Good Friday and Holy Saturday

No posting yesterday, as it was Good Friday.  This morning we awoke to blue skies, the aftermath of rain and the promise of spring drawing closer.

Yesterday we arrived early for the 3 pm service for Good Friday.  Last year we arrived about 20 minutes earlier, had to walk a long way from a parking spot and sat in the basement.  This year we arrived about 45 minutes early, had a choice of spots to park and sat in the third row from the front.

Each of us used this time for prayer and reflection, and that was a grace filled moment of time suspended.  The homilist for Good Friday service was Fr. Murray Watson.  He was the small group leader for Mary's Confirmation preparation last year.

This morning's paper had an interesting interfaith discussion, concerning the question "How can we believe in a loving God in a world of such suffering?"  Fr. Murray was one of the panelists.

Enjoy.

Time for some shopping (still looking for almond paste for our Easter bread), and to get Mary to and from ballet.

Holy Saturday .. and tonight the Easter Vigil.  Lent has been a time of totally unexpected crosses, and unexpected grace.  We hope and pray for each of our friends and family, especially that they find the peace that comes in a world in turmoil only in Jesus Christ.

Peace be with all of you!

Holy Thursday

Frosty white roofs, grass and deck greeted us this morning.  It was appropriate for the emptiness and desperation Tom and I felt after several late evening phone calls.

Tonight begins the Easter Triduum.  Tonight is Holy Thursday Mass.  Tonight we'll watch and be present in the upper room on the night before Christ was betrayed.  Tonight we will sing, receive the Eucharist, and then stay behind for Adoration in front of the reserved Sacrament.  Tonight we'll return home with a bit of a heavy heart.

Tomorrow will be saved for tomorrow.  What is happening right now takes primacy, and is all I can move through.  May our sorrows rest in Christ's hands and may they be turned to Easter joy.

Wednesday of Holy Week

Cold
Rain
Prayers
New shirt
Grocery store
Thrift store donation
Finished reading PT109
Still working on Diary of a Country Priest
Late night phone calls
Distress
Heartbreak
Frustration
Sadness
Prayers

Tuesday of Holy Week

Today's prediction is for flurries.  So far, nothing but an icy cold wind.  Very small patches remain of yesterday's snow storm.

I thought I would share pictures of our volunteer purplish-blue flowers.  If anyone know what they are (and if they are poisonous or harmful) please share.  I have checked a few online identifier sites, and did not find anything that fit.

Each flower has 6 petals.  Each flower stem has 2 smooth sided long leaves.

 Flowers before they open

Opened.

Monday of Holy Week

 This mornings forecast?  "Flurries"

Betcha those blades of grass peeking through aren't visible in 10 minutes!

Me thinks we are experiencing a bit of lake effect.

Passion Sunday

Holy Week is finally here.  Even though Easter is about the latest in the year it can be we might end up with another white Easter Sunday.

Earlier this week I took pictures of proof that we do have bulbs growing.  So far, though, no stalks showing the flowers.  Instead we have plenty of green.

 Windy, windy, windy!

 These two are of volunteers in the front yard.  Pretty sure they are weeds.

 But, given we have no other flowers, we'll take color wherever we can get it.

Bulbs are beginning to push up through the mulch.

We are cozied up to a warm fire in the family room today out of comfort.  Outside .. well take a look!

 Same spring flag, with a lot more wind!

 The base of the birch tree is where those pretty purple blooms are, now surrounded by snow.

 No grilling today.

Yeah, definitely snow and we're glad the fire is still burning.

Today we are having our St. Patrick Day dinner.  A month ago we had an emergency that required me to fly quickly to Houston.  So, today it's a corned beef dinner.  

As topsy turvy as this spring is being, that makes as much sense as watch new HUGE flakes fall from blue skies!

May your Holy Week be one of intense preparation and reception!

Thinking Ahead

Today's post is simply a reflection and guidance for the time I die.  Oh, don't worry.  I'm not holding back news of my impending doom.  Still, given that none of us know exactly how or when we will end this earthly life, here are my requests.

1.  Please have a viewing and recitation of the Rosary the evening before my funeral.  If you can do this in my home then, please, skip the funeral home.
2.  Please have a funeral and follow the Catholic church's tradition.  I mean the real traditions, not something a new funeral director has dreamt up.  That will be for you all.  Love each other, forgive and bury any resentments.
3.  Please do not cremate me.  If I'm fortunate at my final judgement I'll avoid the pains of hell.  Please don't put my remains through fire.
4.  If I don't already have a coffin, go with the cheapest thing you can.  It's going into the ground.  My final resting place isn't final.  It's just until the resurrection, and I'm pretty sure that if my risen body arises from cardboard I won't be thought of as less than someone rising from a gold plated tomb. I won't care about what you dress me in, just have me dressed.  The only thing I want to be buried with is my wedding ring, and one of my rosaries.
5.  I'm doing what I can here, but given some extremely poor choices earlier in my life, assume I'm in purgatory and remember me on my death date.  By all means, have masses said for my soul. Please pray for my soul. When I'm in heaven, I promise to share.
6.  Please give family and friends immediate notification of my death.  Don't let them find out, as I did about a distant grandfather, during Thanksgiving dinner.
7.  Do plan a wake.  That is when you can share stories, laugh and cry.   These are for you, not me. Do not paint a rosy picture of my life.  I've been quite human in my failings.  By the same token, please be sensitive to my loved ones.  Please don't share those failings that would cause them embarrassment or scandal.
8.  Other than the funeral and burial in consecrated ground, do what makes sense.  The last thing I would want is for anyone to do something because "it is what she would have wanted."  Honest, I trust you to be grown-ups.  And quite frankly, I'm fairly certain I won't be allowed to come back to haunt you if you serve food I wouldn't eat.
9.  Know that I'll miss all of you very much, but will be waiting for you so we can to be reunited in Heaven.

This is a good explanation, especially with regard to why my thoughts have turned to this topic: funerals

April Madness

Stuff ... It has been a difficult 3 weeks.  I can't really talk about anything related to the reason, except to say to those involved directly ... we love you deeply, and I raise you in prayer all through out the day, and even at my 3 am waking.

Snow ... it hasn't stopped!  The drifts are disappearing.  But, they aren't as much melting as sublimating right now.  Definitely not at the pace we would wish.  Moments ago more flakes were drifting down.  Sigh.

We planted some bulbs last fall, and really are overdue on finding out if they are viable.  Hopefully our plump black squirrels haven't dug too deeply in the flower beds.

Our oldest challenged on her blog to type in each letter of the alphabet on your search bar, and record what came up.  We had two letters that apparently haven't been used ... Q and Z (not a surprise.)  And oddly, the letter R brought up a webpage one of our adult daughters apparently read while visiting.  It deserves a soft "R" rating, so do not explore and blame me if you are a bit shocked.  I declined to click on the link, but Peter did and reiterated Kate's admonition to Mary that she was NOT to ever visit that webpage.  Which begs me the question, "Why not her, too?"

I'll include our list at the bottom of this post.

Last night my ENDOW friends met again for Week 5 of our Muliaris Dignitatem study.  There are no coincidences in life, of that I am convinced.  We had to take a break for various personal reasons, and it happens that last night's study focused on reconciliation.  This week will be our Diocesan-wide day for confession.  Tomorrow, beginning at 8 am and concluding at 8 am all the parishes and priests will be open to hear confessions!  We are planning to attend as a family.  Last night's study helped provide me more insight for my Examin.

Okay .. here is the list .. you'll see where my practical streak lags behind Mary's creative streak.  Perhaps I can use her as my excuse for not blogging more ;-) .. but I won't.  My days are packed with ... well, nothing .. and it is by my own laziness, and a need for privacy that I don't blog more.  I look back over the past few blogs and see they are focused on the weather.  Boring.  Safe, but boring.

This spring (*provided it actually arrives) will begin new rounds of home renovations.  Tom and I have come up with a beautiful solution for kitchen/breakfast room/family room.  It is actually can begin, I'll keep you all posted with progress pictures.

Well here are the ABC's from our search bar:

A: amazon.com

B: bestbuy.ca

C: chron.com/apps/comics/showComics.mpl

D: dressupwho.com

E: ebay.com

F: facebook.com

G: gamestop.ca

H: herinteractive.com

I: imdb.com

J: jellio.com

K: kenken.com

L: londonpubliclibrary.ca

M: mail.yahoo.com

N: nintendo.com

O: ourkids.net

P: pbteen.com

Q: (Nothing!)

R: redstring.strawberrycomics.com

S: store.delias.com

T: thedreamercomic.com

U: uniongas.com

V: voguepatterns.mccall.com

W: walmart.com

X: xe.com

Y: youtube.com

Z: (Nothing!)