First Communion

I was stirred out of my sleep this morning at about 3:00 AM to the sound of rain pounding against the roof along with flashes of lightning and rolls of thunder. A very short and muttered; but reverent prayer of "Please Lord ..... no!" escaped my lips before falling back asleep. Trying to transport a 7 year old girl in a white, floor length Communion dress unscathed from inclement weather would require some kind of doing. This might be something that even Daddy wouldn't be able to pull off.

However, the Lord heard my prayer; and while the weather was not perfect, the day broke with only partly cloudy skies and no rain. And fortunately, it stayed that way. It felt like a sauna, with higher than normal temps and very high humidity; but I was more than happy to settle for it.

The Mass went off without a hitch. The picture above shows my daughter Cara doing a reading of one of the general intercessions. She also did some singing; and to my surprise she had a solo part. I was floored! Now I hear my daughter singing around the house all the time; but somehow at Mass, hearing her voice and her voice only and in that kind of acoustic environment was very, very different. I truly did not know that she could sing THAT well; let alone in front of a church building that was packed to Standing Room Only status.

The meal afterward was excellent. It was at a restaurant that I have been to many times and I was happy to share some time and good food with family and friends. While Cara was supposed to be the center of attention; she was totally absorbed by the Nintendo DS that my wife and I bought her as a Communion gift.

I was brought to pause several times throughout the day to reflect upon how truly blessed I am and how very good God has been to me. My wife, daughter and son mean so much to me. They are so much a part of me; I cannot even imagine living without them. I only hope that I can instill the kind of values in my two children that my parents instilled in me. Hopefully, Marianne and I will do a good enough job that will last their whole lives through.

73 de Larry W2LJ