Weekly Report......

My family (i.e. Sara and Jimmy) took off early Monday morning for a little "cruise" on this very big ship!  I am totally opposed to traveling on one of these boats.  

A boat on the lake...of course!

A ship on the ocean...ummm NO!

I will not subject myself to any nano virus or stranded ocean liner, even if the trip free.

So...they took off for their vacation and I looked forward to mine, at home alone!

First planned activity..order new Yellow Box from Belk's.  It was time for their annual sale and the dozen pairs of flip flops I accidentally ordered over two years ago have seen better days.  

This time no mistakes.  Proper color, proper size, and just in time for summer.

 Next activity, totally unanticipated and unwanted....

a broken tooth.

Hidden inside this green box and nothing I want to share publicly is my front tooth that broke off at the gum line.

  NOT PRETTY!

It simply snapped when I opened a bag of M & M's with my front teeth.  I didn't even lie to my dentist.  Up front and truthful, he did not even question me.  He did question how a paper bag of chocolate could cause $3875 worth of damage.
Me too!!!

Consequently, and sadly I spent about five hours of my vacation visiting two different dentists and it is not even fixed.  That is another story for next Wednesday and I just cannot wait. :(

 What else did I do for five days?

I watched it rain.  That enabled me to sleep late and clean more than I really wanted to.  

 I couldn't even plant the flowers that were part of the plan...

way too wet to dig in the dirt!

So I have about 24 hours left.

I am tired of eating alone.  I need someone to talk to, and as much as I like this big ugly dog he does not respond to much but food.

It is time for my family to come home....

We are lonely!!!

My Big Weekend.......

I have come to the conclusion that I must have lead a very sheltered life for the last 66 years because

I can get very exited about getting out of the house even if it is only as far as the Irving Convention Center!

I gladly accepted an invitation to attend the Bishops Pro Life Dinner and I thought I was going to the prom!  How many times do we get the opportunity to drag out the "bling" and act like we are somebody special???

For me, not so often!!!

 Fine wine...

 Super salad....

 And an entree and dessert that I just had to take a picture of....

Never without a camera of course!!

It was fun, great friends, wonderful entertainment, personal time for me (a rarity at best) and an awesome cause to support.  

Sometimes I am amazed by the blessings that fall in my lap.

In bed WAY late and up very early because Sunday morning my precious second graders made their first communion.

It has been such an honor to be with these children each week to lead them in the way of Jesus.

In all honesty, my own kids learned nothing in CCD...nothing they can begin to recall at least.

It matters.  If these kids are going to be part of the church they need to get it....they need to know why the church believes what they do and what the sacraments mean.  

These children make me smile. 

 This is what heaven will look like...a mini United Nations.  They are black, white, Asian, and bi-racial and they truly do not notice the difference.  It is beautiful....and they are beautiful.

They woke up this morning ready to receive Jesus...

White dresses, beautiful veils, and prayer hands....

and a teacher with big old tears!

I am in love.

I am in love with the fact that I have been given the opportunities that have come my way.

I am having one of those looking back days, and for all the days that I have wondered what God's plan for me was, this weekend I found some answers.  It is to take advantage of each and every chance I have been given and be thankful for all of them.
Sometimes it is a big slap in the face and when you wake up you know how beautiful everything is.
"How great are your works Lord!
How profound Your purpose!"
Psalm 92:6

Easter Shubzda Style.....

For the first time in two years we all gathered to celebrate...

Easter!!!!

 And new babies...

and babies arriving soon!

 Our family is fun and growing and being together makes me smile...

ALWAYS!!!

 

 There is the annual egg hunt which always leaves the adults wondering why we are not included in the festivities.

There was real money in some of those eggs!

 The McCauley girls

 The Shubzdas

 The soon to be one more Bergesons

 The Davis, Wheeler, Perry clan

 And everyone!

If you think gathering 27 people together that will look at the camera is easy well, I can assure you it is not!

Easter 2015 is in the books and it was a HUGE success!

Gratitude......

The 47 days of Lent are over.  Good Friday has passed and we have celebrated our Risen Lord on Easter Sunday.

I am grateful...for a church that is full of attention to all of the amazing rituals of the days from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday.

I immersed myself this season with everything that I could to prepare for the greatest feast day in Christianity and I arrived on Easter Sunday so grateful and so blessed by a prayerful and meaningful 47 days.

We were blessed throughout the season with Vespers, Stations of the Cross, Living Stations of the Cross preformed by the school children, Masses, and Holy Week Liturgy.

Each different remembrance or celebration reflected a different part of our faith that has been practiced by the church for over 2000 years.  It is liturgical, historical, significant, and touching when you immerse yourself in it's meaning.

I am blessed and I am grateful that I have been able to find such peace in a place that seemed so out of my reach for so long.  

This is my family and this is my faith.

What I took for granted as part of what was given to me at birth without my choosing it....

is now something I do choose.  

The church is my home and like my other home it is comfortable and I am welcome and I am thankful.