Excuse me, sir. Could you strap this red candle onto your shoulder?

For the times I have shunned the presence of Christ, whether it be his sacramental presence or his presence through the people he puts in my life, Response: Come, Lord Jesus!
- from an Examination of Conscience

I usually remember to genuflect before the Tabernacle. Beautiful gold box, bright red candles: these help me remember that I truly am before the King of kings. But I’m tend to forget the presence of Jesus in the seemingly random people he puts in my life. The grumpy cashier, the tired waitress, the lonely retiree, the person sitting next to me on the bus, a toddler determined to empty all the kleenex boxes into the recycling… it’s not easy to remember. In the rush of just trying to get things done, distracted by my own thoughts, I forget that each individual before me is there for a reason: maybe just a smile or a kind word, but something. So this is my brilliant idea:

Random man walking on the sidewalk?

Not random at all!

This could really improve road rage…

“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.” Then the righteous will answer him and say, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?” And the king will say to them in reply, “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.”
-Matthew 25:35-40

Cool things to point out to a child at Mass

“Being still and doing nothing are two very different things.” -Mr. Han in Karate Kid

Do you find yourself with a wiggly toddler on your lap or beside you during Mass? Here are a few things to call their attention to:

1. Announce what the colour of the vestments will be. Ta-dah! I told you they would be purple!
2. Wonder out loud about whether it’s going to be Father Zimmer or Father Richard or a visitor.
3. Point out the readers about to read a story to all of us from the big red book. Let’s listen to their story.
4. Point out the cantor who will teach us a song. She’ll sing it first, then she’ll point to us when it’s our turn to sing.
5. This one’s tricky but super cool: Paraphrase the readings/Gospel on the fly. Jesus is saying that he’s the Good Shepherd. We are the sheep. He takes good care of us. Extra bonus points: Read the readings/Gospel beforehand and you won’t need to paraphrase on the fly.
6. When the bell rings, whisper that the Most Important Part is coming up.
7. Point out the rest of the congregation kneeling quietly for the Most Important Part. Maybe let’s put away all our stuff and pay attention to what Father is saying. Did I mention that this is the Most. Important. Part?
8. Call their attention to the miracle of the the bread and wine being changed to the Body and Blood of Jesus.
9. Point out the rest of the congregation kneeling quietly as they get ready to receive Jesus.
10. Call their attention to the tabernacle. It’s surrounded by many, many red candles to remind us that Jesus is really there.

Other things to point out
Depending on where you’re sitting, you’ll be able to point out: the crucifix, the tabernacle, statues of Our Lady, St. Michael, St. Clement and St. Joseph (if you’re hanging out in the foyer with a wiggly kid like we are), a station of the cross that’s near you (if you’re sitting near the sides), the stained-glass windows, the flowers, the candles, the organ, the piano…

Challenges will continue
Pointing out these things doesn’t guarantee that the kids will be quiet and still. Well, maybe for a little bit. But we really haven’t found the magic bullet for quiet and stillness at Mass for toddlers and pre-schoolers. What I am hoping is that the kids slowly grow in their understanding of the Mass: why they are there, who they are there for. I’m hoping that when they’re a bit older, they will be quiet and still at the right parts for the right reasons.

“At the Last Supper, on the night he was betrayed, our Savior instituted the Eucharistic sacrifice of his Body and Blood. This he did in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the cross throughout the ages until he should come again, and so to entrust to his beloved Spouse, the Church, a memorial of his death and resurrection: a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a Paschal banquet ‘in which Christ is consumed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us.’” -Catechism of the Catholic Church

The Easter Season, five Mini Eggs at a time

Cadbury Not-so-Mini-looking Eggs

My husband came home from the grocery store looking very pleased with himself. Easter chocolates were on clearance and he bought more than a few “family”-sized bags. Was he worried that the four bags of goodies from Grandma and Grandpa’s house weren’t going to last the fifty days of Easter? Or were the combined one-two punch of the words chocolate and sale too much to resist? In any case, I didn’t give him my usual do-we-really-need-a-CASE-of-whatever-you’re-currently-holding look. A) I’ve come to learn that my husband is a pantry-stocking expert, b) Easter is a time for earnest celebrating. Jesus is risen! Alleluia! Bring on the chocolate!

Well, maybe not quite bring on the chocolate. Maybe judiciously parcel out the chocolate. Say, five Mini Eggs at a time.

“It’s STILL Easter!” my kids squealed with delight, pleasantly suprised that they were being handed FIVE crunchy little chocolate eggs after lunch.
“What’s Easter?” asked the ever-quizzing mom.
“Jesus is not dead anymore!” yelled the two-year old.
“Jesus is alive again!” screamed the three-year old.
“Can I have another egg?” someone whispered, wondering just how far to take this wonderful season.
“You mean, please may I have another egg.”
“Please may I have another egg?”
“Sure. Daddy bought lots.”

Happy Easter, readers!

The Resurrection of Christ, Bartolome Esteban Murillo

Our Lady of Perpetual Help

Our Lady of Perpetual Help

The other day, an old prayer card with a version of Our Lady of Perpetual Help surfaced from somewhere (likely a bookmark found by a toddler “reading” through the big people books). This was the prayer at the back of it:

Marie, ma chère Mère, j’aime cette photo de vous et de Jésus. J’aime la façon que vous tenez Jésus dans vos bras, car en même temps vous me regardez aussi. Je vous demande de me protéger ainsi que ma famille. Aidez-moi à être aimable avec les autres, à répondre généreusement aux demandes d’aide, et à toujours apprécier toutes les bonnes choses que je possède. Amen

French! How cool is that? According to our friends at translate.google.com, it means:

Mary, dear Mother, I love this picture of you and Jesus. I like the way you hold Jesus in your arms, at the same time as you look at me too. I ask you to protect me and my family. Help me to be nice to others, to respond generously to calls for help, and still enjoy all the good things I have. Amen

Isn’t that a simple and sweet prayer? I’m thinking of giving it to my seven-year old, who will be receiving her First Communion in the coming Easter season – a little gift from Our Lady for a very exciting occassion.

Another version
When searching for an image to share with you, I found this cute version from a seller at Etsy:

Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Flor Larios

Prayer to Our Lady of Perpetual Help
Mother of Perpetual Help, you have been blessed and favored by God. You became not only the Mother of the Redeemer, but the Mother of the redeemed as well. We come to you today as you loving children. Watch over us and take care of us. As you held the child Jesus in your loving arms, so take us in your arms. Be a mother ready at every moment to help us. For God who is mighty has done great things for you, and his mercy is from age to age on those who love him. Our greatest fear is that in time of temptation, we may fail to call out to you, and become lost children. Intercede for us, dear Mother, in obtaining pardon for our sins, love for Jesus, final perseverance, and the grace always to call upon you, Mother of Perpetual Help.

Trying to keep by Mary’s side as we face the Holy days ahead. These images of her and the child Jesus seem so far away from those of pain and suffering that we have been seeing during Lent. Keeping you and your family in my prayers during Holy Week.

Lenten soundtrack

One of my earliest memories was listening to my grandfather singing Were you there? He sang it quietly as he worked, maybe even absent-mindedly. He wasn’t a talkative man, but he was perpetually singing, usually a gospel song, usually quietly. Where you there when they nailed him to a tree? he would sing, while polishing his shoes, or while using the drill press in his workshop. He knew all the verses. Thanks to him, this song will forever be in my head. It surfaces when I’m working on something quietly, as if genetically programmed. It surfaces particularly during Holy Week. I sing it while washing dishes, or sweeping the floor, and my children are fascinated and listen carefully to the story unfolding. I may have heard a few of them singing it absent-mindedly, too.

I thought I would share the full lyrics, so you can let your inner gospel singer loose, as well as version by Marion Williams, for inspiration.

Were you there, Marion Williams

Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

… when they nailed him to the tree?
… when they pierced him in the side?
… when the sun refused to shine?
… when they laid him in the tomb?
… when they rolled the stone away?

Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

In these images, faith and art combine so as to penetrate our heart and summon us to conversion.
- Pope Benedict XVI, after the Way of the Cross in Madrid, WYD 2011

Deposition by Rogier van der Wyden

Be sure to check out a larger version of this painting. The rest of the Holy Father’s address is also really worth reading. Or printing and leaving out on the kitchen table.

No-meat Fridays: Easy Guacamole

Can anyone really resist drawing googly eyes on an avaocado and a tomato?

As a recovering picky-eater, I marvel each day at what my children are willing to eat. For some reason, my kids seem to really like avocados and tomatoes. Even mixed together. Even with other mysterious things in it. Our simplified guacamole is only a small part of a very messy meal that involves tortilla chips, sour cream (or plain yoghurt), grated cheddar cheese and salsa. I spoon a bit over everything (in neat, separated piles) into their bowls and they do their very best. Everyone has their own technique. Everyone’s technique makes a big mess (including mine). It’s a great lesson in staying calm even when your lunch is just not cooperating. As our three-year old says, “It’s messy, but it’s good!”

After dicing and mixing an avocado and a tomato, I add a bit of lime, onion and garlic powder, salt and pepper. For adults, we use real Spanish onions and garlic.

Super cool tomato dicing technique
I’ve got to share this with you because it is mind-blowing.

Holding the tomato down firmly with one hand, start slicing parallel lines without slicing straight through.

Rotate the tomato and start slicing perpendicular to the original slices. Remember not to slice straight through. Leave a bit of tomato at the bottom unsliced.

At this point you’ve created little tomato fingers sticking out of a base.

Hold the tomato so that the fingers are sideways and cut out little cubes. Suddenly… diced tomatoes!

You’ll be left with the bottom part to just dice in the non-cool way. I welcome any advice regarding dicing avocados. It’s just a big mushy mess each time.

No-meat Fridays: Sautéed Spinach

So green! So healthy!

It was 5:00pm on a Friday. All the easy meal options available in my fridge contained some sort of meat. After a quick consultation with all the stakeholders, we decided on our go-to meatless meal, macaroni and cheese. Without consulting the stakeholders, I decided to add some colour to dinner by cooking spinach in butter and serving it as a side. It didn’t sell very well. The kids dutifully tasted a small piece of shiny green leaf (as per Dr. Seuss’ instructions, Try it, try it, and you may. Try it and you may, I say…). No takers tonight. Except for me. I thought it was delicious.

Tonight, I simply sautéed the spinach in butter and added a bit of salt and pepper. After some online research, I might try this recipe, which involves a bit of garlic, lemon and crushed red peppers. Snow pea leaves, available at your local asian food store (just not in my fridge tonight, unfortunately), is also great cooked this way. It has a lovely, gentle taste that the kids are more open to (despite its suspiciously similar appearance to spinach).

Lots of Confession times!

From Father Zimmer in the bulletin:
A priest will be available to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation with you on Tuesday and Thursday evenings after the 7:00 p.m. Mass and Friday after Stations. Two priests will hear confessions on Saturday, March 31st at 9:30 a.m. and from 3:30 to 4:15 p.m. Don’t wait for the last minute to approach the Lord.

Here’s some imagery that helps my daughter (and me) think about the Sacrament of Reconcilation:

Here’s my soul before Confession…

… and here it is after! Look at that shiny dresser, ready to face the world.

Trying out Daily Mass

On Monday mornings, our kids and I have been trying out something new: daily Mass. At 8 o’clock in the morning, instead of heading out the corner to wait for the school bus, we pile into the van and drive to St. Clement for the 8:15 Mass. By the time the Mass ends, we have just enough time to drive to school for 9am to drop-off the school-agers. Because it’s shorter, my kids call it a “little Mass.”

Super nice people
The regulars at daily Mass are very sweet. This is particularly good since I travel with a bunch of kids who may or may not be very quiet or behaved. We have our days. Everyone is very forgiving of our antics and help us herd in and out of the Communion line. Fellow parishoners have even helped me with wanderers, throwers of stuffed animals and droppers of hymnals.

A pew all to yourself
I love empty pews – more room for the diaper bag, the coats, the kids, me.

A good view
Because the sight lines are fantastic and the kids are more relaxed, I’m finding it’s a great time for them to see and experience and learn more about the Mass. It also provides extra practice time for things like sitting nicely and being quiet, genuflecting to Jesus the Tabernacle, bowing to the altar, and getting blessed during Communion.

Getting to go
When one of kids say “Mama, why do we have to something or another,” I automatically respond, “We don’t have to, we get to!” I know eh, what a mom thing to say. Well, this mom is getting to go to an extra little daily Mass once a week. It’s been surprisingly painless and possible. It’s been surprisingly pleasant. I think it might become a welcome part of starting the week.

How-to Examination of Conscience from St. Francis de Sales

From our perennial favourite, St. Francis de Sales:

As to the examination of conscience, which we all should make before going to bed, you know the rules:

1. Thank God for having preserved you through the day past.
2. Examine how you have conducted yourself through the day, in order to which recall where and with whom you have been, and what you have done.
3. If you have done anything good, offer thanks to God; if you have done amiss in thought, word, or deed, ask forgiveness of His Divine Majesty, resolving to confess the fault when opportunity offers, and to be diligent in doing better.
4. Then commend your body and soul, the Church, your relations and friends, to God. Ask that the Saints and Angels may keep watch over you, and with God’s Blessing go to the rest He has appointed for you.

- Introduction to the Devout Life, St. Francis de Sales

Take Kids to Mass during the March Break

From Father Zimmer in the bulletin:

March Break is upon us. School is out from Monday March 12th to Friday March 16th. Parents, we encourage you to bring the kids to Weekday Mass as a family Lenten observance. Early risers can try the 8:15 Mass on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings. Slug-a-beds can aim for the 7:00 p.m. Mass on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Try dropping in to the Adoration Chapel for a quick prayer with the family at any time of the day.

What is an Act of Faith?

One of the questions in an Examination of Conscience was this: Do I make at least a short act of faith every day? to which I wondered, what is a short act of faith? I vaguely remember a prayer called Act of Faith from my childhood, so with the help of our trusty friends at Google, I arrived at these three, starting from the super shortest version to the traditional Act of Faith prayer:

Short Acts of Faith

My God, I believe in you.

or

O my God, I believe in Thee and in all that Thou teachest through thy Holy Church, because thy word is true. (taken from thecatechism.blogspot.com)

or

“O my God, I firmly believe that you are one God in three Divine Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; I believe that your Divine Son became man, and died for our sins, and that He will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe these and all the truths the Holy Catholic Church teaches because You have revealed them, who can neither deceive nor be deceived.”

And of course, there are the…

Not-so-short Acts of Faith

The Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God,
the Father almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried;
he descended into hell;
on the third day he rose again from the dead;
he ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty;
from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting. Amen.

The Nicene Creed
I believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.

I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
and became man.

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead
and his kingdom will have no end.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.

I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
I confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins
and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come. Amen.

When?
Sometimes when I wake my children up, they get out of bed and walk right by me like I’m a potted plant. Then I remind them that it’s nice to say, “Good morning, Mama.” I imagine that the Act of Faith works the same way. We wake up in the morning, and before trudging off to do the next thing, we acknowledge God’s presence. “Good morning, God. I believe in you…”

Frequent Examination of Conscience

Look at that lovely, clean bathroom…

Since becoming Co-Master of My Own Domain (read: co-responsible for cleaning the bathrooms, among other things), I gained some transferable wisdom: faithfulness is a good thing. When I ignore the bathrooms until it’s time for Health Canada to shut our operation down, then cleaning them is a Big Deal. Gotta get the mask on, the strong cleaners, the rubber gloves, the elbow grease. I feel guilty and it’s generally a bad scene. But, when I stay on top of it (that is, when I make time for tending to the bathrooms weekly or sometimes daily, depending on the “adventures” that happen in there), then all that is needed is a quick and painless pass-through with a rag and some light cleaner. Not a big deal.

Clean bathrooms, clean soul
Faithfulness is a good thing. It’s much easier to stay on top of the battle to be better by frequently examining my conscience. The more often I do it, the more familiar I become with my weaknesses, with the sins that I struggle with the most, with the occasions during which I fall. Then, all that is needed is a quick and painless encounter with the merciful love of God in the Sacrament of Reconciliation and ta-dah: good to go, equipped with the Grace of God to start again.

If it’s been a while
It’s tough to clean anything that hasn’t been tended to in a while. I find that some good music and a glass of wine helps. Not that I’ve tried those while examining my conscience, but hey, I might start. It can be humbling. It can be painful. Jesus, I haven’t examined my conscience in a while. I’m not looking forward to it. Help me do a good job. Help me be thorough. Help me do it for love of you and those you’ve put in my care.

Helping children
Children follow our lead. When they see us taking advantage of the Sacrament of Reconciliation frequently, it can help them make it a normal part of their life, too. It also helps when we are humble and honest about our sins or mistakes. When we are merciful and gentle with them, they are able to imagine the mercy and love of God, who will always take them back, no matter what.

Online resources
The folks at Be An Amazing Catechist have shared a simple Examination of Conscience written for children. For adults, here is an old post that has two versions that are different from the usual format that is based on the Ten Commandments. A quick search with the terms “Examination of Conscience catholic” brings up a great deal of resources from online.

Stations of the Cross with kids

Images from the Stations of the Cross by Sister Marie Claire Naidu, Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Bangalore, India

Going through each of the Stations in a simple way allows our kids to get familiar with the story of Jesus’ passion and death. This Lent, we’re trying to use this one from the Vatican website. Sitting together with the screen visible to everyone, we do this:

• Someone who can read announces the station, e.g. “Ninth station, Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem”
• My husband or I read the little Gospel passage near the beginning of each station. (It’s in italics.) We simplify, shorten or skip this part altogether depending on everyone’s attention span.
• Someone gets a turn singing: Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.(2X)
• On to the next station…

While we’re going through it, there are many, many whys to answer. Our two-year old and three-year old wander in and out quietly, sometimes stopping to look at the pictures. Mostly everyone is quiet and thoughtful. The pictures are powerful and give everyone food for thought.

With younger kids, I imagine that one can simplify even further by just looking at and naming each station. Or with older kids, one could also join in at the parish every Friday at 7pm as they do the Stations of the Cross, followed by Confessions. Either way, bringing the little ones along on our Lenten journey helps the entire family prepare for the celebration of Easter together.

Gathering Lenten Resources

I’ve put together a page called “Lenten Resources”, which gathers a few of the pages online that have been useful to us during Lent in the past. It has a handy schedule for daily Mass and Confessions, a link to two Examinations of Conscience. Please let me know if there are other resources which could be added to it.

Update: I’ve just retired this page and will bring it back up next Lent. Happy Easter!

Ash Wednesday is this week!

The folks at St. Clement Parish are providing us with three opportunities start the Lenten season this Ash Wednesday:

8:15 a.m. – Sung Parish Mass
9:30 a.m. – St. Clement School Mass
7:00 p.m. – Sung Parish Mass

Why Ashes?
The ashes “remind us that the glory of this world has no lasting value. All is dust and ashes. The only thing with eternal value is our relationship with Jesus Christ. [from the bulletin]“

Corporal Works of Mercy
During Lent, we are all called in a special way to prayer, fasting and almsgiving. This year, we thought it might be a good idea to teach the kids about the Corporal Works of Mercy, which breaks down almsgiving into more tangible activities:

• To feed the hungry.
• To give drink to the thirsty.
• To shelter the homeless.
• To clothe the naked.
• To visit and ransom the captive.
• To visit the sick.
• To bury the dead.

In Particular, Visiting
Little kids are particularly good at bringing joy to folks who might be in a lonely season in their life. They often don’t even realize that it’s a gift that they can give, and that the people they visit really appreciate the company. This Lent, we’re going to try our best to seek out those whom Jesus has put in our life who are in need of a smile, a giggle, some pleasant conversation, or a cup of tea.

Just Ask
I struggle with feeling discouraged during Lent. When I am weighed down by my weaknesses, by my sins, by the demands of day to day life, the thought of forty days of self-sacrifice is enough to take the wind out of my sails. Those are the days that I have to ask for help. Jesus, please help me love you. Jesus, please help me see you in the people around me. Lent is a gift — a chance to focus, a chance to remove the distractions and remember what is truly important. And for those of us who are weighed down, Lent is a particularly precious, much needed gift. Pray for our family this season. I will also keep you in mine.

You don’t bring me flowers anymore

Neil Diamond & Barbra Streisand, You don’t bring me flowers, 1978.

Dear Jesus,

Yes, I know. It’s true. I don’t bring you flowers anymore. But if you think about it, the last time I brought you flowers was when I was in grade three. To be honest, I forgot and the teacher had to break up her own bouquet so that the handful of us who forgot would have something to give. And anyway, who brings flowers these days? I guess I like it when I get flowers. I have to admit that I’ve never really thought about how you feel about the matter. I have to admit that I’ve never really thought about how you feel about a lot of matters. I do want to get better at showing you how much I love you. I’ll be needing some help.

With greater and greater affection,
Me

Marriage Sunday

In sickness and in health. Image by Martin Rebello.

The Archdiocese of Toronto celebrated Marriage Sunday last weekend, February 11-12, 2012. To mark the occassion, Archbishop Collins prepared a great letter [PDF document, 150 KB] addressed “to Married Couples throughout the Archdiocese of Toronto.” The folks at the Archdiocese also put together a nifty website as a resource for “couples looking to enrich this covenant.” Two links worth following for sure.

Wedding Vows

I take you to be my husband/wife.
I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad,
in sickness and in health.
I will love you and honour you all the days of my life.

Keep all married couples in your prayers this week. Know that you are all in mine.

Stop. Pray. Love.

Never too early to learn how to work…

The Lord is kind and merciful. Me? Not so much.

At the end of a long day, my five-year old offered to carry a small bag of corn flour down to the pantry for me. I gave her a smile of relief and was inwardly rejoicing at such an unprompted, kind gesture. Moments later, I heard desperate cries of “Mama! Help us! We need HELP!” from the bottom of the basement stairs. I ran as fast as I could, imagining the worst. I found two girls, seemingly swimming in half a bag of corn flour, on the basement rug. Apparently, my five-year old spied her three-year old sister and called out, “Here! Catch!” Needless to say, their plan didn’t work. They actually looked like they were having a blast, finger-painting patterns, enjoying the feeling of soft flour between their fingers.

Stop. This is what I should have done first.

Pray. I should have tried this, too.

Love. If I had tried the first two, I might have been inspired with a creative solution that would have: a) cleaned the mess, and b) taught the girls something important.

Instead, the Grumpy Train had left the station and the stresses of a long day fell hard on my shoulders. I snarled at my flour-covered offspring and stomped off to get the vacuum. They sat penitent nearby as I vacuumed up the mess, scowling, thinking about consequences. Then, I stopped. And I prayed. Jesus, can you help me, please? My shoulders relaxed and I took a good look at the offenders. How can this end better?

“Here,” I said, offering one of them the vacuum. Making sure I removed the edge from my voice, I added, “When we make a mess, we say sorry and we clean it up.” The Corn Flower Duo apologized in unison and then took turns grappling with our vacuum. I walked away, sighing.

Stop. Pray. Love. It always works. It always works.