Five Minute Friday ~ "Decide" 4/1/16

Discomfort, unsettled, decision......thoughts.

Uncertain, evaluate, effort.

sacrifice, accomplish, impermanent.....

A certain discomfiture around the indefinite.

And once it's done...the decision, made.....;

Calm, peace, conviction, control.

Truth.  

Now, in the present,  do these decisions,

these finalities  create a haven that shrouds our kids in 

safety,  memories,  goodness?

Well, that was super short and super skimpy and

sort of out of nowhere......

but that's how the #fmf prompts work, right?

Getting us thinking and the keyboards flowing

and the timer clicking with

what we weren't in the slightest thinking about before?

About the exciting new book project - - -

a compilation of FMF posts ?

All the benefits will go towards two amazing ministries in South Africa.

I've submitted this post,  for inclusion, with the prompt, JOY from 3/21/14.

I can't quite believe this is a post from two years ago!

This one, with the prompt, SURPRISE, from 3/18/16, was a second choice....

I'm happy to join the tribe of FMF writers at Kate's.

Please click over for some truly beautiful pieces of writing.....

and glimpses of hearts.

 Friends, as always,  

thank you for stopping over and 

spending some of your precious time 

here at my home on the web!

Have you signed up to receive my posts in your email inbox?

   If not, just enter your email address here

so we can be in touch regularly!

Enter your email address:

    

You might wish to follow on Facebook as well.....

Until next time,

~Chris

Post dividers: Plumose Lane 

Birthday Rose ~ WW

So...this, I found, first thing.

And how blessed, how lucky.

How loved.

Birthdays can be bittersweet, no?

Today will be filled with  good things from the present and 

happy memories from the past.

And the promise of blessings for the future for all those in my life!

Thank YOU for being part of that.

 Friends, as always,  

thank you for stopping over and 

spending some of your precious time 

here at my home on the web!

Have you signed up to receive my posts in your email inbox?

   If not, just enter your email address here

so we can be in touch regularly!

Enter your email address:

   

You might wish to follow on Facebook as well.....

Until next time,

~Chris

Post dividers can be found here.

Our Living Stations of the Cross: Good Friday 2016

 “The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 

and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name.”

 (Luke 24:46-47)

Our parish's Good Friday Stations of the Cross.....:
Wow.

The youth of the parish present the living stations and every  year it is

truly remarkable. 

SO so powerful to bear witness to kids ringing to life the Lord's passion.

So moving. So real.

This year, my son was given the honor of portraying Jesus ...

and........was he ever thrilled and humbled.

I honestly was moved to tears thinking about how truly

deserving this boy is to be granted such a privilege.

And while I sat with the rest of the family and our friends and parish 

community, I was again moved to tears a few times 

during the fourteen stations.

Between the 12th and 13th station, 

our church bells tolled, the actors were still.....

I was moved and it was clear so, too, every person 

in the congregation was  touched.

How could we not be?

Here's a glimpse of each station 

(With whatever picture or video is was able to obtain!)
The kids presented a tableau of each along with narration and a reflection.

I'm so happy to share with you the memory, the appreciation and the honor.....

1. Jesus Is Condemned to Death
Pontius Pilate condemns Jesus to death.

2. Jesus Takes Up His Cross.

Jesus willingly accepts and patiently bears his cross.

3. Jesus Falls the First Time. 

Weakened by torments and by loss of blood, Jesus falls beneath his cross.

4. Jesus Meets His Sorrowful Mother. 

Jesus meets his mother, Mary, who is filled with grief.

5. Simon of Cyrene Helps Jesus Carry the Cross. 

Soldiers force Simon of Cyrene to carry the cross.

6. Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus. 

Veronica steps through the crowd to wipe the face of Jesus.

7. Jesus Falls a Second Time. 

Jesus falls beneath the weight of the cross a second time.

8. Jesus Meets the Women of Jerusalem. 

Jesus tells the women to weep not for him but for themselves and for their children.

9. Jesus Falls the Third Time. 

Weakened almost to the point of death, Jesus falls a third time.

10. Jesus Is Stripped of His Garments.
The soldiers strip Jesus of his garments, treating him as a common criminal.

11. Jesus Is Nailed to the Cross. 

Jesus’ hands and feet are nailed to the cross.

12. Jesus Dies on the Cross. 

After suffering greatly on the cross, Jesus bows his head and dies.

13. Jesus Is Taken Down From the Cross. 

The lifeless body of Jesus is tenderly placed in the arms of Mary, his mother.

14. Jesus Is Laid in the Tomb. 

Do not abandon yourselves to despair. 

We are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song. 

Pope John Paul II

 Friends, as always,  

thank you for stopping over and 

spending some of your precious time 

here at my home on the web!

Have you signed up to receive my posts in your email inbox?

   If not, just enter your email address here

so we can be in touch regularly!

Enter your email address:

    

You might wish to follow on Facebook as well.....

Until next time,

~Chris

Post dividers: Plumose Lane 

Nos plans pour semaine sainte < Our Plans for Holy Week ~ A dozen ideas>

No, actually, google didn't get  hold of my blogger account and do crazy things with the language option.... It's just that  we're so immersed en l'etude du francais,  we're thinking, writing, reading en francais and fou, I literally started typing my post title EN FRANCAIS before I realized what I was doing!

Ok, je vais arreter.  I'll stop. Vraiment! Really.  A side effect of  homeschooling taking over the  brain, right? And by the way, I'm loving our French curriculum ....it's just parfait for the beginner l'etudiant francais and his mom who has not spoken la langue since that  three credit undergrad  course! Fundamental, yet thorough. 

Soooooo...our plans for Holy Week~~  If it's out there in print, I'm more  focused and, well,  accountable..... So thanks for stopping by, checking in annnnd possibly sharing some of your traditions for Holy Week and the Triduum! 

I've mentioned many  times  how important I'm finding the necessity to bend with 

tradition,  adjust the rituals I've come to love...that we've all, in our family, have come to love. Some can be altered to fit imposing  schedules; some, kept relatively intact;

some, abandoned altogether. And for those that fall into the latter category, there

might be a period of 'mourning,' if you will...a little sentimentality...a little remember-when.

We walk down Nostalgia Road often around here... a little too often for my taste.

But kids grow up and customs get altered. Throw in a huge dose of reality, tragic reality,

and the way we pray, what  and who we pray for, is admittedly changed.

So this year, on the most sacred of days, what's on our family's calendar?  

Here's the catch-all assortment of the liturgical and the practical:

* Community  penance service Tuesday evening in our parish church.

* Rehearsals for the living Stations of the Cross on Wednesday evening.

To be presented

Good Friday by the youth of our parish.

 I did tell you that my son has the honor of

being involved and of "playing" Jesus? He. Is. So. Excited. 

More to come.  Believe me, tons of pictures!

*Creating our cute, fun, annual peep wreath! Tuesday or Wednesday of Holy Week.

* Double checking that suits, ties, shoes, socks do not need 

polishing, cleaning, ironing, etc.

Most likely done on Tuesday as well.

* Evening Mass on  Holy Thursday, followed by my son's presence 

in the chapel for an hour

for the Adoration and Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. 

(Volunteers were requested, so there he was.)

* Visiting cemeteries....those important people who have left us. 

Most likely, Holy Thursday.

* A quiet Good Friday, reflecting the solemnity of the day, 

followed by a simple dinner and then on to church for Stations!  

And by the way, a perfect, easy and amazingly symbolic Good Friday

 meal is outlined and explained beautifully  here at my friend, Tracy's blog.  

Absolutely click over for some wonderful ideas 

to enhance your dinner or lunch on this most sacred of days....the

* We'll pray the Rosary as well...the Sorrowful  mysteries, recounting
the passion of Jesus.

*Lots of general decluttering, organizing, deep cleaning, window washing,

 basket-filling whenever I can fit it in. 

Probably Holy Saturday. 

Oh and I'll be back here  blogging 

photos of our Good Friday Stations on Saturday too! 

* Egg dying, and baking on Holy Saturday.

 Our go - to desserts for the past few years have been

 these tomb brownies and this peep cake. 

Perfectly  festive and uncomplicated too!

                                 

                                

*A simple dinner on Holy Saturday, where we assess how  

Lent was lived and the ways we succeeded ...and failed...

in praying, fasting, giving alms.  

We hang these lovely mercy wreaths that the boys made 

back in 2013, in  prominent spots...they remind us throughout  

Lent of the true meaning of the season.            

 

* Attending vigil on Easter Eve. The boys will be serving too, 

which is always an honor.

And since we can official break our lenten fast at midnight 

on Holy Saturday, we tend to 

enjoy some ice cream, set out to accompany

 that cake for Easter's dessert!

What won't we be doing this year, traditions that  the family has, well..... 

"outgrown......?"  Resurrection eggs  

and recreating these Crucifixion paintings.

Of course, the watercolors are always 

on display at home, not just during Lent. .......

How about you, my friends?

Plans, ideas, traditions of the Triduum to share?

I'd LOVE to hear them!!

 Friends, as always,  

thank you for stopping over and 

spending some of your precious time 

here at my home on the web!

Have you signed up to receive my posts in your email inbox?

   If not, just enter your email address here

so we can be in touch regularly!

Enter your email address:

                                                                       

You might wish to follow on Facebook as well.....

Until next time,

~Chris

Post dividers: Plumose Lane 

A Wintry Holy Week ~ WW 3/23/16

 Friends, as always,  

thank you for stopping over and 

spending some of your precious time 

here at my home on the web!

Have you signed up to receive my posts in your email inbox?

   If not, just enter your email address here

so we can be in touch regularly!

Enter your email address:

   

You might wish to follow on Facebook as well.....

Until next time,

~Chris

Post dividers: Plumose Lane