Long time no posts...This and that...

I just picked up Hannah from school. She wasn't breathing very well. It dawned on me it has been one year to the day since she has been hospitalized with pneumonia. My sweet girl kept apologizing for making me come all the way out to get her (the school is about 20 minutes away). What an angel to think of me as she was dealing with not feeling well.
Everything else has been going normal for us. Hopefully this latest episode with Hannah will just phase itself out. I would whisk her away to Florida but it's not much warmer there!
Lent started on Feb. 17th this year. The weekend prior to that was Valentine's Day. I thought it would be a good idea to invite a few families over for a pre-Lenten feast. I cooked chicken cacciatori, spaghetti and meatballs and a cheese lasagna. It really turned out to be a nice gathering. Between four families there were 19 kids! As always, there is wonderful conversation among us adults. We dine frequently with the one couple. It is almost like watching your favorite symphony unfold. We all start out with catching up with what is going on in each other's lives since last we gathered. Then as dinner is being prepared, everyone offers help and takes on a job. We let the children eat first. When they are finished, we adults are able to gather around one table to break bread together. After the food is put away and dishes are mostly done, we sit around and talk about faith. We all share this same love for the Lord. We talk openly about how hard it can be to raise a family in this world...what works, what doesn't. We aren't afraid to have differing opinions on certain wordly issues. All views are accepted and no hurt feelings if refuted. I think it has to do with the fact that we can look at each other as brothers and sisters in Christ. We speak about God and being Catholic with such passion. It inspires me. It is fellowship at its best mostly because it takes place in the confines of a home. One couple is a bit older than my husband and I. They have walked down some roads that still lay before us. It is nice to take in what they have to say about their experiences and their struggles. They are kind enough to share that part of themselves. After everyone leaves...and it is usually quite late in the evening...I find myself looking forward already to the next gathering. We are blessed to have such nice friends.