May Crowning 2014

This was perhaps my busiest 24 hours in months . . . so many "important" things came together at once!

Last night, we attended the Ascension Thursday orchestral solemn high Mass, which I hear was gorgeous except I never got to sit down once or hear anything because I was chasing a 16-month-old who takes great joy in hitting and screaming while I supposedly monitored my three- and five-year-olds, neither of whom would sit down and one of whom kept singing nursery rhyme songs over the professional musicians. 'Thank you, God: I get the message loud and clear that night Masses are not part of my vocation for the time being.'

A late night was followed by an early morning because Grampa Neil arrived on a red eye at 6:30 in the morning! We picked him up perhaps not so bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and--after I made three wrong turns on the street I know best in this city--took him for a Southern breakfast. After a stop by the grocery store for ice cream supplies, we went to our parish for our annual homeschoolers' May Crowning. About 60 children plus their parents participated.

The altar boys and the First Communicants placing the first flowers

The mother who organizes this each year does such a nice job. We processed to the statue singing Immaculate Mary, then sang "Bring Flowers of the Rarest" while placing our flowers at the statue's feet. As a group, we prayed one decade of the glorious mysteries of the rosary and the litany of our Lady.

Father giving a homily

Our pastor then gave a short homily and led the children in an Act of Consecration to Mary. Miraculous Medals were presented to the children and blessed by Father, before we recessed while singing Hail Holy Queen.

Father blessing the Miraculous Medals

Our precious children--lest we feel full of pride about their always cherubic behavior, I noticed one family whose children were fighting most of the event about who would carry the flowers or hold the song sheet, and their baby cried the whole time so that the mother had to walk to the other end of the parking lot so as not to drown out the sounds of the event . . . oh, yes, that was MY FAMILY!

An ice cream social awaited the children afterward!

But that wasn't all . . . we buzzed off to swim class, my only getting lost once this time. I've only been going there for 16 weeks straight and I do have a GPS system. At some point, I'll learn the way.

After swim class, we raced back to church, arriving for our final Friday homeschool co-op (art and chess classes) of the year. By this time of the year, my spirits are flagging, so I am grateful that within two weeks we will have transitioned away from art/chess and swim to Children's Latin Choir, Shakespeare rehearsals, Drawing Class, and Music Appreciation Class, with piano continuing . . .

Never a dull moment!