Good Friday

He died for us, that we might live! He has reconciled everything!

The Last Supper

I was lucky, growing up, to have had an original painting of Leonardo Da Vinci's Last Supper in our dining room. It hung on the wall next to our family dining room table. It was an original oil painting. It was beautiful and it was painted by my mother! It was a paint by number that she painted before I was born. It still hangs there today. Since tomorrow is Holy Thursday and we celebrate the last supper of our Lord I thought I would post a copy of the original and say that my mother's is just as good!

The Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over, took bread, and, after he had given thanks, broke it and said, "This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me." In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying,"This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me." For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.

Not so Wordless Wednesday!

Sisters Mary Catherine, Maria Theresa, Katherine Marie, Rose Frances, and Mary Kathleen left the convent on a trip to St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City and were sight-seeing on a Tuesday in July. It was hot and humid in town and their traditional garb was making them so uncomfortable. They decided to stop in at Patty McGuire's Pub for a cold soft drink. Patty had recently added special legs to his bar stools, which were the talk of the fashionable east side neighborhood. All 5 Nuns sat up at the bar and were enjoying their Cokes when Monsignor Riley and Father McGinty entered the bar through the front door. They too came for a cold drink. They were shocked and almost fainted at what they saw.

GIVE US A SENSE OF HUMOR LORD, GIVE US THE GRACE TO SEE A JOKE, TO GET SOME HUMOR OUT OF LIFE, AND PASS IT ON TO OTHER FOLK .

Check out other more traditional Wordless Wednesday posts here! Happy WW.

American Heart Association Jump-a-Thon

On St. Patrick's Day my son's school had a Jump-a-thon to raise money for the American Heart Association. He was very excited about it and couldn't wait for it to start. He had been practicing at school so that he could "Win" the competition.


Since this is his first year in school, I did not know what to expect. First they had each class warm up, then each class got called to the jump area; each student was then given a jump rope. When the music began, each child was to begin jumping. The kindergarten group would have two chances to make a mistake and then they would be tapped on the shoulder to sit down. Who ever was left standing would be the winner.

It was a good thing that my son was in the back corner! He was not the first to be tapped out and I was very happy. But you can tell by his form that he has a little more practice to do! He jumped with such determination and consentration.

The eventual winner of my son's class is seen in the background of the above picture. You can tell by her form that she is used to jumping rope. I think that they should have had a boys winner and a girls winner because the girls were way better then any of the boys!

Once they say down, they each got a sticker badge that said "I Jumped for the American Heart Association" The kids all wore those with honor!

No matter where he placed, you can tell by the smile that he was proud of himself, and he raised a lot of money for a charity that is near and dear to our family! Way to Go, Son!

Sleeping like a Baby

When I got into bed last night I thought how wonderful it would be to be three or five years old again! No, I really was thinking how lucky my children had it. They could say there night-night prayers, get kisses from there parents and climb into bed without a worry. When their heads hit their pillows they have nothing else to worry about as they drift off to sleep. I am sure my son thought about his jump-a-thon that he was having today and my daughter had thoughts of her babies maybe, who knows. But they do not have the worries of the adult world. The more I thought about this, the more it made me long for a simpler life.

And then it hit me, smack in the middle of my thoughts. I am suppose to be like a child. I am suppose to rely on my Father to take care of all my problems. If I truly believe in him, then what do I have to worry about. He will take care of all my needs, and my wants according to his will. I do not need to lay awake at the end of the day trying to figure out how I am going to take care of all my problems, because he will provide me exactly what I need, when I need it. If it is not provided, then I didn't need it! I just need to believe and have constant faith that he will provide all that I need.

My son told me awhile back, "Mommy, did you know that Jesus doesn't answer all of our prayers?" "He doesn't?" I said. I was thinking oh no, what has he been praying for that he hasn't gotten. "No, he doesn't because he has a better plan for us!" I told him that he was right and that we needed to trust that God would always give us what we need, when we need it. My five year old son was exactly right. I need to remember that prayer isn't always asking but of talking to God and letting him show me what his Plan is for my life. If I would do a better job of that, I would be sleeping as soundly and as quickly as my beautiful children.

Picture Credit

Obstacle Course Saturday!

On Saturday we were celebrating Birthdays. One was for this sweet little one year old! She is the granddaughter of our good friends. They had a birthday party set up at a park and had planned to have over 150 people there, but because of the weather, there were probably only 100! We did have a couple of spells of rain, but once the cloud would pass over, the rain would stop and the sun came out and it was beautiful. My children were having lots of fun on the inflatable obstacle course that they had.

At first my son, the brave one, would only walk and bounce on the flat parts of the obstacle course. Once he got used to the course, he finally ventured into doing other things, including climbing the ladder to slide down the slide, and climbing over the different objects.

I think they had more fun in this inflatable then in the bounce house. There were older and younger kids inside it at the same time. But because it was long they could stay away from each other and all enjoy the fun at the same time.

The weather got a little warm later on and the kids were able to shed the jackets. This just made the jumping and running a lot more fun.

The kids and the adults had a great time. Our friends had hired a caterer to come and make tacos at the the park. They made carne asada, pollo and also pork but I could never say it in Spanish! They cooked the meat, heated the tortillas and had all the fixings, including grilled jalapenos and onions as well as homemade pico de gallo, guacamole, rice and beans. They were oh so good! I lost count of how many I ate throughout the afternoon!

We had a good time and so did the kids. My son had to leave in the middle to go to a birthday of one of his classmates. It was at Chuck E. Cheese. He had fun there but he would have rather stayed at the park with the Obstacle course. I will have to remember that for the next party that we have.

The Birthday Boy!

Happy Birthday to one of my five favorite nephews! He is very smart and talented and just a wee bit precocious. His parents might use a different word but I think that is the one I will use for him. He will be able to do just about anything when he gets older, if he puts his mind to it.

Here he is at his piano recital last Sunday. He only started playing three years ago and he is very talented. He played with such feeling and determination. He never cracked even the slightest smile while he was playing. When he wants to be he can be very serious and focused;

and then here he is as we usually see him, excited about a spent shell casing and some sort of bullet that his uncle gave him! It is interesting to see the many, many things that interest him. He is into woodworking, piano, military, guns, sports, Myth Busters and the likes. He just needs to get more interested in homework so that he will be able to reach the potential that God has planned for him.

We love our Mr. T. and wish him a very happy and wonderful Birthday. We pray that God will grant him many, many more in health and happiness!