Holy Week Observations

It's been a busy week! It's crunch time with the house--we've signed papers to put it on the market next Monday morning. So every spare moment of mine has been spent getting it ready.

The trouble is, my spare moments have been few and far between this week. My kids have needed extra help with their schoolwork and I've had a number of appointments, including a follow-up chest x-ray for Bantam3--his second in 2 weeks. Remember the Everlasting Head Cold? I finally took myself and the two youngest in to the doctor because we were still all coughing and sniffing after 5 weeks, and it turns out that Bantam3 had developed early pneumonia! He had no fever or symptoms other than the head cold, and some loss of appetite the day before I took him in. I don't even know what made her suspicious--maybe it was just precautionary given his history of pneumonia at 5 weeks of age. After 10 days of antibiotics, his chest x-ray this week was completely normal--praise the Lord.

My realtor's assistant was just here, giving me advice on what else we need to do to the house. She confirmed most of my plans--but made me realize how much I still have to do!

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Holy Week plans:

Maundy Thursday service tonight at Rez--2 Light of Christ couples are joining us
Good Friday: Father Rooster and Bantams 17, 12 & 9 will go to Light of Christ; the other kids and I will be at Rez with some of Blondechick15's friends
Easter Vigil--a group from Light of Christ will be driving down to attend this extravaganza with us at Church of the Rez
Easter Sunday--my whole family will drive to Light of Christ; I will attend Rez so I can get home and get ready to host extended family for dinner.

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I may not be able to post again for a couple days, so I hope that will give you all a chance to listen to this audio clip as a meditation for Maundy Thursday/Good Friday. I've been saving it especially for this week.

It's from Godspell--our production of it--Blondechick15's voice is the first female voice that you'll hear. The scene is Jesus saying goodbye to his disciples, individually--hugging, kissing, clapping on the back--after the Last Supper and before they go together to the Garden of Gethsemane. It's such a moving scene, as you know that Jesus' suffering and death are right around the corner; things are about to go horribly wrong for this little band of faithful friends.

In Matthew 26, the Last Supper scene is completed with these words: "When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives." This hymn, from Psalm 137, is a lament of the exiled Israelites. (Most translations use "lyres" or "harps" for what appears below as "lyves" or "lives.") It seems such a fitting song for this day of farewell, of vigil and of Christ's agony in the garden.

On the willows, there
We hung up our lyves
For our captors there
Required
Of us songs
And our tormentors mirth

On the willows, there
We hung up our lyves
For our captors there
Required
Of us songs
And our tormentor's mirth
Saying
Sing us one
Of the songs of Zion
Sing us one
Of the songs of Zion
But how can we sing?
Sing the Lord's songs?
In a foreign land?
On the willows, there
We hung up our lyves...


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