Sunday was a day full of celebration (and surprises for me).   In our continued family efforts to live out the Liturgical Year, and being both Mother’s Day and Pentecost Sunday, we had a few enjoyable things on our agenda that we had planned.  It was also an end to our 50 Days of Easter celebrations.

My husband and kids had gotten up early, but I was sleeping in. That is, until all 4 of my kids came jumping on my bed announcing (seemingly extra-loud when you were sleeping…) that it was time to get up.  I stumbled out of my room to to this glorious sight:

Wow! It’s just beautiful, and still putting a smile on my face.  But the cards really touched me. The sweet messages written inside all of them had me choking back the tears. I love the heart put into all of them, so expressive of their individual personalities. Even my husband’s.  Below was my very favorite flower in the bunch, until this morning when a stargaze lily bloomed wide open, and now-well…I’m kind of torn.

A big breakfast was made me for as well:  coffee (the best part for me), stuffed french toast and 12 Fruit Salad! (below) This is a Pentecost salad and is symbolic of the 12 Fruits of the Holy Spirit:  Charity, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Generosity, Gentleness, Faithfulness, Modesty, Self-control, and Chastity.  Not as easy to come up with 12 ripe fruits we thought!  (Come to think of it, maybe that was symbolic too. lol) But we managed.

After breakfast we went to mass, which was nice as always.  {A} voluntarily alter served, as she does most every Sunday, because it means so much to her. The presiding priest was Fr. Bob who the kids have really come to love, so that worked out nice, and we stayed a bit after to chat with him.

The night before the kids made 7  flames out of card stock, and labeled them with the 7 Gifts of the Holy Spirit, for our table for Pentecost Sunday. Didn’t they do a nice job?

We also had a Pentecost Cake.  I actually came across the idea online, and loved all of the symbolism it entailed.  My kids love cake of course, but my husband REALLY, really loves cake.  And I have to admit — in the end, he made every bit of it. He is amazingly creative anyway-with any project he gets involved in. And he easily gets involved with a lot–he just gets sucked right in and can hardly help himself. (You should see the Easter eggs he has made over the years–just amazing. But I digress.)

So let me share with you the symbolism of this Pentecost Cake:  It’s a white cake with white frosting to represent the purity of the Holy Spirit.  The ‘butter cream’ frosting we all wanted wasn’t as white as we were hoping it would be, but close enough, and also too late. : )   The cake had 12 whole strawberries around it  that again, represented the 12 Fruits of the Holy Spirit (mentioned above), and the 7 heart-shaped strawberries for the 7 Gifts of the Holy Spirit: Wisdom, Knowledge, Counsel, Fortitude, Understanding, Piety, and Fear of the Lord. The center candle represents Christ our Light.  The 12 smaller candles represent the 12 Apostles, and the flames of course, are the tongues of fire.

It not only came out beautiful, but it was absolutely delicious!

The kids supplied ‘the rushing wind’ and blew out the candles.

 

So that was our Sunday in a nutshell.   It was just another good day of getting a little more in touch with our faith, and celebrating as a family, which we are really good at, if I do say so myself.  My husband and I were talking about how enjoyable it has been trying to live the Liturgical Year in a more involved way, with the kids.  Much of what the kids are learning as we go here, WE, the parents, are truly really learning about as well.  Though we both have always been Catholic, we have realized how much we paid such little attention to through the years. Taking the time to really study each liturgical day and season more, and celebrate them together as a family, is an amazing experience. It brings such appreciation, fascination, and a great deal more respect, to it all. It grows your faith, and well, ‘rekindles the fire’.  Just like the prayer I’m reminded of:

“Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful.  And kindle in us the fire of your Love.”

I think doing these things does call forth the Holy Spirit.  That must be what we feel inside, and what makes us just want to do more and more of this stuff.  It’s a good feeling-that just feels right.

But now for some Ordinary Time. Which just sounds……..restful.