The {Rite} Kind Of Weekend

Another great weekend…

Even though it started out with coughs, sneezes and runny noses {me}, it ended up fabulously and just what the doctor ordered.

On Saturday I went to a retreat with my RCIA class to prepare for our Rite of Acceptance yesterday. I loved, loved, loved spending time with my sponsor Rhonda who is also Elliott’s catchiest on Thursday afternoons. She is like a long lost twin sister….there were two breakouts where we were given a time to report back to the main room and BOTH times we were the last ones in there with everyone waiting for us! The first time they had to send someone out to find us ~ we were too busy chatting it up and didn’t notice the time. I love that…it means that she was brought into my life at the perfect moment to come along and share this journey with me and I could not be happier. In the short time I’ve known her, I am proud to say that she is already a dear friend and I cannot imagine how close we will be in a year from this Easter when I go through the sacrament of baptism. So excited.

After the retreat I took Elliott to the mall for a self-arranged play date with her little classmate, Ashley. They arranged all by themselves to meet at Claire’s at the mall at 3:00 on Saturday afternoon and have their ears pierced together! Each day at pick up Ashley would excitedly run up to me with more details as the week went on ~ Monday it was that she wanted E to come to the mall to get her ears pierced on Saturday. On Wednesday it was that we were going to meet at 3pm and then on Thursday it was that we were going to meet at Claire’s. Boom. Done. I sent a note to Ashley’s mom confirming the ear piercing party and sure enough she had it on the books, too and was glad that I confirmed because she was going to do the same thing. Ha!

{smiling their toothless smiles BEFORE getting two holes in their ears}

{getting the purple marker dots}

{All done…another rite of passage}

{Elliott & Ashley and their two cheerleaders in the background}

{cleaning solution and care instructions!}

So fun….the mamas were joking that we hope the next first grader arranged play date isn’t at the tattoo parlor!

*****

Sunday morning was my rite of passage…we went to the 10:30 mass where the candidates {me} were received.

Here are Rhonda and me waiting to go up and answer a couple questions from the priest…

What do you ask at this time from God?

{I ask for his strength when I am weak, his grace when I do not deserve it, and to always feel his loving arms around me}

What do you ask of the community of Blessed Kateri?

{I ask that it provide, with open arms, a sacred place to gather with my brothers and sisters in Christ on our journey to glorify God}

*****

It was a beautiful, faith-filled weekend with a couple very special rites of passage ~ one for Elliott and one for me!

Couldn’t have been more perfect.