Tuesday, November 3

Look Who's Back :)

It's been a while since I wrote. Lots of excitement around these parts, what with friends I haven't seen in a long time coming to visit, new developments with Jonathan and work, taking on the music for the Teen Mass at my church, and other such happenings.

But I'm back, and ready to write again. Here are some updates with the goings-on in this mommy's life:
Motherhood:

Matthew is sitting up now, and trying desperately to get crawling. I am in for trouble with this one, I can tell already. It won't be long before he's crawling, then running, then leaping over buildings in a single bound... Oh, the joys of motherhood, chasing after our little ones! We had a blast celebrating Baby's First Halloween, dressing our little guy up in a orange onesie and pumpkin hat and taking him to the local outlet mall for some trick-or-treating. Jonathan and I are still praying and discerning what exactly we envision for this holiday for our children. There is innocent fun to be had, but also a very real threat of evil presences that surround this day. What are your thoughts out there? Yes or No on the Trick-or-Treating question? I'd love to know!

Growing up, my family never celebrated Halloween. We would even leave our home and go out for dinner, so not to be there when the trick-or-treaters came a'knocking. Jonathan, on the other hand, did grow up with costumes and candy and the works. We are now trying to decide how to treat this holiday in our family. Can it be innocent fun for children, in a controlled and safe environment, like a mall? Is it truly an evening for evil spirits to roam, for witches to cast hexes, and Satan worships to consecrate themselves to the devil? Can it be an opportunity to witness to others of Christ's love and generosity (i.e. giving out candy with Scripture verses attached, and saying "God bless you" to children and their parents)? Where does being in the world and not of it come into play on this day? I'm hoping to discern this over the next years, before Matthew is old enough to really partake in the festivities. It's our responsibility as parents to do what we feel is best for our own children. We must make that decision and then stick to it, come hell or high water, until the Lord shows us otherwise.

Music:
Voice of An Angel has been postponed slightly, and I'm actually glad for it. The tapings of the Semifinal competition were supposed to begin this coming Saturday, Nov.7th. That would have kicked off 6 weeks of competitions among the three semifinalists from each diocese. A little much, I thought. The new schedule has the semifinals commencing in December, with three weeks of Semifinal competitions to determine the one finalist from each diocese. This to me makes more sense, to have an elimination with each taping. I'm sad not to get to sing all the songs I was picking out, but you sacrifice one thing for another, right? I'm still asking for prayers, that God's will be done.

Leading the music for the Teen Mass has been SUCH a gift and a blessing. We just had our third Mass last night, and my dear friend Jessica Liston, who came to stay with us for a few days and get to know Matthew a little better, joined the choir as a guest vocalist :) I've loved getting to play praise and worship music again. It brings back such great memories of my university days. But more importantly, attendance at this Mass increases every week! May the teens find something to whet their appetite and keep them coming back. Whatever it takes to hook them, may they keep coming back for the Eucharist, for Jesus. Matthew is even joining in the worship, singing delightedly and soaking in the adoring attention from whoever is next slated to hold and entertain him while Mommy and Daddy play music. He's a good boy.


Ministry
Like I mentioned, my dear sister from college, Jess, came down for a vacation over the past few days. She is a beacon of light in my life, a breath of fresh air. I am blessed to have a few friends that are truly low-maintenance. Maintaining the relationship is easy and joyful. These people are simply a joy to be with, and Jess is one of those friends. I am so grateful that she was able to come down. We had several talks about life and our respective walks with the Lord, and I was struck by the similarities in joys and crosses. I believe that the Lord provides us with soul mates, not just in the romantic sense, but also in the spiritual sense. These soul mates walk similar paths to ours, and bear similar crosses. It's such a grace to be able to talk and compare notes, learn from each other's successes and failures, what seems to work and what does not. It will never be exactly the same, as we all have our own individual strengths and weaknesses, but at the same time, we can learn and grow through fellowship and heart-sharing.


I gleaned much wisdom and insight from our conversations. We talked about how easy it is to allow Satan to rob our peace, and how essential that peace is to our walks with the Lord. I personally have struggled with stress in the past (and honestly somewhat into the present), and have been praying for the Lord to show me how to live in peace and trustful surrender to His will. All in His time.

Just a little taste of the last week. I hope to get back on track with my daily musings after this. Thanks for reading and for sticking around with me. God bless!

1 comment:

  1. First, I love reading your blog! I think of you often and how graciously you and Jonathan opened your home to me and my small group for Dinner for 12 Strangers. Matthew is adorable! And congratulations on the music position! You have such a gift and such joy and it needs to be shared with others!

    On Halloween: I too, like Jonathan, grew up with candy and costumes. I think it is very possible to have a safe an innocent trick-or-treating time with kids. As long as you steer them in the right direction with costumes and go with them when they're out until you feel they're old enough to go alone (and by alone, I mean with a group of four friends and some flashlights). I have so many good memories from years of trick-or-treating. This year I handed out candy. Stores that hand out candy are always a safe bet (like the outlet mall). Stick to familiar neighborhoods. Check the candy when you get home. I feel if you take precautions and teach your child about the dangers, but show them that there's also innocent good fun to be had both of you will be fine in the end. =]

    God bless,

    Emily W.

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