Time is Flying

Life seems to be traveling so fast these days. I know that most of it is self-imposed business, but the business is meeting various needs for different family members. Steve went to Florida with the high school choir and sang at Disney World. The choir did very well and he had a great time. The trip wasn't without blips. Steve lost his glasses on the first day when an ocean wave knocked them off his face and into the water. His ukelele was broken the first day also. A friend with a similar eye prescription loaned Steve glasses for the remainder of the trip and Steve was able to repair his uke when he returned home. Paige and Allie had their first sleep-over at a friend's home during the spring break. They had a great time and didn't need to call home for a lift in the middle of the night. Allie attended her first birthday party for a friend that wasn't related. She decided that birthday parties are great fun and suggested that she have one every year. We don't do parties every year. They children get one or two parties during their elementary school years and then have friends sleepover once they hit junior high school age. I know that most children have more birthday parties, but we prefer birthday parties to be extra special events. Madelyn will be confirmed tomorrow morning and have her first Communion. She was blessed to have confirmation classes with our district pastor. He managed to fill in some of the holes left from the previous pastor's classes as well as teaching the remainder of the catechism. Madelyn loved confirmation class and will miss these weekly lessons. A couple of the older ladies in the congregation are hosting a reception for Madelyn after the service tomorrow. During the Easter breakfast, one elderly woman asked Katie if she was excited about her confirmation next week. Katie (who is 19) was a little offended that the woman thought that Kate was in 8th grade. I had to remind her that Madelyn is very small for her age and most people think she is 8. Katie was simply the girl that looked closer to a teen. The congregation's members tend to be over 70. There are a couple of families with youngish children and one infant in the congregation. Almost all of the members make a point of speaking to our family each week. They try to keep everyone's names straight and remember specific interests for the children. Some of the elderly women mail us newspaper clipping whenever one of the kids are in the newspaper. Several members send my children birthday cards. I don't think my children realize how much the older members of this church love seeing children in attendance each week. The rest of our family has decided to join this congregation as well. We will be taking Communion with Madelyn this week and then joining by confession of faith next week. After we join, I will be the 5th youngest mom in the congregation. Being in my late-forties, it seems strange to be thought of as a young mom.