21 to Go! or Heaven, the Greatest Blessing

It is Sunday and I am looking at a mere 21 posts (after this one) to my goal of 200 for the year. I am committed to quality over quantity though--after all, Jes will eventually compile them into Frodo Seven Volume Fourteen so, even as I race toward my magic number, I have to make it worth her while :)

So, as I said, today is Sunday, the second Sunday of Advent as well as the second Sunday using the new translation of the Mass. Last week, I managed all of one "And with your Spirit". This week, I watched the screen like a hawk and only missed one--okay two.
I have a few stories around religious topics this week. The first began in Gap Kids. I was shopping the sales rack with Mia looking for some pants to replace her hole-y ones when I recognized a country song that always makes me smile. It's about heaven and makes the observation that, while we all want to go to heaven, "nobody wants to go now". I told Mia to listen to the song and asked what she thought about it. Would she want to go now? She said, "yes". Which did not surprise me but took my breathe away anyway. It reminded me of something I know to be true but that I try hard to ignore--that my kids are mortal--as am I--and death is going to separate us--at least temporarily. I have to be okay with that. It feels like a very tall order. But why should it? I consider myself a person of faith. I love God and try to do His will in my life. And yet I often fear Him more than I trust Him. I am afraid that He will ask me to do or handle something that is too much for me. I'm not really very brave. Death is a big one and though I know it is the door to heaven, I am still afraid of it. Perhaps that is what touched me about Mia's answer. It was simple, without fear or hesitation. Wise. I am praying for a heart like Mia's, the heart of a child, open and ready. A heart that understands what "heaven" really means.
On a related topic, our discussion question for dinner one night this week was, "What has been your greatest blessing?" The girls mostly answered, "Mom and Dad", "our family", "my sisters". I was between "my Catholic faith" and "my husband" but decided to provide a little levity and said, "the perfect blue skateboard I got for Christmas when I was eleven". That led to a few questions and some side chatter. Grace's answer was a bit different. She said, "I know what mine would be if I'd had my first penance already. It would be the prayer the priest says to forgive your sins." Hmmm...good one. I'd say she's ready.
There are so many things to be thankful for that it's truly hard to pick just one or the greatest. The ability to home school our girls is huge on my list. I have seen so many fruits of that this year and have learned even more about how to give them the kind of education they deserve--something they would not get from any school these days. But really, as far as I am concerned, they could get a C- education in everything else as long as they learned the most important things--those that concern God and His Church. I see our girls growing in their love and appreciation of the same eternal things Chris and I love and appreciate. What more could we ask?
As for me, I did decide on a final answer to the greatest blessing question and here it is. Are you ready? Heaven. I have to admit, I don't feel ready to go now. I am very attached to the people God gave me to love here on earth. But without the hope of heaven for them and for me, what would be the point of any of the rest of it? And that's the real meaning of this season isn't it? That Jesus came, not only to be a cute baby in a manger, but to suffer and die for our sins so that we could go to heaven. We're adding a tiny crucifix to our creche scene this year* as a reminder of the connection between Christmas morning and Good Friday. And ultimately--Easter Sunday.

Have a wonderful week everyone! Pink candle coming soon!

*A big thank you to Irma Moré for this idea.


P.S.

So, Chris won a race this weekend. I will leave it to him to write the story but this is the part I was most excited about--Casa Doyle now has cow bell!! And we needed more cow bell :)