Alleluia!" (Sounded more like howey and layooya.)

Luke helps Peter with Thanksgiving meal preparations.

Peter teaches Luke and Leia the fine art of mixing pumpkin pie filling.

Joseph colors with Leia

Upon arriving at Church with the twins, the sacristan approached (my only helper) Joseph, and asked if he would please serve Mass as the normal servers that day were not available.  He agreed, after I assured him that I could handle the twins by myself during Mass.  Little did I know what sort of aerobic activity awaited me.  The little ones were in fine form: chanting (a little behind the congregation); calling out, "JOE!" whenever his motions in the sanctuary caught their attention; pew stomping and circling; and even a run for the altar ~ at which point a friend darted out from her pew to scoop up Leia in the nick of time.  I caught up with Luke from behind, a few steps behind his bolting sister, and every bit as determined to join his big (foster) brother, Joseph and Father Joseph in the sanctuary.

Although I didn't leave daily Mass with the peaceful sensation of having been rejuvenated and refreshed by the Lord (and certainly without my usual opportunity for silent prayer time) I left completely satisfied and extremely grateful for the love of God in allowing me to serve His little ones and bring them closer to Him.

The Golden Flute {+6}

Can you spot 'something wrong' with this picture?

It's not often we pray that a stolen golden flute would turn up at our pawn shop... but this week we did.  Our prayers were answered, and the criminal (also in our prayers) will face justice and hopefully find healing and repentance.  In a very exciting twist of fate, the solid gold flute stolen from our dear friends' car, which was smashed-during-daily-Mass, was brought in by a suspicious customer who asked $60 for the extremely rare and highly valued instrument.  The golden flute was immediately recognized by our store manager, who knew of the theft and called the authorities while delaying the transaction to allow the law to arrive and catch the criminal in the act of attempting to pawn (our friends') stolen goods.

Can you spot 'something wrong' with this picture?

After almost six months without our former foster twins living under our roof, I have completely forgotten how to pack a diaper bag (again).  On their recent stay we loaded them up after naps and headed for daily Mass with a hastily packed collection of mismatched shoes and various other items intended to keep them warm, dry, fed, and entertained (and slightly quiet).  They love our Church, and Luke, vocalist that he is, still joins in the Alleluia verse sung before the proclamation of the Gospel... and keeps singing Alleluia throughout the Gospel, and the homily...  It could be worse, he could be screaming like he ALWAYS does when we put him down for a nap.  Some habits die hard!  Another favorite passtime at Church for these extremely mobile toddlers is the 'climbing to the loft and stomping above the congregation' feat.
The usual crowd there doesn't seem to mind the added noise, and enjoys the opportunity to catch a glimpse of these two, clearly growing, developing and thriving in their mother's care.

Learning to love books, Luke and Leia sit still for Peter's dramatic reads.

When our old van almost exploded in a ball of flames en route to a family vacation in 2004, Tim's parents insisted that we were never allowed to transport their grandchildren in that vehicle e-v-e-r again.  They literally put their money where their intentions were and purchased an amazing vehicle for us to safely transport such precious cargo.  Eight years later, our Toyota Sienna is still healthy and strong, and although showing the love of so many teenage passengers, is cruising right along.  A big thanks to Grandpa Cliff and Grandma Billie for the upgrade.

Somewhat of a milestone, don't you think?

Can you spot 'something wrong' with this picture?

Zachary's crowd joined the celebration of his graduation at our house recently on one of the rainiest days in recent memory.  The guys didn't mind hanging around indoors, and have clearly grasped the concept of multi-tasking, wouldn't you say?

Let's just say, we decided it was time to sort out the enormous boot and shoe bin hidden in the garage.

I am not a big fan of shoes, but they do serve a purpose.  We let a shoe pile grow in our garage, without really paying attention to the vast quantity of outgrown and unused pairs being deposited as if to their final rest there.  The time arrived to tackle the bulging bin and our subsequent donation of many, many pairs of useful shoes and boots will soon bless the children of migrant workers being ministered to by our local NCCM 'Agape' team.

Instead of asking our kids, "what do you want to be when you grow up?" the Holy Catholic Church encourages parents to train our children to listen to the call God has placed upon their hearts and to courageously follow His lead in whatever path they take for furthering their education and entering into their particular vocations.   Most are called to married life, some to single life, some to the consecrated life and a few are called to the ordained life.  The annual "Quo Vadis"  retreat offers our boys an opportunity to grow in faith and learn about the specific nature and gift of a call to the priesthood while living/camping in community with boys from all over the Seattle Archdiocese.  This year Joseph and Zachary attended Quo Vadis together, though they were placed on opposing 'teams' for the camp-wide games and competitions ranging from Biblical dramatics to big field games like capture the flag.  Joseph's first QV Days ended in victory, as his team took top honors when the final points were tallied.  Zachary's team took second place (of 4 teams total), and the boys shared many fun memories from the 4-day experience.  Our thanks to Fr. Lappe, Fr. Olson and all the priests, seminarians (esp. Louis and Patrick) and Archbishop Sartain for their leadership and example.

Another tremendous Quo Vadis experience thanks to our amazing archdiocese (bishops, priests, seminarians) plus generous donors.

This was no easy feat.

Sometimes a clean shelf means more than meets the eye, which is certainly the case in this instance.  The never slowing stream of assorted-papers-without-a-home seem to find their way to this shelf in our living room, and unless properly tended, begin to multiply and attract papers from all over the neighborhood!  But a good sorting and filing binge served us well, and now we have a shelf worth showing off.  So there you have it, one small victory over clutter worth celebrating, or at least worth remembering.

Pentecostal Insights {7}

This flying visitor looks red-dy for Pentecost today!  It is a migrating Western Tanager.  We mark our family calendar to remind us to be on the lookout for these beautiful birds.  Our house is in their flight path in mid-May each year. 

Recognized for his soon-to-be earned AA degree with 60-some other high school 'Running Start' students, Zachary (somewhat reluctantly) took his place of honor on the stage at Whatcom Community College.  Each student had a moment in the spotlight where his academic and other successes were outlined and his plans for the future were announced.   After Zachary's introduction, a collective gasp was heard in the auditorium.  Seriously.  This kid is amazing.  May God be praised!

 If I had to guess, I would say goldfinch, the state bird here in Washington.  But maybe it is a female warbler migrating with her mate?  Ryan?  There was a time on our home school when identifying birds was very high on our to-do list.  We listened to recordings of bird calls to further assist our identification efforts. 

Time with the twins is more fun than ever, as they have grown into playing together and say many words and are better at expressing their wants and needs.  Their mom brings them to play at least once each week, and last week we even had a sleep-over.  Luke must have missed the memo about the sleep part, and he had more of a scream-over.  But Leia slept through all his hysterics and we remember well his dislike for naps and bedtime from the many months he lived with us as our foster son.  They are so dear to us, even when they are screaming.

One more funeral, bringing our total to three this week.  May Belia rest in peace.  Every moment with our pastor is a gift, especially as we prepare for his departure from our parish in one week.  I am especially grateful that we made the decision to center our home school schedule around daily worship, giving us all the chance to be students of Father Qui Thac.  His pastoral ministry, solid teaching and bringing us Jesus every day has blessed us profoundly during these past six years.  He will be missed.

As he prepares to enter the Benedictine Monastery, our pastor has gradually and continually been getting rid of all his stuff.  He will have no personal property as a monk, and therefor has no need for his things.  After the funeral on Friday, the boys helped him take his vestments to his car, to be donated to the Newman Catholic Campus Ministry Chaplain.  Father Qui Thac's emptying of his closets, drawers and shelves serves as a great reminder for us all that we can't take it with us in the end.  So there's no use being too attached to it now.  Let it go.

The second annual Iwo Jima float at our local Ski2Sea Grand Parade featured two of our boys, and two sets of brothers from our close home school and Scouting friends.  The Marine Auxiliary sponsored the float which won either 'best green float' or 'best Memorial Day themed float' (we aren't exactly sure).
The boys love being able to play military and dress up like heroes for the day again this year.  We sat along the route and cheered for them as they passed us by.  Free hamburgers grilled by the Harley Davidson shop a few blocks away made lunch a snap.  Happy Memorial Day all.

Go check out Jen's Conversion Diary next...