A goody bag from church, charcuterie, the story of a super ball, and our Lenten prayer basket (7 Quick Takes)

~1~

Last weekend we took a day trip to Frederick, and John suggested that we stop at St. Peter’s in Libertytown, Md., for Saturday evening Mass.

We held our wedding reception in the parish hall, the Sullivan Room, almost 16 years ago, so I loved the idea of going back. The church has gone through a physical transformation, and it felt so different inside. But the people were welcoming, and the priest invited any visitors to sign the guest book.

When we went to sign the guest book, a parishioner standing there handed us a gift bag! We felt very welcome, and I was surprised at the fantastic items inside. I especially like the Act of Contrition tab for your keychain. I have had to scribble the Act of Contrition on slips of paper a few times when people thought they might forget it in the confessional. Now we are set.

~2~

We had gone to Frederick to have lunch with our niece Emily and her husband and daughter. John wanted to introduce them to our favorite pizza place.

It was a lovely day—terrific company, fancy charcuterie, delectable pizza, ice cream for dessert, a stop at a playground so the children could burn off some energy and the grownups could chat, and then evening Mass on our way home. But the pizza. Oh, the pizza. I couldn’t get a good photo of it because it was gone.

~3~

While we were walking down the street, a superball got away from one of the boys and bounced into the street—gone forever.

It bounced under cars and all around until finally it came right back next to the curb. I reached down and scooped it up.

We were excited to have it back. It was like something out of a children’s book.

~4~

Our older son just read Call of the Wild in his sixth grade English language arts class. So, when we saw that a movie version of Call of the Wild was coming out, I was excited to go with him to see it.

There are many milestones you reach in parenting, but this marked the first time I had the chance to discuss how the movie compared to the book with one of my children.

My favorite milestones are the ones that pop up without any notice.

~5~

Last Friday my friend Katie and I drove to Swarthmore to visit my godson, who’s in his first year there. It was the most beautiful day, sunny and full of conversation. I often marvel at how quickly time passes, but seeing my godson in college makes me proud and excited for the future.

I often say that every age is my favorite age, and it’s true. I often wish I could freeze time, but the next age is always wonderful, too. But I’m not in any rush.

~6~

On our way home from Swarthmore, we passed a train, and I took a photo for my train enthusiast husband. When I texted it to him, he texted back with exactly which line it was on. He even knew where we were on I-95.

He always amazes me with his train knowledge. Other people bring their spouses culinary treats and such. I text photos of trains.

He hasn’t complained yet.

 

~7~

We are working our way through our Lenten prayer basket. It’s truly one of my favorite parts of Lent. So far, we’ve prayed for John’s maternal grandparents and our older son’s birthparents. This morning we pulled out a family, and I hadn’t even remembered putting them in. I love when that happens.

There’s something wonderful about pulling out a name each morning and keeping that person or those people in our prayers all day. Some days I’m better about remembering through the day. Some days I’m distracted. But I always feel at the end of the day that the day has been special because of its connection to someone living or deceased whose name came out of the basket.

Happy feast day to St. Oswald of Worcester, who only gets to celebrate his feast day on his feast day every four years! Read more quick takes on Kelly’s blog, This Ain’t the Lyceum, and have a great weekend!

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