In Italy, Buona Festa di San Giuseppe and Happy Father's Day! St. Joseph was my father's principal patron saint (Dad was both a master carpenter and a father/stepfather/adoptive father and later, surrogate father to many young men, as I have written before). We also consider St. Joseph our family patron. I did not have my act together early enough to have a St. Joseph's Altar and hospitality table this year--next year! (I did break down and buy three scrumptious doughnuts for dessert tonight, as I couldn't find zeppole anywhere in Raleigh...)

But I did come across a blog post quoting a New York Times article (whoa! the NYT publishes something positive about a Catholic?!) in which a Mother Superior remembers her father. I think her father and mine were cut from the same cloth, even though they had totally different ethnic backgrounds. The charisms of St. Joseph, most Chaste Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, patron of all workers, were definitely present in these two men.

Read it here.

Oh, this is good:
http://actsoftheapostasy.blogspot.com/2010/03/mr-spock-would-make-great-catholic.html

I've always preferred Mr. Spock to Captain Kirk, but this makes me howl out loud! (Even our Protestant friends will appreciate the appeal of moral authority, I hope.)

Fellow stitchers, I know I have not posted a progress picture in forever...mea culpa! In my defense, the day I determined to take a new progress picture once we returned home from Mass (remember, I stitch a lot on the road to and from Mass), my son was taking pictures at Mass and the dratted camera died. It is now being repaired by Nikon and I hope it comes back shortly!

Tonight we will have the traditional pancakes for Shrove Tuesday, with one exception--mine will be chocolate/raspberry pancakes! I don't really like pancakes (too many memories of Girl Scout camping and totally soggy over-the-fire pancakes, ick) but I found this mix, and my husband made me some a while ago and they are scrumptious.

Did I mention that I have decided to give up chocolate for Lent? This is a very hard one for me. Hence the pancakes tonight.

For my Lenten devotions, I will be reading Pope Benedict's Journey to Easter and starting--at a slow, deliberate pace--Blessed Columba Marmion's Union with God: Letters of Spiritual Direction as suggested at Spiritual Mothers of Priests. With my son I'll be reading the daily lectionary Gospel reading.

I am also going to try to finish the angel stitchery (Lavender and Lace's Angel of the Morning) my husband asked me to do for him last year, in thanksgiving for his upcoming first anniversary of being cancer-free (St. Patrick's Day).

So often, for me, Lent passes in a blur of getting music ready for all the liturgies between Ash Wednesday and Easter Day. I want this year to be different. The past several months have had too many days in the Slough of Despond, so I am coming to this Lent feeling like I need to be more in the Church Militant. Pray for me and I will pray for you that this year, Easter crowns the year with all blessings. Miserere nobis, Domine.