Farewell Winter, Hello Spring!

Did you know that the word "Lent" actually is derived from the Middle English word "lente" which means "Spring"?  At first that struck me as odd, but now I'm beginning to see how that is truly fitting.  This Lent has been a beautiful one for me so far...  The extra fasting and extra praying, coupled with the snow melting and the buds budding has awakened new life and joy in my soul.  Or perhaps it's just the sunshine adding some much needed Vitamin D in my body.  Likely all of the above.  I hope your Lent and Springtime seasons are filling your soul with new life and joy as well!  

Here are our final pictures of winter weather and our new pictures of the first signs of Spring:

Farewell cool snowman--we'll build you again next winter!

Farewell snow in the valley (within days all the snow around our house was gone too)

Farewell to my cool new Sorel boots and hello to my trail running shoes!

Farewell to Paul's new winter toy.

Now he's taken the plow off and can play with it all Spring, Summer, and Fall too.

Hello swing!

Isaiah was so happy to be able to play outside without his hat, gloves, and snowpants again!

He loves getting a "helicopter spin" in the swing :)

Hello hiking trail around our property---it's so good to see you again!

Hello sweet boys who love to bond outside in the Spring weather!

Hello tree buds bursting with new life!

Hello chickens who can finally venture outside their coop.

And soon we'll be saying hello to some cute new baby chicks in May--yay!

Hello Crossbill and other birds too swift to capture with my camera--

it's a delight to see you all again and hear your songs outside our windows.

HELLO SPRING!!

I'm so glad you're finally here!

And for you literary lovers out there, here are a couple of famous poems about Spring:

Spring (an excerpt)

by William Blake

Sound the flute!
Now it’s mute!
Bird’s delight,
Day and night,
Nightingale,
In the dale,
Lark in sky,—
Merrily,
Merrily merrily, to welcome in the year.

Little boy,
Full of joy;
Little girl,
Sweet and small;
Cock does crow,
So do you;
Merry voice,
Infant noise;
Merrily, merrily, to welcome in the year.

A Prayer in Spring

by Robert Frost

Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers today;
And give us not to think so far away
As the uncertain harvest; keep us here
All simply in the springing of the year.

Oh, give us pleasure in the orcahrd white,
Like nothing else by day, like ghosts by night;
And make us happy in the happy bees,
The swarm dilating round the perfect trees.

And make us happy in the darting bird
That suddenly above the bees is heard,
The meteor that thrusts in with needle bill,
And off a blossom in mid air stands still.

For this is love and nothing else is love,
To which it is reserved for God above
To sanctify to what far ends he will,
But which it only needs that we fulfill.

Adam, Eve, Jesus, Mary...and Frodo Baggins!? :)

I receive daily devotionals about the Mass readings from the website "Blessed is She," and I found the one from the Solemnity of the Annunciation really interesting.  I have been Catholic my whole life, and I had no idea the church attributed so many important events to March 25th!  And for those of you Lord of the Rings fans out there like me, you'll appreciate the fact that Tolkein must love his Catholic faith to have Frodo Baggins do something significant on March 25th too! :)  The article below was written by a Catholic homeschooling mom named Kendra Tierney.  Enjoy!

March 25th . . . the most important date in all history. Seriously.

You know it’s the Solemnity of the Annunciation, because it says so right at the top of the email. But did you know that March 25th is also understood by Christians to be the date upon which God created man, the date upon which Adam and Eve fell, the date upon which Our Lord was crucified, AND the date upon which Frodo Baggins cast the one ring into the fiery depths of Mount Doom (in the novel The Lord of the Rings)? And did you know that they’re all connected?

The 6th century Martyrologium Hieronymianum (the earliest surviving list of Christian martyrdoms and other important dates worth remembering) lists all of those events (and more: the parting of the Red Sea, the final test of Abraham, but not the Frodo one, of course) as being commemorated by the earliest Christians on March 25th. Obviously, these guys weren’t in possession of Moses’ datebook . . . or God’s. But they believed these important events must share a common date because of the way they complement and illuminate and fulfill each other. Each was a beginning or an ending that forever affected humankind.

Jesus Christ died on 15 Nisan of the Jewish calendar, which is March 25 on the Roman calendar. Jewish tradition held that a great man would die on the same day as His conception, so the early Christians determined that His date of conception must have also been March 25th.

The crucifixion of Jesus is necessary because of the fall of Adam. And Mary’s “yes” at the Annunciation is necessary because of Eve’s “no” in the Garden. They’re all wrapped up in one another. As second century Church Father Saint Irenaeus put it, “And thus also it was that the knot of Eve’s disobedience was loosed by the obedience of Mary. For what the virgin Eve had bound fast through unbelief, this did the virgin Mary set free through faith.” Likewise, Jesus’ submission to the will of the Father atones for Adam’s rejection of the will of the Father. Humanity was born AND reborn on March 25th.

So when devout lifelong Catholic J. R. R. Tolkien was writing a story in which a humble hero triumphs over temptation and suffering and saves the world from the forces of evil . . . well, it HAD to happen on March 25th.

---

Kendra Tierney is wife to a good man and mother to eight pretty good kids. Together they are fixing up a tumbledown hundred year old house. She’s a writer, and a blogger, and a graphic designer, and a homeschooler, and a regular schooler. Her word art is available here. Her book, A Little Book About Confession for Children, is available here. Find out more about her here.

The post Adam and Eve, Jesus and Mary, and . . . Frodo? appeared first on Blessed Is She.

What St. Joseph, Spring, and my spouse all have in common...

What do St. Joseph, the 1st day of Spring, and my sweet spouse all have in common?
...I'm thankful for all three of them!!! :)

Today I am feeling grateful for my Catholic faith...  To have holy friends like St. Joseph to intercede for us, helping us in all our needs, and ultimately helping us to join them in heaven someday.  I am also feeling grateful for a holy husband who strives to imitate St. Joseph.  A husband who loves Jesus and His Blessed Mother, who has always protected my purity, guarded our family from evil, and guided us towards holiness---not perfectly, but certainly perseveringly---and that's what counts.

Thank you, God, for holy St. Joseph and my holy husband, Paul!
And thank you, God, for Spring weather!
How good it feels to be outdoors with sunshine on my face again!

This prayer is among the earliest prayers to St. Joseph, (from around A.D. 50!!!) and also one of the best known.  Let's pray it together for the special intentions we hold deep in our hearts, and also for all the men in our lives, that they become more like St. Joseph, strong and holy leaders of their families!  We certainly need more men like St. Joseph in this world!

Oh St. Joseph, whose protection is so great, so strong, so prompt before the throne of God, I place in you all my interests and desires.

Oh St. Joseph, do assist me by your powerful intercession and obtain for me from your divine son all spiritual blessings through Jesus Christ, our Lord; so that having engaged here below your heavenly power, I may offer my thanksgiving and homage to the most loving of Fathers.

Oh St. Joseph, I never weary contemplating you and Jesus asleep in your arms. I dare not approach while he reposes near your heart. Press Him in my name and kiss his fine head for me, and ask him to return the kiss when I draw my dying breath. St. Joseph, patron of departing souls, pray for us. Amen

Happy Feast of St. Joseph, 

and Happy first day of Spring!

  Both are worth celebrating!  

It's a Feast Day, 

so go ahead and feast a little bit!!!  :)

Mirjana's Annual Apparition with Mary

The visionary Mirjana Dragicevic-Soldo had daily apparitions from June 24th 1981 to December 25th 1982. During the last daily apparition, Our Lady gave her the 10th secret, and told her that she would appear to her once a year, on the 18th of March.  It has been this way through the years. Several thousand pilgrims gathered in prayer of the Rosary. 

March 18, 2017

"Dear children!  My motherly desire is for your hearts to be filled with peace, and for your souls to be pure so that in the presence of my Son you could see His face. Because, my children, as a mother I know that you thirst for consolation, hope and protection. You, my children, consciously and unconsciously are seeking my Son. I also, as I passed the time on earth, rejoiced, suffered and patiently endured pains, until my Son, in all His glory, removed them. And that is why I am saying to my Son: help them always. You, my children, with true love, illuminate the darkness of selfishness which all the more envelopes my children. Be generous. May both your hands and heart always be open. Do not be afraid. Abandon yourselves to my Son with trust and hope. As you look towards Him, live life with love. To love means to give oneself, to endure, and never to judge. To love means to live the words of my Son. My children, as a mother I am speaking to you: only true love leads to eternal happiness. Thank you."

Snowy Spring Break

Last week was our kids' Spring Break and we packed up and headed to Bozeman for a few days.  It was not very "Spring-like" considering that it snowed the whole time, but it was a great getaway and I think many special memories were made...

The highlight for Michael and me was skiing at Bridger Bowl, which was covered in FEET of powder.  I have never skied in so much powder and it took some getting used to.  You would think powder means soft and easy to glide through, but for me it was like trying to water-ski in slow motion on a lake covered with white caps.  :}  But, don't get me wrong, I loved it and it was an awesome workout for my legs.  Michael had a ball and was able to show off his skiing skills to me by going on nearly every black diamond and double black diamond on the mountain.  I was so proud of his ability and bravery.  But my favorite part was bonding with him on the ski lift after each run down the mountain.  Probably wasn't his favorite part (hee hee), but I loved that quality time with him with no other kids or distractions vying for my attention.

The other big highlight was rock climbing at the indoor climbing gym called "Spire."  That place is amazing--two thumbs up.  The walls are about 50 feet high (although it feels like they are 100 feet when you climb to the top!), and it is a great workout for the whole family!  Paul was the belayer because his knee is still healing from meniscus surgery.  Michael and Dominic were like Spidermen!  I was an amateur, but I loved it and would like to do this more often!  Anyone want to plan a trip to Bozeman to go climbing with me soon?

Despite his face in this picture, Dominic had a blast.  He was just annoyed to have his picture taken because he wanted to be climbing instead. :}

Maria saying, "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can" all the way to the top!

Dominic was a natural climber...he must be part gecko or spider :)

Michael tying his climbing knot.

He got the award for successfully climbing the most difficult path to the top.

Paul was an awesome belayer, but he thinks his knee will be ready for climbing soon!

Joseph was very bummed not to be able to rock climb or ski with us, but he was under doctor's orders to rest his back to let the compression fractures heal for a few more weeks.  But he was trooper about the whole thing and took on the role of helping Paul with the little ones during the trip.  The day Michael and I went skiing, Paul and Joseph took the little boys to the Museum of the Rockies, which was a big hit.  Especially because there was a new live crocodile exhibit there.

Other highlights were swimming at the hotel (the little boys' favorite), soaking in the hot tub (mommy's favorite), watching TV in the hotel room (Michael's favorite), and eating out for every meal (Joseph's favorite)!  :)

Isaiah, happy and hanging on for dear life!

Isaiah loved the water, but was still a little bit scared of it too.

Here he is clinging to Paul like his arms are superglued to his neck :)

Spikey and happy :)

Like father like son...minus the hair and a few pounds. :)

Sweet smiles, sweet Spring Break.

The sign said "NO DIVING"...it didn't say anything about front flips.

Paul's favorite part was probably just chillin' in the hotel room with his little buddy...

...or perhaps assisting in the tickle torture game!

Hope you all have a happy Spring, overflowing with sunshine, gratitude, and laughter (without needing to be tickle tortured)!!!