Pushing Through

H. had the car in D.C. overnight for work, and Punchy's First Communion Retreat was from 9 to noon at our parish. So she and I walked the 20+ minutes there. 

The retreat was great. I didn't have one as a girl--don't think Figgy did, either.

The children rotated through six activities: banner making, seed planting, singing, kneading and baking their own little loaves of bread, practicing receiving the wafers and sipping the wine [how brilliant is that! I think mine stuck to the roof of my mouth that memorable day] and my favorite, touring the altar and sacristy with Father Kelly. 

I've been going to Mass for decades and learned a lot today. I stayed with other moms to help out. Fun facts:

1. There are gluten-free Communion wafers available now by special request. Apparently they are snowy white.

2. Father Kelly showed us a lovely gold vestment worn for the month of May, Mary's month. On the back, he joked to the children, was "kind of an antique selfie"--an image of the Blessed Mother.

3. Take your baseball cap off. "No hats in church," Father Kelly said, but kindly, to a young boy with a blue cap. After 50 years, I should of course know this black and white rule inside out. But I guess I was more focused on the white gloves and Easter hats of my girlhood. Speaking of white, Punchy and I chose a beautiful veil at Over the Moon on our walk home from town today.

Back at the ranch, after running a lemonade and iced tea stand with her pal Rowan, Punchy was singing the hymns from the retreat and making her own Communion wafers, by cutting the crusts off white bread slices, adding water to the remainder, flattening and cutting into circles. She had H. and me come up to receive them [and key lime juice in a wineglass] in the dining room and then, my favorite part, she gave one to our dog, Sugar. She put our small Mary statue from H.'s Grandma Millie on the ground so Sugar could see it.

The walk helped lift my spirits. I have to get back to walking every day.

Good night.