Not Forever, But Eternal

We were sitting quietly in the back of the church. Her head was heavy on my chest, cold cheeks stinging from the biting wind. A modern-day pilgrimage, we had made our way through distant parking lots ,along glacial sidewalks, and up the winding steps. Anna's little face hardened and scrunched against the wintry onslaught.

In the darkened hush of holiness, her hands clasp around my neck. The soft candle light brushes our faces as we savor a moment of eternity. In the midst of fluster we are stilled. Peace. Love. Joy. They flood over us for an instant that cannot be grasped. The tears, the tantrums, even the smiles and laughs are all irrelevant at this point. I want to hold on. I want this forever. But the moment is gone- not shattered, but vaporized.




We are given glimpses of Eternity. Jean-Pierre De Caussade calls these the "Infinite treasures of the moment." We must open our hearts to the love that is present in every second of our day. Feel the depth of silence, Soothe the bruised and injured, laugh the exuberant and mirthful, clasp the fleeting, embrace the love...Rejoice! Live!

Fat Tuesday Fun

We made almost 40 Fasnachts today! Most of the children had them for dinner. Fasnachts are a long standing tradition in our family, and I can't remember a "fat" Tuesday without them:

Growing up, we always ate them with Turkey syrup (a lot like corn syrup). Our children prefer maple syrup!

Later on Mary Margaret requested potato soup because "It's the goodest soup!" Tommy, Anna, and Mary Margaret made it start to finish. Even Anna helped chop the potatoes. She was also snitching everything she could while they were cooking the soup! :






"Is it done yet, Mary Margaret?" Anna learns so much from her big sister:

"Let me see.... Yes! Delicious!!!!" :

Elsewhere around the house today: Still a very snowy landscape...not much outdoor play. Oliver sewed a gift for a special someone(can't give it away!!) While Mary Margaret, Tommy, and Anna were making soup, the other children were at open gym. It's so nice that Will can transport them back and forth now!!! We finished reading Charlotte's Web, and will start on a Redwall book tomorrow. Also, I am reading a book called The Hidden Power Of Kindness by Father Lovasik with the children for Lent. I hope for it to be fruitful! Here is one line we read today: "Kindness is not kindness unless it is special." Wishing everyone a holy, peace filled Lent!

What Does Your Hairshirt Look Like?

It was 1:00 AM. I was toasty. And Cozy. I was all set for bed. AHHH! The snow howled outside the door, the dogs were asleep in their spot under the dining room table. Even our resident mouse had not scritched or scratched all night (much like the Night Before Christmas Poem!) Then- the thought- a thought that felt like ice cold hands on a warm belly. The cow was never fed tonight. The cow is pregnant. She has to eat. The kids are all in bed.Travis is not home. I must feed her. I have to step into snow above my knees and bare my face to subfreezing temperatures. (It was about 5 degrees that night). I will walk to the barn, brave ravenous roosters and untie dusty hay bales in my pre-bed, showered- fresh state.I did what had to be done. In the process I managed to slip on the ice, get scared to death by a hiding rooster that balked and pounced on my shoulders just as I picked up the hay bale, and feed a very hungry and thankful cow.

I don't know why, but as I was in the middle of feeding Penny, I was thinking about the hair shirts that pious people have worn throughout the centuries. It is a practice that has mostly been done away with, but I did read that some Carmelite orders wear hair shirts to this day. A hair shirt (which is a rough garment made out of goat hair) is worn for penance. Father John Corapi once talked about hair shirts in a very humorous way. He said: "We don't need no hair shirts anymore. You may be sitting right next to your hair shirt. you may be married to your hair shirt...."

All humor set aside, Father Corapi was making the point that what we live with on a daily basis can be our "hair shirt" or our penance. A wise priest once told my mother that the best penance is to live what you have cheerfully (something to that effect). When I had to feed the cow that night, I was having what I now call a "hair shirt" moment. We may not be in a state of constant suffering such as the dear souls in Haiti right now, but we have moments, hours, or days-perhaps even months or years-when we suffer. The suffering may come in the form of an aggravation/annoyance(such as having to feed the cow!), or it may be something much more serious that leaves us feeling stripped and bereaved.

With Lent quickly approaching, I challenge you to 'dig out' your hair shirts. I challenge you to take all the aggravations, unkind words, thoughtless deeds, physical pain, whatever it may be that you are enduring right now and give it to God... "Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved" (Psalm 55:22)

A Happy Valentine's Day

Will went to 8:30 Mass this morning, leaving the rest of us to linger in the warmth of our cozy beds. Oliver fixed some hot tea for me, and Sam made me the sweetest valentine. Well, we lingered a little too long, and by the time we left the house at 10:30 it looked like a cyclone had hit the dining room. There were loads of laundry sprawled out on the table, toys and clothes strewn on the floor...Let's just say it wasn't pretty! We passed Will on the way to church (he was on his way home). I thought he might go back to bed or do some things in his room. Here is what he did instead:



The dining room was spotless when I walked through the door several hours later with tired and crabby children. What a wonderful surprise! He even lit a candle! And the roses that Travis had sent me were in full bloom:



Will even went through our extensive Osterheimer collection and set up little displays throughout the room. Here is one of them:



We had pizza for dinner, I have "rustic Italian Bread" baking in the oven, and I'm working in peace on my blog. Happy Day.

Update: The bread just came out of the oven- looks like the recipe is a winner:

Top Of The Hour

Quotes from our house in the last fifteen minutes:

After Lucky, our Golden Retriever, reeked up the house with skunk smell,Mary Margaret said: "Lucky perfumed our house in a bad way!"

After asking Will to clean up the porch(all messed up with little kid clothes) he said : "Mom, If you need help, Id be glad to help you with the 'facts of life stuff'-like laundry, dishes, or vacuuming, but I am not cleaning up after all those kids. They need to learn to pick up after themselves.."

John Paul on seeing me on the computer two minutes ago: "What are you doing, Mother?" I responded, "Giving everyone a news flash..." "Hey," he said, "That's just what I came in here to do. I have to give an update on FB!"