Monday, March 19, 2018

Mini-pilgrimage to the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament

Last week, my husband Richard and I went to a place I have wanted to go to for years. The Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Hanceville, Alabama is a beautiful place that was built by Mother Angelica (founder of EWTN) and is located next to the Monastery of the Poor Clare Nuns of Perpetual Adoration. If you can, look up the website or Facebook page. Richard and I had a wonderful and peaceful time at this lovely place. 
There is a wonderful gift shop, and a lovely chapel called the "Creche" that tells the story of the Nativity. 

You forget you are in Alabama, or even in the U.S. It really made Richard and me want to go back to Rome. 























What's in a name?

We just spent four days of my Spring Break in Birmingham with my son and his family.

One of their favorite things is when we come to daycare to pick them up. They will run across the room to greet us when they notice we are there, looks of pure joy on their faces. It is one of our favorite moments, too.

We took care of the little girls on Thursday, and had the joy of taking Rosemary to her little dance class.

Friday, Grandpa and I went on a mini-pilgrimage to the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Hanceville, Ala. (See post) We picked the girls up that evening from daycare, too. On Saturday, the whole family went to the Botanical Gardens for the Cherry Blossom Festival

Vivian, our 19-month-old, is taking in everything, and learning to communicate in her own little way. (This was always one of my most treasured times of my children's lives. I am enjoying this time in my grandchildren's lives too.)

When Rosie was about this age, her name for Grandpa was "GanCa." (the c is pronounced like k) She always lumped my husband and me into one name "MimiGanCa" or sometimes "GanCaMimi." (She occasionally still does that, even though she can clearly say "Grandpa" now.)

My daughter-in-law tells me she did the same thing with her other grandparents, too. Paul and Sharon ended up being "PawPawGramma" or "GrammaPawPaw."

And Rosie always said, "I hold you, Mimi"  when she wanted me to pick her up. She would make that request of whomever she wanted to hold her.  She still, at 3 years old, will use that terminology from time to time.

Vivan has not done either of those things yet. She has been saying "Mimi" for a few months now. She has given her grandpa his name as of this past week. He is "Pa-Ca." (the c is pronounced like k) She is such a loving little girl. She comes up to Pa-Ca and grabs him around the leg just to hug him. She calls me and holds up her little arms for me to take her. (Rosie did that too). Viv loves for you to hold her.

Our new names as grandparents (whatever they may be from time to time) are the best names that we could ever have. I told their mom that next to being a mother, being a grandmother is the best job I have ever had. Those two jobs are my most favorite jobs.