{story of a soul, condensed}
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{1} Happy Easter! I find myself still adjusting to being present during Mass with a baby in tow (I spent most of the Easter liturgy bouncing a cranky Aaron in the back, which was followed by a bathroom nursing sesh where he fell asleep in my arms, on the toilet) (we got there too late to get a pew and please tell me I'm not the only one who's nursed my baby on a public bathroom toilet), but every time I approach the altar for communion I get a renewed sense of gratitude and focus. We got to spend the day with both of our families--we had a delicious Arabic feast with Andrew's relatives, and then headed to my family's celebration for dessert and sports, if by sports I mean that I, personally, sat in the grass with the baby and my aunts. Aaron is juuuusst easing his way into solids and I wasn't about to give him any chocolate or anything, but maybe he can have some Easter candy next year. Maybe. Oh, who am I kidding.
{2} Also on the subject of Easter: a friend shared this article describing the wonder and immediacy in this painting of Peter and John on the morning of the Resurrection. I'd never seen it before, and I'm completely captivated. "Look into Peter’s wide open eyes and John’s intense gaze. Their eyes contain a mix of anxiousness and hope, the way a parent or grandparent’s eyes look at the news of an impending birth. A new life is about to emerge, but there is still uncertainty because it is a mystery beyond full human comprehension or control. Peter and John’s faces capture the same sense of anticipation." Pierce me now. P.S. Not to get all Noah or anything but is it just me or does Peter look a little De Niro-esque?
{3} We're headed to West Virginia, our former stomping ground, this weekend to get trained in teaching postpartum NFP. I'm looking forward to the reunion aspect so much (it's our second time visiting since we moved from the area last summer, we're staying with two of our best friends, and all of the couples we got trained as teachers with, us included, now have little ones!), but I'm also looking forward to actually learning the nitty gritty of the postpartum stuff. I know it in theory, but putting it into practice still feels a little ambiguous and risky to us. Maybe by the time our second baby is born getting back to NFP will feel old hat, but for now this will be a very welcome education.
{4} Saint John Paul the Great, you guys. I'm so accustomed to praying to him as "Blessed John Paul" that switching over to Saint when he gets canonized on Sunday will take some getting used to, I think. I'm so excited, and I think it's just beautiful that he'll be made a saint on Divine Mercy Sunday, a day that he initiated in the Church and a day that's particularly important to Poland, the home he shared with Saint Faustina. I just finished reading his biography, Witness to Hope by George Weigl, and though I felt like I knew a lot about him before, I loved all the little anecdotes that made me feel like I actually know him a little more now. The man made his own ordination holy cards because he finished seminary underground during the Nazi occupation of Poland, was one of the first priests to start Pre-Cana type programs in parishes, ditched the cubicles and chamber pots that were standard at the papal conclave, even in the 20th century, and still hosted his old friends at the Vatican years after his election--before reading that particular detail, I never considered the bittersweet sense of loss and sadness that must come over a beloved cardinal's people when they learn that he'll be leaving them to go to Rome. Anyway, that joint was long and, in all honesty, not all of it held my interest (there are pages upon pages of diplomatic negotiations and curial politics that just aren't really my thing), but on the whole I loved reading it. If you're into the smaller stories that make such a great man seem so much more like an everyman, as well as summaries of all of his encyclicals and of Catholic teaching written right into the text, then I definitely recommend it.
{5} And now for some shameless affirmation begging…after my little (or I guess not so little) maternity and manuscript hiatus, I have to wonder if anyone actually checks in on my particular piece of internet these days. So…holler in the comments if you're still in? Please? There is a purpose to this. I'm thinking of hosting a little wedding linkup soon, only I am hoping there will be a good amount of actual links upped because I love reading about wedding details and the stories behind them. Are you interested? Tell me and let's make it happen.
{6} I mentioned a few weeks ago that I am now the nanny to a sweet blue-eyed 14-month-old, and I love watching her and Aaron interact as they both get bigger! But nap time. Help. Just like girls who hang out a lot and all get their periods at the same time, the both of them almost always get tired and cranky at the same time, and they usually wake up within a few minutes of each other, even when they wake quietly. They also both require a fair amount of soothing or nursing (which I can obviously only provide in Aaron's case) before they'll fall asleep, so it's hard to put them both down when, as I'm bouncing or rocking one of them, the other is wailing away. Mamas, do you have any advice, aside from desperately repeating the Memorare over and over and copious (copious!) amounts of white noise, for helping two little ones to sleep at the same time? I am all ears over here.
{7} For your weekend, a free (unless you want to make a donation) sampler by Josh Garrels, one of my absolute favorite musicians. He's a wandering, freedom-seeking, poetic soul with eyes for both divine and earthly beauty and he has a new album out later this year; your ears won't be disappointed. Promise.
Enjoy your weekend and, in the words of Josh himself, "live in the sunshine."
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