"If I am truly to communicate with another person I must know him, I must be able to be in silence close to him, to listen to him and look at him lovingly. True love and true friendship are always nourished by the reciprocity of looks, of intense, eloquent silences full of respect and veneration."
~ Pope Benedict XVI, Corpus Christi homily 2012
You, Deity triune and one, we urgently ask: thus [please] visit us, as we worship you; along your paths lead us to where we long [to be], to the light which you inhabit.
Blessed be Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.
I recently gifted these two beautiful infant medals, hand-embroidered by Stella Marigold Art, to a couple sweet babies and their mamas. I mailed the Immaculate Heart medal pictured above to a sweet baby girl who will be needing heart surgery in a month or two, and I gave the medal below to my friend Renee at her "Baby Shower of Love" last weekend for her little one, Patrick Gabriel, who has Trisomy 13. Please remember these two babies and their families in your prayers!
{happy}
This little guy lost a tooth at the orthodontist's office yesterday, just before getting his space maintainer, and the tooth fairy was extra generous last night! He couldn't wait to finish his final Math assignment for the school year (yay!) and get started building. #perfectendtoaroughweek #endofschoolpartytomorrow #aslongasnooneelsegetssick
Apparently fallen rose petals (and Crocheted Rosary Roses!) make perfect little beds for my children's painted saints. I always love finding little scenes like this set up around our home.
Over Memorial Day Weekend our family attended a brand new Homeschool Catholic Family Camp in a neighboring diocese which was coordinated by my friend Aleesa.
That Friday afternoon we attended the funeral and reception for an old friend who will be dearly missed - the husband of our children's swimming instructor, may he rest in peace+ - and then headed to camp. It was a beautiful drive!
At one point I had to jump out and quickly snap a picture of the sky. It was gorgeous!
In addition to bringing our RV and parking in one of the seven RV spots (with power and water hookups!), we also had one side of one of the five duplex cabins, with a bathroom and eight beds (four wooden bunks!).
"Each Cabin is named after a pair of Saints and each Cabin has a different form of Cross built into the floor. The Cabins are named for men and women who were very close friends or even family members. Each Cabin has a side named for a male Saint and a side for a female Saint. Each cabin also has a brief biography of its Saint as well as a description of the floor cross mounted on the wall."
"Behind the cabins is a trail which winds through the junipers and connects the Cabins to each other and to the Youth Activities Center. In addition to the Youth Activity Center there is ample area for playing fields both up above near the RV parking or down below near the Activity Center. "
Behind the cabins you will also find the waterslide!
There was plenty of free time throughout the weekend for playing games, visiting with the other families, or spending time in the chapel.
On Sunday afternoon Father Andrew Szymakowski arrived to offer a Low Latin Mass for Pentecost, Adoration, and to hear confessions!
Our family actually attended the ordination of Fr. Szymakowski many years ago (we only had three children at the time!), since he happened to be ordained with my husband's oldest brother, through the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP), before becoming a diocesan priest.
I put together a Seven Layer Dip to share, recalling the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. :)
I had also packed along a small cake to decorate along with candles (to sing Happy Birthday to the Church!) and some extra cupcakes decorated with red sprinkles and white chocolate doves. However, at the last minute quite a few additional families decided to come to camp and I didn't have nearly enough for everyone. I ended up serving them the next afternoon after some of us hiked the cave.
Roasting marshmallows was the perfect alternative to birthday cake for Pentecost!
It was such a great weekend and I really hope we'll be able to attend again next year.
On the drive home, in addition to visiting Lava River Cave, we stopped to hike the Gorge trail and see how much lower the river is compared to last year.
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Thy faithful and enkindle in them the fire of Thy love.
Send forth Thy Spirit and they shall be created. And Thou shalt renew the face of the earth.
