At least it's less than a week.

OK, not quite a week has gone by since the last post.  It is challenging to remember and then find the time to post regularly.

Week 7 of 8 of Hospice training is complete.  How time flies.  When we plan to start something, it always seems so far off to reach the goal.  Now one more week and training is complete.  I missed week 1, but the makeup can be done during my one-on-one interview.  It will be at least another month before I can volunteer and even then it will be to shadow a current volunteer - a great way to learn the ropes.

Tonight is the Liturgy of the Lord's Supper (Holy Thursday) so tonight and tomorrow (Lord's Passion) are busy nights.  Funny how they are not Obligatory Holy Days - perhaps because it is a no brainer that as a Catholic, we should be placing these services above everything since they are the fundamentals of our faith.

Started cleaning the house last week in anticipation of having my brothers and their families over for Easter Dinner.  I still have alot of work to do to move all my collectibles out of the dining room queue and somewhere else.

Also seem to have developed a leak in or around the skylight on the front porch.  Troublesome, but it has not reappeared in the light rain we had early in the week.  Heavy rains last weekend, so perhaps I'll need another dose of that to determine the source.

Supposed to be 60°F in NH today with sun - first time this week.  Enjoy the day!

A whole week gone by...

So let's see...I intended to post a few times but didn't feel up to it.  Last weekend we spent most of Saturday cleaning out my mother's house.  Mom passed away in January and 40 years allows you to accumulate a lot of stuff.  We lost Dad in 2008, but had left the house relatively the same.  The feelings are strange, dismantling what your parents built.  Also, not taking a personal item that your parents chose leaves you with a strange feeling somehow, difficult to describe, but it's almost like you want to want everything they have even though it's not feasible.

Sunday was busy with another trip to Mom's house to get even more stuff including the car.  All that burned the weekend pretty fast.

Then the week started - Monday night was free, but Tuesday was Eucharistic Adoration, followed by a class until 9:30PM.  Wednesday was class 6 for Hospice Training, only 2 more to go!  Thursday was our interview at the diocese followed by Knight of Columbus until 10 PM.  Tonight is our last dinner at the church followed by Evening Prayer.  Hard to believe lent is over.  Tomorrow is Men of St Joseph.  After that, it's some rest time and work on the hobbies.

My brother turns 50 this weekend.  He'll be away but Happy Birthday Ron!

Getting ready for Holy Week and Easter....

A bit of a slowdown

Skipped posting yesterday as I regrouped from the weekend.  We attended our fourth (of six) Formation Weekends for the Aspirancy Year of the Permanent Diaconate.  Each time one approaches, I have the mixed internal feelings of giving up my weekend with so much to do around the house and the time away and getting to know my fellow aspirants and to grow in faith and education.  We only have 4 years of Formation and the first has gone so quickly.  It's hard to believe that we are almost to the end of year one.

Not being in class with my fellow aspirants is a challenge.  It has taken me to the fourth weekend before I think I know everyone by name including spouses.  Each time I leave, I take inventory of who I know, who I don't know well enough and what I will do about it next time.

This week is a bit of a relief.  My online class on the first 500 years of Christianity ended last week, so no reading and no paper due.  The next class, years 500-1000, starts April 25, just after Easter.  So a few weeks of free Thursday evenings.  Still have 4 weeks of training to become a Hospice volunteer.  Still have two more weeks of Lenten Dinners and Evening Prayer at the church on Fridays and still have 2 more weeks of class on Tuesday after Eucharistic Adoration.

We've scheduled our interview to move into the Candidacy year of Formation for April 14.  I think I'm better prepared now than I was for our first interview.  We'll see if I am as prepared as I think I am.  This will be a 30 minute interview as a couple as we discern our calling to my becoming a Permanent Deacon in NH.  That may seem strange, but it is up to both of us to discern whether this is right for me.  I feel it is and expect Kathy feels the same from our discussions.

Another short update

The end of another busy week and another busy weekend coming up.  About 12" of snow falling outside today. We need to decide whether to have our dinners at the church for Lent or cancel.  We'll decide around noon.

Finished my last paper for class last night.  Planning to start the next course Apr 25.  Also was notified of our upcoming interviews for further advancement in the diaconate program.  More on this later and it will also be covered in my "About Me" section when I get to that!

Need to plan some travel for work - I'm thinking fly to PA and mosey around PA and NJ.

Off to work!