Happy Easter

He Is Risen!

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He Is Risen Indeed!

Good Friday

Jesus, 
may the contemplation of Your sufferings 
move me with the greatest compassion, 
make me hate my sins, 
and kindle in my heart a more fervent love for You…
My beloved Jesus, 
grant that I may never cease to love You, 
and do with me as you will. 
Amen.



O Jesus, 
I place myself at the foot of the Cross, 
help me to understand how necessary it is to suffer 
in order to resemble You. 
Amen.
 (from Divine Intimacy)

On the Second Day of Christmas

The past few days have been so enjoyable for me, and i am still enjoying!

• Thursday: my husband and i kissed the kids good-bye, got in the car and headed down the road on a two-hour drive out to the town where my daughter & son-in-law manage a coffee shop and bed & breakfast; they had given us a night's stay as an anniversary gift!
• Friday: our 23rd Anniversary!  We had a great breakfast prepared by our daughter, and spent the day with her perusing the shops.  Then we had lunch with our son-in-law, said our good-byes, and headed home.  I gave my husband 23 kisses & hugs (the chocolate variety; i gave him the others as well, but i didn't keep count!); i printed out "I love you" in 23 different languages, and i made a playlist with 23 songs from the year we married.  Then we watched "Big" with the kids, because it came out that year.
• Christmas Eve: we set up the tree.  Our oldest daughter and our second daughter & husband came.  We went to church, where my husband and youngest son played guitar while my youngest daughter sang a song which my husband wrote.  We had a late supper of tortellini, spaghetti, and meatballs as well as assorted cookies for dessert.  We put up lights and decorated the tree.  I prepped the breakfast casserole and went to bed.
• Christmas Morning:  it was so wonderful to come downstairs and see the lights!  I got up around 4 and had a wonderful prayer time by twinkle-light, then began peeling, chopping, mixing, and cooking our traditional Christmas brunch; this is my gift to my family.  The kids started getting up and saying, "Merry Christmas."  Everyone was awake by about 8, so stockings were opened (again); a few gifts and hugs were exchanged; i read the Christmas story from the Bible; my husband prayed, and we all dug into the food.  We had orange danish rolls, egg-cheese-chorizo casserole, cranberry-apple-pear crisp, potatoes with li'l smokies, assorted fresh fruits, crackers & hummus. Then my daughter and her husband left to have Christmas with his folks.
• Christmas Afternoon:  my husband and two boys went to see a movie, while the four girls and i napped and had an impromptu jam session with guitar and voices.
• Christmas Evening: we munched on leftovers and watched "Polar Express."  Then my oldest daughter went back to her apartment, taking my 17 year-old to spend the night with her.
• Today: the shepherds have left, but the animals are still worshiping the baby Jesus in the manger, and the wise men have begun their journey, following the star.  We have enough leftovers to get us through the day.  My husband has the day off and is honouring some of the Christmas coupons he gave to the kids, spending some 1-on-1 time out with the 14 year-old this morning, the 12 year-old this afternoon, and the 15 year-old tonight.  I am sipping a gingerbread latte, listening to my Christmas CDs,  typing by twinkle-light, thoroughly enjoying this Christmas Season, which has only just begun!

Linking up here

And here

And here

A Daybook for the final week of Advent

This morning i am...

seeing ~ 

bare fruit trees silhouetted against the fainest tinges of colour in the eastern sky

hearing ~ 

"instrumental Christmas music" radio on Spotify

smelling ~ 

the slight lavender and citrus scent of the left-over wedding candles i am using in the Advent wreath this year

tasting ~ 

tea with milk & sugar and a toasted english muffin

This week i am...

decorating ~

Mary and Joseph are anticipating the arrival of the infant Christ

the angel choir are waiting in the wings

the shepherds will come out on Christmas Eve

the Wise Men will begin following the star Christmas night

the Advent wreath will move to the front door on Christmas morning

the tree will go up on the 23rd or 24th

we haven't yet put up an outside lights, and i don't know if we will; oh, well

giving ~

The Storehouse Food Pantry ~ take a box tomorrow

Pregnancy Aid ~ take a box tomorrow

trying to figure out what to give my wonderful husband for our anniversary

listening ~

Messiah

Glory in the Highest: Christmas Songs of Worship

A Charlie Brown Christmas

Christmas in the Northwest

reading~

A Christmas Carol  ~ aloud

St. Nicholas: A Closer Look at Christmas  ~ which i bought myself at Half Price Books!

The Indescribable Gift  ~ ditto!

planning ~ 

a little get away for my husband & i to celebrate our 23rd anniversary

Christmas Eve & Day menus

ideas to celebrate the 12 days of Christmas and Epiphany (Three Kings)

pondering ~  

this post

praying ~ 

the O Antiphons & Magnificat with my prayer beads during my morning quiet time

for a peaceful week, focusing on The Greatest Gift Ever Given

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Advent Poetry

Today is Christina Rossetti's birthday.  I always want to read Rossetti in December, probably because she was born and died in December (the 29th).  She also wrote two of my favourite poems of the season, which were both set to music to become two beautiful hymns.

In the Bleak Midwinter:



Love Came Down at Christmas:



We also enjoy reading Christmas in the Stable.
This is a collection of poems, each written from the point of view of an animal or about the animals in the stable where the Christ Child lay asleep.


And this year I just may order this one for myself if one of my loved ones graces me with an Amazon gift card:  O Holy Night!: Masterworks of Christmas Poetry