I'm Surviving!

Well, made it through Holy Week and Easter weekend. Fr. Hertges made it through the hectic few days, but by Sunday he looked like either he was purely exhausted or coming down with something. He was actually a little late in getting there in the a.m. as he had told me to have the mass servers be there at 7:30 for instructions. When he got there he appeared to be running a fever and said he was very much looking forward to "hitting the sack" after the second mass that morning. The week is busy enough for me and I don't have to be at the center of attention for four days in a row. Playing the Mass of Glory proved to be tricky enough as my hands were hurting and a little swollen on Friday and with the lovely damp weather we've been having, weren't a lot better come Sunday morning. We managed to get through the music on Sunday a.m. John Weishaar even used the "Garth Brooks" microphone for the first time. He has been hesitant to try it, but now likes it. When you sing or talk into it you barely have to make a whisper so it is really easy on the voice and you don't exhaust your vocal cords by the end of mass.





The Smith family all came to my house for Easter this year. I put the ham in the oven at a little after 5 a.m. I had cheesy potatoes made and everybody else brought salads, desserts, etc. There was a total of 20 of us here, 16 adults and 4 kids (still not sure where to put Mike in that category!). Luckily it was nice enough for the kids to head outdoors in the afternoon. Mike got the dogs out of the garage and they were great with the kids. Mike showed the kids how to play ball with Riley and Mugsy was just plain, lovable Mugsy. None of the kids were scared of the dogs. They all did eventually run out into the standing water and wade into it. I hope they all didn't get sick the next day! The grown-ups gathered round my kitchen table and played Hands and Feet. Our table holds 10 so we had to round up a couple extra decks of cards. In the afternoon, we ate (again) taco dip and also had homemade ice cream. Nobody goes hungry at Smith family get-togethers!

I am back on facebook but it is frustrating when I want to chat with someone and they aren't on there at the same time I am. I can't remember when my friends and kids are on typically so I will have to figure this all out again. It only took me three tries to get my password after 40 days. Not too bad for an old lady!

I got the chance to visit with an old and dear friend today, Dort Garrett. She is a former co-worker from the clinic when Dr. Bishara, a.k.a. Fr. Angelos, was here. She has come so close to death a couple of times that it isn't funny. She has a heart condition that is genetic in her family. She recently lost a nephew to it and has also found out that her grandson has it. Her most recent heart attack was in September when they flew her down to Des Moines and she had another surgery. She continues to fight congestive heart failure but is not crazy about having more surgery at least this year anyway. The first time she almost died left her with a lot of brain damage and it has been a slow recovery. She used to play the piano like nobody's business but now only plays at home for her own enjoyment as her mind doesn't work fast enough to accompany an assembly anymore. It took a long time for her memory to return along with language skills but she really has come a long way. It was so good to share everything in my life with her and to hear all that she is doing and going through. We always say we are not going to wait so long to see each other again but you know what they say about good intentions. At least I got to visit today and hug her and tell her how much I love her. She really is a dear friend.

We had our last Faith Formation class last night and it closed with a Living Rosary and mass. Fr. Miller did such a good job with the mass. He is such a kid himself that all ages just get a kick out of him! He rang the side altar bell so hard at the beginning that he broke the chain off it. All of the kids jumped and some squealed as they were so startled! After mass, we had practice with the First Communicants for Sunday. I stayed to watch it so I know what to expect musically. We did some visiting and clowning around while the kids were finishing a few things. He had me laughing hard enough a couple of times that my mascara started running. We were thinking up some "offbeat" songs that the kids could be bringing up the gifts to. He's quite the card!