Lent. It was long, and emotional. Our little world is about to be in some major upheaval as we pack up and make our way back to the states. We must begin to really look at the contents of this house and decide "Is this really necessary? Why are we clinging to these things? Will they be useful in our new house?" I think Lent is a lot like that, but with our souls. What things are hanging out in our souls that are taking up precious space that needs to be for Jesus? How can we clear out a space for Him? What is keeping us from doing so?
On Holy Thursday, I was blessed to be able to spend time with Jesus in Adoration after Mass. I tell you, He can really hear your prayers when you are that close to Him, so be careful. What I asked of Him was given to me almost immediately. The question is, will I grow closer to my Lord, or will I let fear grip me and not rise to the challenge?
Somewhere along the way, we started a tradition of putting little trinkets in the Easter baskets along with the candy. Somehow that escalated this year into a group gift of a Lego set. They had all been asking for this one for over a year and it seemed like an appropriate time to give it to them. It is the Mass set, complete with a priest, vestments, tabernacle and even a relic inside the altar. They played with it all day yesterday. Jack saw a need for some enhancements to the set. He has already added a closet with hangers for the vestments. He has also added a choir and altar servers.
We invited a few friends to join us for Easter dinner. The kids got into the spirit of preparing for guests and were so helpful yesterday. It was a much needed blessing. They made place cards, folded the napkins to look like Easter Lilies, helped with food preparation and general straightening of the house. All these little things did not go unnoticed or unappreciated. Today, I gave them the choice of a laundry folding party or schoolwork. They chose the first and we did have a good time together. I pray that I can continue to do the little things that will keep this family closeknit. I need only ask the Holy Spirit to guide my actions. The remembering to ask is the hard part, so I suppose that needs to be a new habit to form!
May this Easter season bring much joy to you all!
On Holy Thursday, I was blessed to be able to spend time with Jesus in Adoration after Mass. I tell you, He can really hear your prayers when you are that close to Him, so be careful. What I asked of Him was given to me almost immediately. The question is, will I grow closer to my Lord, or will I let fear grip me and not rise to the challenge?
Somewhere along the way, we started a tradition of putting little trinkets in the Easter baskets along with the candy. Somehow that escalated this year into a group gift of a Lego set. They had all been asking for this one for over a year and it seemed like an appropriate time to give it to them. It is the Mass set, complete with a priest, vestments, tabernacle and even a relic inside the altar. They played with it all day yesterday. Jack saw a need for some enhancements to the set. He has already added a closet with hangers for the vestments. He has also added a choir and altar servers.
We invited a few friends to join us for Easter dinner. The kids got into the spirit of preparing for guests and were so helpful yesterday. It was a much needed blessing. They made place cards, folded the napkins to look like Easter Lilies, helped with food preparation and general straightening of the house. All these little things did not go unnoticed or unappreciated. Today, I gave them the choice of a laundry folding party or schoolwork. They chose the first and we did have a good time together. I pray that I can continue to do the little things that will keep this family closeknit. I need only ask the Holy Spirit to guide my actions. The remembering to ask is the hard part, so I suppose that needs to be a new habit to form!
May this Easter season bring much joy to you all!
Jenny, you NEVER cease to amaze me! You and Tony have always been an inspiration to us and a wonderful example of what a strong, Catholic family should look like. God Bless you and Happy Easter!!!
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