Football, Faith and A Fall Festival

 About a month ago, this was the scene in our kitchen.  We have 8 guys (my husband, sons, nephews and brother-in-laws) with 8 computers, making their picks for Fantasy Football.  This little gathering lasted the better of two hours, with about the same intensity of an interrogation room (assuming from what I have seen in the movies).  AND, it didn't end here.  My guys are frequently checking stats and making trades.  They're keeping track of points and lots of other things I don't claim to understand.  'Tis the new season of football in our home.  Please note that this is not a complaint on my part.  It turns out that my nephews come over on Sundays to watch the games with us.  It's one of the highlights of my week!

Now, fast forward a couple of weeks.

Our parish celebrated its annual Fall Festival.  As I have noted before, I love to celebrate this day with my church.  It is one of my favorite days of the year.

In addition to baking my pie (actually apple crisp for I have yet to perfect a pie crust) and dropping off my cakes for the Cake Walk, we decided to donate the bead crafts the kids made in August.  We turned them into magnets and ornaments.  Monkey and I also put together a few baskets for the Silent Auction.  A corner of our kitchen was designated, "Fall Festival. Do Not Touch!"

The morning of the Festival, I loaded up the van with all of our items and dropped them off to their appropriate sites.  The building was abuzz with activity as volunteers were setting up in preparation.  The aroma of a homemade roast beef dinner drifted throughout the area.  I was filled with such gratitude for the many hands that work together for the good of the church.  I left feeling very proud to belong to this community.

The three oldest kids and I signed-up to work a shift in the dining room for later that afternoon.  Earlier in the day, Sweet Potato approached me with a concern.

Sweet Potato:  Hey mom, I don't think I can work my shift today.
Me:  Why not?
Sweet Potato:  Because the Vikings are playing and kick-off is at noon.  

Sigh.

Me:  I'm sorry, but we made a commitment and it is important that we follow through with our word.
Sweet Potato:  But do I have to work?  Why can't you and the other kids just go and I can stay home and watch the game?
Me:  Because that's not how this works.  We all agreed to help today, and ALL of us will be working.
Sweet Potato:  But why is it so important that we help our church out so much?

At this, I wanted to choose my words carefully.  There are numerous reasons why I love the church and want to give of my time.  It is a place where I am spiritually fed and my relationship with Christ is renewed.  Within the context of the Mass, I am challenged to live the life God has created for me and then encouraged to go out and live it.  My church community supports me, inspires me, and helps me see beyond my own little world that I could so easily live.  My list could go on and on.

My response went something like this.  Do you remember when Grandpa Beno and Grandma Trinie passed away?  It was our parish family who showed up to support us.  They brought us food so we wouldn't have to worry about cooking.  They offered child care as Dad & I were busy with funeral arrangements.  They prayed for us and showed us their love.  After each funeral, a team of people came together to serve lunch for those who came to pay their respects to Grandma and Grandpa.  Our parish blessed us through prayer, words of encouragement, flowers, and more food.  (One fellow parishioner even dropped off extra toilet paper and coffee since we were housing so many out of town family members).

Our church is part of our family.  When we are called upon to help, we need to show up and give our very best.  

I don't know if what I said made a real difference or not, but Sweet Potato decided it would be best if he attended the Festival with all of us.  He was glad he did, because after his shift, it was time to play.

Sweet Potato crawling through part of the obstacle course.

Honey Bunches aiming for the hoop.

Here comes Gummi Bear.

Cucumber and Sweet Pea playing the ring toss.

Sweet Pea sprinting towards the finish line.

Pumpkin struttin' her stuff.

It was a beautiful day.  The kids worked hard and played equally as hard.  We came home with 3 cakes from the cakewalk, a basketful of homemade goodies, and happy hearts from a fun and successful Fall Festival.

Pumpkin conked out about 10 minutes after we arrived home from the afternoon.