Today is…

 …a good day.  🙂  

I was finally able to go to Mass yesterday.  I believe I’ve worked our budget out to enable me to have enough gas to go every week, which I’m SO thankful for.  It won’t be easy but I believe it’s doable.  

The Mass, as usual, was absolutely beautiful.  It was a High Mass sung in Gregorian Chant, which is the norm in the Traditional Church on Sundays and Holy Days.  Low Mass is usually during the week.  I probably shouldn’t have been but I was surprised to find that I remembered all the Latin.  It’s been so long since I’ve prayed or sung the Latin prayers and responses that I thought I’d forgotten them.  Old habits don’t disappear easily and, in this case, that’s a good thing.  🙂  We have a new priest, a young man, whom I believe will be a great spiritual benefit to all of us.  I think he’s only a few years out of the seminary, but already he speaks with the wisdom of many years experience.  I wasn’t able to formally meet him by introduction but we did manage to say Hello to one another as he was getting ready to teach a catechism class right after Mass.  

Cathy and Allie came with me.  Wesley stayed home as I haven’t prepared him enough, yet, to be sure he’ll behave properly and Liz stayed home to help her Dad just in case he needed something or couldn’t handle Wesley.  

I couldn’t believe how grown up all of the children looked!  Some of them were my Art students when I used to teach Art class at the Academy and it almost made me cry to see them again.  They remembered me right away and one of the boys gave me a huge hug.  In fact, three other people greeted me the same way, with open arms and cheerfulness.  One lady, whom I didn’t think would remember me, walked right up to me after Mass when we were standing out in the driveway and hugged me and said how happy she was to see me.  Wesley’s God Father was there, too, and was so happy to see us that he couldn’t help but jump up and give us a giant, warm hug.  Anyone else I might have reunited with were already in the catechism class, so we didn’t get to talk.  I’ll see them next week.  🙂

The only drawback to the whole day was that I had forgotten how narrow the benches of the pews are.  Oh.  My.  Goodness.  I spent the entire time just trying to keep my rear end in the pew!  My skirt on a polished wooden seat was as slippery as skates on ice.  Out of habit, I knelt down when we were supposed to, forgetting how bad my legs are, and as a result, almost couldn’t stand back up.  Although the kneelers are padded, my knees are in such bad shape that any pressure put on them isn’t good.  When I tried standing back up, I had to hold my breath to keep from crying out in pain.  Today, they feel badly bruised to the touch and my legs ache as if I’d climbed a mountain.  Wowzers!!  I believe I’ll sit in the back of the church, next time, in a folding chair and just use the floor to kneel on.  It will be much more helpful to me when it comes time to stand back up.  LOL!!

Poor Cathy and Allie hardly had proper shoes to wear to Mass.  I couldn’t help but feel a little guilty for buying myself new shoes.  Since Allie had shoes, and I knew Cathy could borrow Liz’s boots, I didn’t think they’d be in need of new ones right away.  As it turns out, Allie’s shoes are too small for her and she ended up with blisters and Cathy could hardly walk in the boots (fashion boots, not snow boots) because they didn’t have good enough tread on the bottom.  So, as part of their Christmas presents, I’m taking them and Wesley out to Payless today to get some decent shoes for Church.  Midnight Mass will be Wesley’s first Mass – as I didn’t take him when he was a baby except rarely.  "Lord help me!"  I know he’ll be a good boy but the kid was born with ants in his pants!!

I’m getting excited for next week.  My sister Mel and her family are coming into town and I hope they’ll be able to get here early enough to make it to Midnight Mass with us.  Unfortunately, since my other sister, Annie, just started a new job, she won’t be able to come up this year.  It won’t be the same without the whole family, but it can’t be helped, she’s a single Mom now and needs to be able to support her two daughters.  I just hope my Mom won’t be too depressed over it.  It will be the first time in many years that someone isn’t able to come in.  It’s the one day our Mom asks for and, up until now, we’ve always managed to be together.  

We’re also all praying real hard and hoping that Mel will be given the week between Christmas and New Year off from work so she and her kids can stay a few days to visit afterwards.  Otherwise she’ll be forced to leave Christmas night.  Right now it’s not looking likely to happen but she won’t know anything for sure until Wednesday.  Wesley has been talking nonstop about seeing his cousin.  Him and my sister’s son are practically glued at the hip when they’re together.  It’s really too bad that the boys only get to see each other 1-2 times a year.  If my sister isn’t able to stay a few days after Christmas, my son will be inconsolable for days.  

Tomorrow is Allie’s Christmas Orchestra Concert and I can’t wait to see it.  She’s made so much progress, as evidenced by hearing her practicing up in her bedroom all weekend.  It will be her first concert of the year and I’m looking forward to seeing how well the orchestra has improved from last year.  Both of my parents will be there and I believe Hubby is planning to go, too.  He hates missing the concerts but sometimes he just can’t manage it.  Tomorrow, however, I don’t think he’ll miss even if he had to be carried there.  LOL!

Allie and Liz have decided to put on a little concert of their own for next Christmas.  Liz has been looking up Violin/Viola duets and plans to put together a small collection for her and Allie to practice together over the year so they can play for Mom and Dad next Christmas.  It will be sure to make them very happy and I’m so proud of them for thinking about it.  

Well, I have errands to run, a couple of phone calls to make and kids to motivate or we’ll never get out of this house at a decent hour.  If any of you are up in the colder climates, PLEASE be careful on the roads.  On my way to Mass yesterday I think I passed about 7 cars off the road due to black ice.  

God Bless you all.

Until next time…