First week of Advent

Bestir, O Lord, Thy might, we pray thee and come; that, defended by Thee, we may deserve rescue from approaching dangers brought on by our sins, and being set free by Thee, obtain our salvation. Who livest and reignest, with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.

Prayer of Thanksgiving

God of all blessings,

source of all life,
giver of all grace:

We thank you for the gift of life:
for the breath
that sustains life,
for the food of this earth
that nurtures life,
for the love of family and friends
without which there would be no life.

We thank you for the mystery of creation:
for the beauty
that the eye can see,
for the joy
that the ear may hear,
for the unknown
that we cannot behold filling the universe with wonder,
for the expanse of space
that draws us beyond the definitions of our selves.

We thank you for setting us in communities:
for families
who nurture our becoming,
for friends
who love us by choice,
for companions at work,
who share our burdens and daily tasks,
for strangers
who welcome us into their midst,
for people from other lands
who call us to grow in understanding,
for children
who lighten our moments with delight,
for the unborn,
who offer us hope for the future.

We thank you for this day:
for life
and one more day to love,
for opportunity
and one more day to work for justice and peace,
for neighbors
and one more person to love
and by whom be loved,
for your grace
and one more experience of your presence,
for your promise:
to be with us,
to be our God,
and to give salvation.

For these, and all blessings,
we give you thanks, eternal, loving God,
through Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.

Winter is here

But, we are still having some sweet weather.  Today it was in the 60's for most of the day.  Weather predictions show it will be colder by the end of the week.

Thanksgiving plans include some friends coming over and we are making all the usual dishes (well usual for us, maybe not for everyone).  Turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, sweet potatoes, popovers, corn, salad, pork pie, beets, cheesecake, and pecan-pumpkin pie.  Anna will be home from college and probably sleeping lots.  The girls and I will sing at Mass on Thanksgiving Day and we are also ushering for a local production of "Cinderella" this weekend.

We have decided our family Secret Santa must be an "As Seen on TV" product this year.  (Marian's suggestion, after seeing countless TV ads for ridiculous products.)  Should make it an interesting Christmas.

Time to breathe

In no particular order...

While the citizens of TN voted in favor of Amendment 1 (Praise GOD!), there has been a lawsuit filed from the opposition.  The proponents of Amendment 1 believe that this lawsuit will not amount to anything, and I hope so.  It was a glorious victory.

The Fall play, "Murder in the Magnolias" has come and gone and by far the easiest production to date.  The costumes were a breeze and no power failures or last minute issues.

Anna is working costumes (of course) at the ETSU fall production of "Oklahoma!" and then she has a break for Thanksgiving.  She is also looking for a seasonal, part-time job while she is on break in December.  She is home for almost a month!  Sometime in there, both she and Gabriel will need their wisdom teeth taken out, what a fun break.

Marian is auditioning for a "Rising Star" award for middle schoolers in vocal performance.  She is probably the only kid with near perfect pitch in the family.  She has had a busy, but fun fall, keeping busy with Math Club, Girl Scouts and learning her chorus parts perfectly.

Bogdan will start getting busy as the neutrons are starting up again after a longer than normal absence.

My weight loss-cholesterol lowering process has been a success.  My overall cholesterol and my triglycerides are down and my doctor is happy.  Hopefully, I will survive the holidays :)

All Saints and All Souls

"Whatever thou doest, offer it up to God and pray it may be for His honor and glory." 
-- St. Teresa of Avila

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.