Aunt Erica, cousin Ethan, and our family friend Bill joined us for Mass at our beloved former parish. Sadly, the parish has no cry room so, as usual and since I appreciate a habit, I spent virtually the entire Mass in the narthex where one can neither see nor hear the Mass. I'm just really glad God values these sacrifices, that's all positive that I can say about that.
A newly ordained priest was there, so we enjoyed the graces of receiving a priest's first blessing. After a little shopping at my favorite Catholic bookstore and we were off to meet the family for brunch at The Black Bear Diner.
It was a sweet moment when during breakfast "Morning Has Broken" played over the loudspeakers. Honestly, I cannot remember when I have last heard that song. When we chose it as our concluding song at Mom's memorial, I hadn't heard it in years (decades?). Yet it played during our final family meal after Mom's memorial. Make of that what you will!
Enjoying the free sundae that came with the children's meals, wearing fabulous new sunglasses given by Nanna Linda
Receiving gifties from Nanna Linda
Margaret had been cooped up since waking what with breakfast at the hotel, Mass in my Ergo, riding in the car, and sitting in a high chair at breakfast, so I took her outside to walk around.
Then we walked down to Davis' Community Park for some playground time before going to Neil's house for the kids to nap and for me to do final loads of laundry.
We took apart Mom's photo poster boards. I was struck by this photo of Mom in her early 20s: I believe I look so much like her.
Our children had so much fun playing with their two cousins Zoe and Eli.
Everyone else has returned home now except for us, who have a few more days on the road. After leaving Neil's, we went to dinner at the L----s', the husband of whom was Chris' best man at our wedding. Mrs. L. is expecting their sixth child and still managed to put on a fabulous summer meal in the back yard where the kids had way too much fun playing. And Margaret (14 months) discovered that she can easily climb a ladder of a half dozen steps up to the play structure five feet off the ground. Oh good--another one who knows how to climb.
Ah yes the narthex. I have spent many of my Mass Sundays there since having children. So glad you were able to find some peace with the memorial.
ReplyDeleteBy the way you have so much more patience than I have with
my littles. I was in a sour mood when I did not get to receive a first blessing due to overtired children. I spent half the car ride home sulking.
Margaret and Mary's dresses were beautiful. Did you see them yourself? I love the pattern.
Hafsa: Yes, I sewed those dresses myself. Thank you. :)
ReplyDeleteIf I have more patience, it's only because I've been doing Mass with small children for 5-1/2 years now, so I've really died to self about it . . . almost entirely! You've only been doing Mass with all the littles in tow for a few months, right? You probably still have expectation of getting anything out of Mass that you can sense. :) By the way, your children are amazingly well-behaved for two-year-old twins and a one-year-old. Amazing.
Did I ever tell you my Narthex Routine? Now, I don't know what you usually do, and maybe it only works when Daddy is there, so just take it as an idea and not as a criticism! I always viewed going out to the Narthex as a punishment for the child, since the goal is to keep them in Mass, right? If we had to leave, I took the offender and I held him/her firmly in my arms. It was not an opportunity to wander around and look at more interesting things than what was on the altar. They could have quiet freedom of movement in the pew, but not in the narthex. IF I took toys to Mass, it was a soft church book, but only the baby could use it. There was no sharing because interacting children are usually noisy. :-)
ReplyDeleteIt can be exhausting, and might be impossible with Mary at her age, but Margaret is still young enough. FWIW.
Sara: That sounds like a great narthex routine. Yes, our older two children are golden in Mass. They stay with Daddy. It's Margaret who is a problem and she's only 14 months, so I don't do outright punishments yet when we exit Mass. I don't know whether I'm right or wrong, but so far for three kids I've never allowed them to play or have freedom of movement in Mass. They're in my baby sling, in my lap, and they graduate to sitting in a pew when they can have self-control to sit there. I don't bring any toys. I don't bring any snacks and figure nursing babies can continue nursing, but once they're beyond that, they can last one hour without food (as I will feed them a granola bar in the car on the drive there, if I have to). So, all these trips to the narthex, Margaret is in my Ergo the entire time, but she'll shriek. And I just don't know how to stop a shrieking baby! :(
ReplyDeleteOh, you've got it down, then! :-) I just see all these parents letting their kids play in the narthex or cry room instead of staying in Mass. So they get rewarded for misbehaving. Mine learned that if they didnt want to be held, firmly, (not spanked!), they had to sit quietly in the church. No, I don't now how to stop a shrieking baby, either.
ReplyDeleteI love that song. I remember singing it in my High School choir...
ReplyDeleteHow neat to hear it at breakfast with the family like that.