Candlemas

Candlemas, the day the church celebrates Christ's presentation at the temple, is one of my favorite days of the church year. An army of warm groundhog cookies, lighted candles, a beautiful story of faith, and a marker that we've made it half way through winter... yes, it is a very good day.

Candlemas

Candlemas is traditionally the day when the church blesses the candles that will be used through the year.  So, this year our candlemas project was to roll some beeswax candles (we used this kit).  It was a wonderful project for the boys; it wasn't difficult and the candles were pretty and functional.  The boys loved it.  As we rolled the sweet smelling wax sheets we thought of occasions through the year where we will need special candles (birthdays, Valentine's Day, Christmas...) and tried to make them accordingly.  

Today, we blessed the candles, praying that our little pile of candles might remind us of Christ's light through the year.

This is not some special technique.  Rowan loved 'hiding' them in the tissue after he made them :o)

Candlemas

Candlemas is always celebrated on February 2nd, but while we had groundhog cookies on Thursday, we celebrated Candlemas today.  We went to the cathedral in Dundee this morning to see two beautiful baby girls baptized.  Seeing our friends and their precious wee girls was a treasure, and being in the cathedral with incense and a procession of candles on this day, when the church celebrates Candlemas, was a huge bonus.  I was so grateful that I had done the godly play of Jesus being presented at the temple with Rowan last week as that story was woven through the whole service beautifully.  It really is a perfect day for a baptism, a day when we remember the presentation of the Christ child and that his light has come and is given to each of us.

todays responsory...

Eternal God, here we bring to an end our celebration of the Saviors birth.

Help us, in whom he has been born, to live his life that has no end.

Here we have offered the Church's liturgy of praise.

Help us, who have received the bread of life, to be thankful for your gift.

Here we have rejoiced with faithful Simeon and Anna.

Help us, who have found the Lord in his temple, to trust in your eternal promises.

Here we have greeted the Light of the world.

Help us never to forsake the light of Christ.

Right Now...

:We're getting ready for a full month of celebrations ahead (and a trip to Spain at the end of the month)

:We're still hoping the baby will start sleeping through the night (or even just not be up for 1-2 hour periods in the middle of the night)

:I'm thinking the mistletoe really should come down.

: We're enjoying a break in the weather and slightly warmer days.

:I'm smelling freshly baked jam filled cookies (well really reduced-dried-fig filled) that have been cut into candles for Candlemas tomorrow.  And there will, of course, be Groundhog cookies baking tomorrow.

:I'm grateful to have finished up a couple writing projects.

:We're enjoying a lot of nomad and farming play as we talk and read about the first people in the fertile crescent this week.

:I'm hoping to finish 300 more pages of Jayber Crow so I'm ready to lead book club next monday - best get reading!

Happy Groundhog day

Groundhog Day is one of those days that I feel proud to be Pennsylvanian. It is a quirky tradition, but I'll take any distraction I can find to get through February and on to Spring. And who doesn't love a warm gingerbread cookie shaped like a rodent with a raisin for an eye?

Well, we are in for six more weeks of winter. And if you've never seen the pageantry of the day in Punxsutawney it is worth a look.

Jonah and I had fun with this poem today.

Ground Hog Day

by Lilian Moore

Ground Hog sleeps

All winter

Snug in his fur,

Dreams

Green dreams of

Grassy shoots,

Of nicely newly nibbly

Roots --

Ah, he starts to

Stir.

With drowsy

Stare

Looks from his burrow

Out on fields of

Snow.

What's there?

Oh no.

His shadow. Oh,

How sad!

Six more

Wintry Weeks

To go.