2014 Week 16: Semana Santa

Holy Week, as it is called, is over, always a sobering and good time reflecting on the greatest event in history, the most powerful act of love--God the Son's sacrifice to pay for our sin and His resurrection which guarantees our salvation and new life!

We celebrated with friends on Good Friday. The Blakeleys have a home full of love and beautiful children.
We sat around in a circle and shared many stories of God working in our lives. We laughed a lot and ate good food.

And, Resurrection Sunday, yesterday, we had a wonderful celebration as a family, at lest two thirds of us.
Skye's two friends joined us. We used the Resurrection Eggs again. First, a search to find the hidden eggs around the room. Then as I read, each opened his/her discovered egg in turn. The story does not grow old.

The week began with yet another 'growing-old' physical reality. Early Monday we left for Mike's colonoscopy. The long wait nearly made us late for the next thing on our calendar, a memorable event we look forward to every year--the chapel and luncheon in memory of Rick Seaman.

Monday evening, as is our happy custom, another meal at son Stephan's, this time quite different--spring rolls. I'd never seen or tried those plastic-looking wraps. The many fillings and sauces made these quite delightful.

I remember writing last Sunday, "Spring is here to stay." Ha! Tuesday we woke up to this surprise.

I was especially worried about all the beautiful daffodils that had exploded profusely. The clumps were indeed flattened. However, surprisingly, though at first the blooms nearly touched the ground and even suffered a second night of below-freezing temperatures, I was able to rescue dozens to decorate and give away to the ladies who came over for Bible study Wednesday morning.

That afternoon I took a bouquet to my friend Patryce who could not be present because she had hip replacement surgery last week. We had a delightful visit.

Thursday, after a long day of writing, before going to Malachi's track meet in Yorktown, we caught the tail end of the prairie burn across from Taylor University.

Malachi did very well, perhaps a personal best, I'm not sure. Both grandpa Mike and uncle Stephan said he was much better than they were at that age. He must have his mother's genes.

So, what were the other three boys doing?

It is safe to say that they were each doing their own thing: Elijah, off and on playing with his new Kindle; Zion, wandering off; and Jude, intent on exploring and making sure grandma got a workout following him around everywhere even up and down stairs and bleachers countless times, for two hours. Elijah, however, was keeping track of Malachi's team's progress.

My blog would not be complete without some artistic expression. Son Stephan spent some of Friday putting finishing touches to a tree-stump carving he started last year.

 Saturday was an open day for me so, kind of at the last minute, I decided to visit my Mother and take her to spend some time with Ivan and Kim back from Argentina for a short time staying at daughter Tina's. We had a lovely time and a great meal. Of course, little Simon was the center of attention.

Four Generations

  I will close with more Sunday fun. The ATV is a favorite for different kinds of entertainment.

As the boys explored the woods, they discovered a camera had been set up, probably by Taylor students who did not know they had wandered beyond university property lines. We had fun looking at the stored  photos over a period of a few months of seasonal changes, a variety of wildlife, including the most recent surprises!

 So much for a fun week. How was yours?