Happy Happy Happy!
For those who celebrate - Happy Easter!
My parents spent the night since Easter Vigil didn't get out until around 10:30 last night. We had scones for breakfast cuz Monkey's ROCKS and we dyed Easter eggs (beautifully, I might add) then watched almost the entire second season of Mulberry Days, then had ham sandwiches. Perfect. :)
Yesterday was amazing. I don't quite know how to put the last three days into words even. The three masses were each so powerful in their own very different ways. I was at times overawed and even weeped. Many thanks to Toaster for sponsoring me and helping me with joining the Catholic church. When I have pictures and time to organize my thoughts I'll try to write a little bit about it. (I want to for myself, at least. So might as well post it, too.)
I do want to say Toaster sang BEAUTIFULLY and also share some thanks and short stories about how generous some of my friends are -
Charity, one of my friends since 9th grade who also converted to Catholicism a few years ago and also offered to sponsor me but she lives in another city, actually called my parish priest, got the text for the Vigil, and made personalized missals (??) for me and all my fellow RCIA classmates. How amazing is that? Everyone was really touched. One of our RCIA teachers, the church secretary, made bracelets for all the girls in class - I wore mine that night because it perfectly matched the dress I had on. Another of our instructors gave everyone a Miraculous Medal. A third of our instructors gave everyone a Rosary! When she gave me mine she apologized because it wasn't my favorite color (they were out of blue) and said that she was going to be bringing me a shinier one to my office later on but for now she got me a white one for the color of baptism. She added that I could just keep the white one in my car! How sweet is that? Toaster gave me a cross with my middle name on it and a Catholic bible with my whole name on it. Toaster's parents gave me a medal with my confirmation name (St Barbara) and two books on the saints. So incredibly thoughtful of them all.
My parents, Monkeys, my very very very pregnant friend Charity & husband, and of course Toaster/Toaster's parents were able to attend the Vigil. Since my parents and Monkeys aren't Catholic I asked Steve&Charity/Toastents to keep an eye on them and make sure they were comfortable/weren't confused/etc. Apparently Steve took this responsibility very seriously, because Mom commented on how incredibly nice Steve was about explaining everything in the Missal and keeping Dad aware of what lines they were on, etc. My mom, who was always just a bit iffy about my conversion, is now 100% okay. Okay, iffy might not be the best word. She started out not particularly happy about me wanting to change, although she would never have forbidden it or disowned me or anything. Nothing against Catholicism as a religion, just against *me* as a Catholic. I know it's hard for a parent when their child makes a big change like that because it can feel like a rejection, you know? She'd been steadily getting better about it. I think the fact I picked Barbara as my saint (my mom's name is also Barbara) actually helped. The Vigil turned the tide completely though. My mom realized why I liked the Catholic church so much, which oddly enough is why it doesn't suit her. Nothing really about the basic belief system, she just doesn't like pomp and circumstance. In fact, her mother and mother's side of the family were Catholic. Neither of my parents are, however. They just like straight singing and preaching - no bells, no incense, no formal chanting, none of that color symbology stuff or holy water/genuflecting/etc. But it suddenly hit her - her daughter does like that kind of thing. I always have. It's what I like about our college graduation ceremony, it's in the types of fantasy books I've always read. Apparently seeing me up there during my Profession for Those Already Baptized and during my annointing with oil for Confirmation and even in the first time I had Eucharist made it click for both of them. Mom said there was a giant smile on my face (the priest said I was actually beaming) and all seven of them were impressed with how happy I looked. So after the Vigil, I really feel like my parents were proud of me, even if I was leaving their church and preferences, and I know they are actually happy for me. That is the best Easter present of all.
But I also got three packages of Cadbury eggs. :)
My parents spent the night since Easter Vigil didn't get out until around 10:30 last night. We had scones for breakfast cuz Monkey's ROCKS and we dyed Easter eggs (beautifully, I might add) then watched almost the entire second season of Mulberry Days, then had ham sandwiches. Perfect. :)
Yesterday was amazing. I don't quite know how to put the last three days into words even. The three masses were each so powerful in their own very different ways. I was at times overawed and even weeped. Many thanks to Toaster for sponsoring me and helping me with joining the Catholic church. When I have pictures and time to organize my thoughts I'll try to write a little bit about it. (I want to for myself, at least. So might as well post it, too.)
I do want to say Toaster sang BEAUTIFULLY and also share some thanks and short stories about how generous some of my friends are -
Charity, one of my friends since 9th grade who also converted to Catholicism a few years ago and also offered to sponsor me but she lives in another city, actually called my parish priest, got the text for the Vigil, and made personalized missals (??) for me and all my fellow RCIA classmates. How amazing is that? Everyone was really touched. One of our RCIA teachers, the church secretary, made bracelets for all the girls in class - I wore mine that night because it perfectly matched the dress I had on. Another of our instructors gave everyone a Miraculous Medal. A third of our instructors gave everyone a Rosary! When she gave me mine she apologized because it wasn't my favorite color (they were out of blue) and said that she was going to be bringing me a shinier one to my office later on but for now she got me a white one for the color of baptism. She added that I could just keep the white one in my car! How sweet is that? Toaster gave me a cross with my middle name on it and a Catholic bible with my whole name on it. Toaster's parents gave me a medal with my confirmation name (St Barbara) and two books on the saints. So incredibly thoughtful of them all.
My parents, Monkeys, my very very very pregnant friend Charity & husband, and of course Toaster/Toaster's parents were able to attend the Vigil. Since my parents and Monkeys aren't Catholic I asked Steve&Charity/Toastents to keep an eye on them and make sure they were comfortable/weren't confused/etc. Apparently Steve took this responsibility very seriously, because Mom commented on how incredibly nice Steve was about explaining everything in the Missal and keeping Dad aware of what lines they were on, etc. My mom, who was always just a bit iffy about my conversion, is now 100% okay. Okay, iffy might not be the best word. She started out not particularly happy about me wanting to change, although she would never have forbidden it or disowned me or anything. Nothing against Catholicism as a religion, just against *me* as a Catholic. I know it's hard for a parent when their child makes a big change like that because it can feel like a rejection, you know? She'd been steadily getting better about it. I think the fact I picked Barbara as my saint (my mom's name is also Barbara) actually helped. The Vigil turned the tide completely though. My mom realized why I liked the Catholic church so much, which oddly enough is why it doesn't suit her. Nothing really about the basic belief system, she just doesn't like pomp and circumstance. In fact, her mother and mother's side of the family were Catholic. Neither of my parents are, however. They just like straight singing and preaching - no bells, no incense, no formal chanting, none of that color symbology stuff or holy water/genuflecting/etc. But it suddenly hit her - her daughter does like that kind of thing. I always have. It's what I like about our college graduation ceremony, it's in the types of fantasy books I've always read. Apparently seeing me up there during my Profession for Those Already Baptized and during my annointing with oil for Confirmation and even in the first time I had Eucharist made it click for both of them. Mom said there was a giant smile on my face (the priest said I was actually beaming) and all seven of them were impressed with how happy I looked. So after the Vigil, I really feel like my parents were proud of me, even if I was leaving their church and preferences, and I know they are actually happy for me. That is the best Easter present of all.
But I also got three packages of Cadbury eggs. :)