Blessings of the Week - Vol. 5

The Memorial Day Weekend version

-1-

Spiritual Direction... Father and I met on Monday night. This time with him every month is an incredible blessing to me. I get at least as much from the time I spend preparing for our meetings and processing through what we've discussed as I do from the hour we spend together.

This week, we got into a discussion that sparked a late night conversation with DH, some really good prayer, and the purchase of some books that are opening me up in ways I've never been before.

-2-

School is done for the year! This is an INCREDIBLE blessing. I was really feeling burned out, and it's just wonderful to be able to relax, focus on enjoying the kids, spending our days doing all sorts of fun (and educational!) activities. This week, we've been bike riding, strawberry picking, to the zoo, to the children's museum, and had playdates with friends. I've been so relaxed the entire time.

Of course, just because the book work is done doesn't mean we stop learning. Princess and BigBro will both be reading for the library's summer reading program. We have camps, art projects, science experiments, and lots and lots of swimming in our future. But it sure does feel good to be done with books, lesson plans, and counting hours... at least for now.

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My Parish Community. I love my parish. I am always reminded of what a blessing this community is during t-ball season. This past Wednesday night, we had our first t-ball games of the season. Four fields of teams playing for 2 hours. Our kids are able to run freely, back and forth from one game to another, to the playground, to the open space. We know they are safe, watched over. We wander from field to field, cheering on each other's kids, chatting, catching up.

We are so blessed to be part of this community. Our parish is a good mix of senior citizens, older adults, and families. Due to hard work on the part of our Pastor and our school Principal, the family base has been growing these past few years. It's easy to see their successes when you have over 100 children ages 3-6 playing t-ball.

But more than that, it's the similarity in values. We know each other. We know the kids. We watch out for each other. This is a community in the deepest sense of the word. We are connected to one another, and we do the work necessary to stay connected.

There's nothing like a perfect spring evening, on a freshly mown field, surrounded by friends and their giddy children, all running and laughing, to know that you are in the presence of the Divine.

*****

In what ways have you noticed His presence this week?