Celebration
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2019: Happy New Year!
Happy New Year 🙂 May 2019 bring you many blessings. Well we’ve had the laziest start to the New Year; late nights, late mornings, loads of reading, jigsaw ‘battles’, board games, floating away hours in our new little pool, days by the River, essentially the perfect recipe for Summer days, recharging from an epic year and gearing up for no doubt another epic year. At some stage during our children’s teen years our lives became, full to the brim and overflowing and they have flowed continuously since. This year our eldest Son Carpenter will marry his darling fiancee Rose, so I imagine that will guarantee to top our charts of…
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First Holy Communion for Bass
Three weeks ago Bass (7) was blessed to receive Our Lord for the first time during a Missa Cantata at the Carmelite Monastery in my nearby childhood town. Extra special was that he received Our Blessed Lord for the first time from our Bishop Emeritus, who has also given First Holy Communion to seven of Bass’ older siblings, all bar our oldest, the continuity is treasured. Our first seven children were also all Confirmed by our Bishop Emeritus, though Jem and Bass were Confirmed at Marian Valley. The Sisters were so excited that Bass was receiving his First Holy Communion with them 🙂 The Missa Cantata in the Southern Hemisphere has…
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Receiving The Sacrament of Confirmation
Last month our two youngest boys, Jem 9 and Bass 7 received the Sacrament of Confirmation, the second of the three sacraments of Christian initiation into the Catholic Church. Confirmation completes Baptism, by which in the laying on of hands and the anointing with Chrism Oil, which first happened at Baptism, we are confirmed with the fullness of the Holy Spirit. We are reminded of our participation in the ministry and mission of Jesus, and strengthened to follow Jesus more closely. We were so blessed that the opportunity arose for our boys to make their Confirmation at Marian Valley. Previously our children, all seven older ones, had received their Sacraments at…
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2017: Happy New Year!
Happy New Year ! May 2017 bring you many blessings. It’s the New Year already with plenty of fresh possibilities and like many I’ve been considering My Word for the New Year. My Word for 2017 is Intentional. Intentional, particularly about my use of time which then flows on to so many other areas; relationships, parenting, prayer life, health, home management and all sorts of achievements. Yep intentional sums it up. To be honest I find myself rather bewildered to already be in a New Year when it feels as if the last year hasn’t drawn to a close. I can’t convince myself I’m in 2017 until my brain ‘wraps…
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Imperfect Advent, Perfect Christmas
Advent this past year was not ‘perfect’. We managed a little reading but alas no baking, no crafts and no decorating. The last two Sundays we attended Mass hundreds of kilometres away far from our own Parish, and though the Church is Universal it wasn’t the same as being home. Yet despite it being an ‘imperfect Advent’ we still traveled towards His Birth with a sense of Wonder and Awe. Though we were unable to enjoy any of our family’s traditional Advent preparations and were only able to reflect on the excitement of His coming in snatches amongst the many events, tasks and the various to do lists, He still came!…
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Bella’s 2nd Birthday
A few days before Christmas we celebrated our Bella’s 2nd Birthday. She keeps us on our toes this darling girl of ours; confident, independent, cheeky, energetic and loud but oh so loveable. She is totally assured that the world revolves around her, she has 11 people who reassure her daily that it does! The children immediately leap to carry out her every command. Bella loves to sing on top note thankfully in tune, any hint of music and she begins to dance. She is talking with far more competence and far earlier than any of our other children (who were all late talkers). Currently her favourite occupation is changing outfits, easily 12…
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2016: Happy New Year!
Happy New Year ! A New Year always comes with exciting possibilities or perhaps new challenges, depends on how we interpret it 😉 It’s been so long since I’ve managed to have a chat with you. Life indeed has been bursting and overflowing. We’ve achieved so much living in the last month and I’m looking forward to catching you up on it all. Our son’s Graduation from College, thousands of kilometres traveled, more building achievements, our Bella’s 2nd birthday, Christmas with extended family and our immediate, our first family holiday in 14 years. Truthfully I entered the New Year feeling overwhelmed and exhausted. December and the weeks proceeding were rather epic.…
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Our Lads Make Their Sacraments
Yesterday Jack Jack made his Confirmation and Jem made his First Holy Communion. To receive the Gifts of the Holy Spirit is such a blessing and as our Bishop told the children, in the times ahead they will need to be brave. Michelangelo on the right who was fortunate to Serve for this special occasion. Jem was so excited to receive our Blessed Lord for the first time and is keen to receive Him again soon. Our Bishop has now Confirmed seven of our children. Yesterday was the Birthday of Our Blessed Mother, hence blue vestments, not the usual red for Confirmation. Anna Maria is godmother to both the…
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Mother’s Day Reality
* This ‘letter’ was inspired by a conversation with a family member, a ‘Young Mum’ of two small children. I began writing three years ago on Mother’s Day night, never completed and it has sat in drafts all this time. Polishing and publishing now as I feel my reflections are still relevant. Dear ‘Young Mum’, I’ve been thinking about your phone call tonight, when you rang to wish me a “Happy Mother’s Day” you shared your disappointment of how your secret hopes for the day with your two little ones hadn’t eventuated, that you didn’t have the day of mothering dreams. You then kindly inquired of me “How was your…
