Easter Friday, aka Seven Quick Takes, vol 28
1.
Isn't Easter lovely? There really isn't a feast that I love quite so much as Easter. It's the feast of all Feasts. My favorite Matt Maher song is making my hormonal pregnant self cry these days. Isn't Jesus good for giving us Easter in return for our sins?
2.
We went again to the Easter Vigil again this year and unlike last year with Sunshine, we were able to stay in our pews the whole time, except for one potty trip. Sunshine held her taper candle with great care and only fell off the pew with a flame once. :) Who knows what we will do next year with a 12 month old, but this Mass is one that both my older girls love and look forward to so much that I have been glad that we have made the effort to go. The beauty of the Vigil Mass is so compelling and I'm so glad my girls love it like I do.
3.
I love penance-loving Catholics on Good Friday. :)
I went to our parish church in the morning on that day with the girls and my very pregnant self. The church has confessions for a whole 3 hours that morning and I picked the middle of the time slot, thinking the lines wouldn't be bad. Wrong. Each line was at least 15 people long and the priests in the Confessionals -- God bless them -- was counselling each person for 5-10 minutes each. I got in line with resignation to my Good Friday penance, for the time being, and wondering if it would be okay to leave and give up on it when someone inevitably started running or crying or falling off a pew. But not much time went by before the confession line as a whole invited me go to the front. I felt so happy and really bad at the same time as I traipsed to the front with my 3 kids and belly. I guess Catholics on Good Friday are not adverse to a little extra penance. And they all must've felt sorry for me. Their kindness was very humbling and really made my day.
4.
I have been reading Corrie Ten Boom's The Hiding Place. I wanted to share something from the book that struck me and is in keeping with the promise that Easter brings to us. In the forward to my edition, Elizabeth Sherrill writes,
"[Corrie] looked forward to each new year . . . because of a phrase her father repeated whenever the family gathered for a birthday celebration . . . the best is yet to be! It was more than an expression of optimism, Corrie said; it was the summation of her father's faith. Whatever the current hardship, whatever the outward appearances, he knew that beneath those appearances God was in charge, bringing His kingdom to pass. And since that was true, better things than anyone could imagine were in the making. . . ."
"[Corrie] looked forward to each new year . . . because of a phrase her father repeated whenever the family gathered for a birthday celebration . . . the best is yet to be! It was more than an expression of optimism, Corrie said; it was the summation of her father's faith. Whatever the current hardship, whatever the outward appearances, he knew that beneath those appearances God was in charge, bringing His kingdom to pass. And since that was true, better things than anyone could imagine were in the making. . . ."
5.
In these recent weeks I have finally done something that has been on my to-do list for months. I made a magnetic chore chart for the girls. It has greatly reduced the amount of squabbling about whose "turn" it is to do what and whether this job or that has been done. It doesn't quite live up to all the grand ideas I had and found on Pinterest, but it works for us. It doesn't always get referred to, now that the girls know what is expected every day, but I like having it as an impartial moderator of the job fiasco. :) Also, I can change out or switch around or add or subtract from the jobs as time goes on and that will be helpful.
6.
Have you heard this story?
It is beautiful! The father of this boy works with my uncle at Providence College. I just love Pope Francis. Haven't we 20 and 30 somethings had such wonderful popes in our lifetime?
7.
I LOVE these shoes!
Happy Easter!
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