7 Quick Takes

Since it has been crazy here, I thought it might be easier if I condensed several blog posts into one "Quick takes" post. (Visit other Quick Takes here.) Here goes:

1.

This weekend marks the Solemnities of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (Friday) and the Immaculate Heart of Mary (Saturday). Friday is also the beginning of the Year of the Priest instituted by Pope Benedict XVI. What a great Pope we have! Please note the prayer for priests on my sidebar. I know they can use all the prayer we can offer up for them! Since I love this icon so much, I am going to use it here and on my sidebar:)2.

College girl was surprised at seeing a group of fellow Franciscan University Students gathered in the Subway shop where she works -- in New Hampshire!!! Turns out they were here to attend a mutual friend's wedding this weekend. She was able to speak to the brother of a good friend of hers. Unexpected meetings can be so much fun.

3.

Isaac received the Offensive Award at his baseball banquet this week. No, he wasn't being rude...he had the best batting average on the team (.407 !!) He also made 2nd team All State! Way to go, Isaac!

4.

Annemarie had her very first dentist appointment today. It was soooo cute. Despite her brothers telling her how awful the dentist is, she was excited and quite a trooper. She got to wear sunglasses to protect her eyes from the light and she got to hold the "vacuum cleaner." She giggled all through the polishing of the upper teeth near the roof of her mouth...it tickled! She had us in stitches and perhaps she served as a good example for her brothers;)

5.

My sister-in-law and I managed to finalize plans for our children's First Holy Communion Notebooks for next year. We also hashed out rough plans for our 2nd graders' science curriculum - Magic School Bus Science! It looks like fun...and I REALLY don't like science (at least the way I learned it) I will post the science plans when they are complete.

6.

We will be really busy this weekend: two soccer practices, 2 graduation parties and a soccer game on Saturday; Holy Mass, another soccer game and another graduation party on Sunday! Unfortunately, we will need to split up on Sunday, meaning we won't all get to spend the day telling Daddy how great he is and how much we love him. I must admit that I am disappointed about that. We will have to make it up to him.

7.

Last, but certainly NOT least...Saturday, June 20, 2009 will be our 22nd wedding anniversary. Since we were 22 years old when we got married (I was 2 weeks shy of 22), we have now been married half our lives!! If you have read #6 above, you will see that there is not a lot of room for celebrating this weekend, but, we will. I think we both feel the depth of our love and commitment as a tangible, palpable entity. Love is never stagnant..if it is, it dies. Love does not get old. It keeps growing and changing, but, after 22 years, it grows and changes differently. There is a solidity that grounds, yet inspires the changing. There is history between us now, and we have touched the future. The very fact that we have joined together in marriage, produced children (two already in Heaven), baptized, catechized and educated them, means we have impacted the future. This is a very sobering thought. Marriage is serious business. Serious, difficult, frustrating, exhilarating, exhausting, joyful, sorrowful, luminous and glorious!! And soooo worth fighting for. It is worth working your way through the ridiculous fights and the serious misunderstandings. It is worth biting your tongue when you pick up yet another dirty sock from the floor. In fact, it is worth NOT biting your tongue, but offering up thanksgiving to God for the man who left that dirty sock on the floor in his rush to get to work to support the family you have created together. Christian marriage is worth the sacrifice and we feel so very blessed to have been partners in Christian Marriage for 22 years. Happy Anniversary, my dear, with all my love.

Forever, I do.