First Holy Communion

On May, 2, 2010, my youngest and last child made his First Holy Communion.  What a very blessed day.  He was so excited to finally get to go to communion and get to partake in the body of Christ rather than just get his blessing.  He told me "Finally all the Marks get to do this!"  He was very proud.  He dressed in the same suit and tie that his brother wore.  He was so handsome and looked so yummy.  He had his whole family there and that meant everything to him and to me.  To watch these children learn about the Eucharist and become close to Jesus is amazing.  They say "Children are like sponges, they absorb everything you teach them".  This to has been absorbed.  They now realize the importance of the Eucharist and the bond that it gives us with our Lord.  They now understand the importance of kneeling before the tabernacle and acknowledging our Lord is there.  This is one of my favorite sacraments.  It is one of the most special times in our life as Catholic Christians.  I am very honored and blessed to have received and watched all three of my children acknowledge and receive Christ.

The Holy Father speaks to Children:

Your First Holy Communion

Pope John Paul II speaks directly to children about the solemn importance of First Holy Communion in this excerpt from his "Letter to Children" written in 1994 during the "Year of the Family".

Dear friends, There is no doubt that an unforgettable meeting with Jesus is First Holy Communion, a day to be remembered as one of life's most beautiful.
The Eucharist, instituted by Christ at the Last Supper on the night before His passion, is a sacrament of the New Covenant -- the greatest of the sacraments. In this sacrament, the Lord becomes food for the soul under the appearances of bread and wine.
Children receive this sacrament solemnly a first time -- in First Holy Communion -- and are encouraged to receive it afterward as often as possible in order to remain in close friendship with Jesus.
To be able to receive Holy Communion, as you know, it is necessary to have received baptism: this is the first of the sacraments and the one most necessary for salvation. Baptism is a great event! In the Church's first centuries, when baptism was received mostly by grownups, the ceremony ended with receiving the Eucharist, and was as solemn as first Holy Communion is today. Later on, when baptism began to be given mainly to newborn babies -- and this is the case of many of you, dear children, so that in fact you do not remember the day of your baptism -- the more solemn celebration was transferred to the moment of First Holy Communion.
Every boy and every girl belonging to a Catholic family knows all about this custom: First Holy Communion is a great family celebration. On that day, together with the one who is making his or her First Holy Communion, the parents, brothers, sisters, relatives, godparents, and sometimes also the instructors and teachers, generally receive the Eucharist.
The day of First Holy Communion is also a great day of celebration in the parish. I remember as though it were yesterday when, together with the other boys and girls of my own age, I received the Eucharist for the first time in the parish church of my town. This event is usually commemorated in a family photo, so that it will not be forgotten. Photos like these generally remain with a person all through his or her life. As time goes by, people take out these pictures and experience once more the emotions of those moments; they return to the purity and joy experienced in that meeting with Jesus, the one who out of love became the Redeemer of Man.
For how many children in the history of the Church has the Eucharist been a source of spiritual strength, sometimes even heroic strength! How can we fail to be reminded, for example, of holy boys and girls who lived in the first centuries and are still known and venerated throughout the Church? Saint Agnes, who lived in Rome; Saint Agatha, who was martyred in Sicily; Saint Tarcisius, a boy who is rightly called the "martyr of the Eucharist" because he preferred to die rather than give up Jesus, whom he was carrying under the appearance of bread.

John Paul II

PASSION

Passion....Do you have it or don't you?  I feel that everyone has it to some degree about something or someone.  What exactly is it?
PASSION /ˈpæʃən/ [pash-uhn] –noun
1. any powerful or compelling emotion or feeling, as love or hate.
2. strong amorous feeling or desire; love; ardor.
I have passion about many things such as crafts, family and friends.  I even have passion about places, such as the beach and my newest passion for a place would be Disney World.  But I have discovered recently when I started focusing more on me and my husband and children, that I hold an extremely passionate place for them.  I have spent so much time over the past several years focused on other things and worrying about other people that I lost that passion I have for my family.  I have taken the time to re-prioritize my thoughts and actions.  I have found my way back to the passion for my family that I once had.  Days I have spent wrapped up in drama that is out of my control, I will never get back.  From the point I realized this to now and here after, my focus remains my little family.  I feel I have neglected the ones that need me most.  I can no longer worry about what I can not control.  Worry is Satan's work.  I have one to many times been caught up in worry.  When I worry, I tend to let it consume me and everything around me is affected. 
I have a wonderful husband and three absolutely beautiful children.  They are gifts that are on loan to me and I need to take special care of them.  I want no regrets.  I do not want to ever look back and regret.  I do not want to ever look back and wish I had done or said, this or that.
These three sets of eyes that look at me with such innocence and such love.  It is an unconditional love.  It is the love they deserve to get in return.  The feel of there little hands around my neck gives me such a feeling of completeness.  They are what I desire.  They are what I am passionate about.
My passion is being the best wife and mother I can be!
"Her children stand and bless her. Her husband praises her:"

Proverbs 31:28