Thankful

I'm going to try for a quick post, late at night. Bed is calling!

But my heart is full of thankfulness for all the good things happening in our church and in our family.

Father Rooster and I had a wonderful time last week at the annual Clergy/Spouse Retreat with so many friends and leaders from the Upper Midwest Diocese. We've been doing ministry with some of them for decades! So good to be part of such a group of dynamic and humble leaders.

It was especially good to catch up with two other priests' wives, old friends, who like me, are also in charge of creating and directing the salvation history readings at their churches' Easter Vigils! All these years and I didn't realize they also carried this particular creative and administrative burden. We commiserated on the challenges, swapped stories of awkward failures, and gave each other some tried-and-true ideas. It was wonderful.

I'm so thankful to have some teens--new families at Light of Christ--who have never been to a Vigil, but they're willing to act, dance and even create a soundtrack and choreography! Thanks to them, we are going to have some really cool readings this year, including a human video Creation reading, and when our Dry Bones come to life, they'll be dancing in hip-hop and African styles. I still have to nail down what we're doing for a couple of the other readings, but I'm pumped about those two!

I am also prepping for audition weekend, coming up on Friday, for another musical I'm directing for Spotlight Youth Theater. It's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, the Broadway show, and I'm super-excited. Although it's a bit much, right now, to be thinking about Easter Vigil with one half of my brain and Tom with the other--not leaving much room for normal life! But I was so happy to be asked to direct again!

My kids are busy preparing for audition weekend also--only they are auditioning for different shows! B17 is going to be in Godspell, the show that Spotlight Kenosha is doing. Chicklet13 and B11 are going north with me to audition for Tom Sawyer in our sister county of Spotlight Milwaukee, where I directed Tall Tales in the fall. I love hearing them all practicing and singing for each other. They make me so proud!

Wedding preparations are simmering along, too. We have ceremony and reception venues reserved, we have the dress, and I believe we have cupcakes. Blondechick is working on a Save the Date announcement--it's quite humorous!--and one of her bridesmaids is already organizing a bridal shower. One of our next priorities is to get her shoes, so we can have the dress length altered. And the list will go on and on till August 7!

(Oh. My. Goodness. I just realized I never posted anything here about Blondechick's young man, let alone her engagement...which was over the holidays. Hmm. Must write a post! He's an answer to prayer!)

And in other news, B20 has met a girl, maybe THE girl, and we would be happy if it were. He's in an especially good mood these days, and it's contagious. The beautiful weather we've had for a couple of days now doesn't hurt either.

Tomorrow will be filled with appointments...and rain. But today--I am thankful!