7 Quick Takes Friday

[Vol. XII for Me]

After yesterday’s post on the Mother’s Day of Renewal, I heard from a couple of readers who wanted to know the day’s agenda. “It would be nice to start something like this around here,” they explained.

It would be nice, dear readers, and you should—you can—organize your own day of renewal. Ask a priest to say Mass. Reserve the church basement. Organize a potluck luncheon. It can be as simple or as detailed as you make it, but the most important thing is getting out and getting together.

Here’s what our day looked like:

8:30 Rosary

9:00 Mass (with confessions after)

10:00 Continental breakfast

11:00 Speaker (Coleen Kelly Mast)

1:00 Luncheon (optional)

Just tell the moms that they’ll get to attend Mass and confession without the kids in tow. They’ll sign up in droves.

And while we’re talking about last Saturday’s Day of Renewal, I wanted to share with you—quickly, ‘cause I know we’re all busy moms here—the subject of Coleen’s talk. It was such a good presentation, entitled The Four Heart-Healthy Habits of Spiritual Growth.

Alas, you’d have to hear it yourself to get all the stories, but here are the four habits:

1. Pray intimately.
2. Work diligently.
3. Suffer courageously.
4. Love generously.

Four good goals for a Friday, eh? Four good goals for a lifetime.

Speaking of speeches, I have been preparing mine. Yikes! Yay! What an honor.

I will be giving two talks at the Minnesota Homeschooling Conference in May. Here is the link to their website.

Will you come and cheer me on? Or will you throw over-ripened tomatoes?

(That’s okay. I like tomatoes.)

The opening performance of Anne of Green Gables is tonight! Grab your coat! Get the kids! It promises to be a fun family performance.

Need proof?

You can see photos from the dress rehearsal here. Annemarie is one of the moms involved in the production. Excellent photos, Annemarie!

I don’t know what it’s like where you are, but the weather here in Minnesota has been drab & dreary & gritty & gray. Were it not for the reds and pinks of the upcoming holiday, I don’t know how I’d survive this month.

Chocolate helps.

And so does sewing.

I took a wee break from the Quilting Bee after Baby Anthony was born, but I figured I’d better get back on track lest he graduate college before I resume.

This is the quilt block that I did for Melanie. She asked that we incorporate crosses as a theme, and I was happy to oblige.

(I still can’t believe that I’ve been sewing. I think, perhaps, I’ve been possessed.)

So are you watching the big game on Sunday? We are, but only begrudgingly.

And really, it’s all about the appetizers anyway.

Finally, from the annals of the purely anecdotal, I bring you “Overheard at the Science Museum.” In a fit of extreme spontaneity, we decided to go see the Titanic exhibit on the last weekend before it closed.

This is often how we do things, you know. We are a last minute kind of crew.

We were each given tickets at the door with the name of a real life passenger. At the end of the tour, we would find out if our person made it through or not.

I was Mrs. Arthur Larned Ryerson (First Class) from Haverford, PA. I survived.

Angela was Miss Dorothy Winifred Gibson (First Class) from New York, NY. She survived.

Felicity was Miss Bertha Lehmann (Second Class) from Lotzwil, Switzerland. She did not survive.

Sigh.

Joe and Cate’s passengers were also on the deceased list, to their great dismay. Cate hung her head and her shoulders drooped sadly, but she was heartened when Joe put his arm around her and said,

“That’s okay, Cate. Great minds sink alike.”

(You may groan out loud if you want to.)

Visit Jen at Conversion Diary to see all of the Quick Takes from today.

And happy Friday!