I have never been that sentimental mom who cried in kindergarten or felt all weepy that my kids were growing up. But Matias turning 18 today and graduating this year have caught me by surprise. I am feeling nostalgic. And weepy. And sad.
Matias is my firstborn. He is thoughtful and smart and kind. I am proud to be his mom. I can't wait to see what his future holds; I know he will be successful in whatever he decides to do. I have never had to remind him to do his homework, or to practise his piano. He rarely complains if I ask for his help with chores or going to the store for me. He is calm and even-keeled and stable.
But I wonder if I have been a good mom. Did he have a good childhood? Does he feel loved? Have we set a good example for him? I hope so. Because although we will continue to have an influence in his life, he is no longer a child. And that makes me sad.
Wow! What a fantastic Easter weekend full of church! On Good Friday, all the Christ City campuses came together to worship. It was amazing to worship with over 500 people, some of whom I hadn't seen since before covid. In the evening, I went to my friend's church for a tenebrae service and it was really moving. The sanctuary kept getting progressively darker until it went pitch black, like the darkness that descended when Jesus died on the cross.
On Saturday, we had a two hour rehearsal for choir. That was actually hard, but also so fun. I got to know some people I didn't know before by joining choir. It was truly great! Afterward my bff cooked me dinner and we watched a show and drank tea, warm and cosy from the rain.
On Sunday, I had to get to church for 8:30am and I didn't leave until after 1pm. We sang, we waited in the side room and chatted and ate, we sang some more. Repeat 6 times. It was a long day but I loved every minute. What a joy to sing with the choir. What a joy to be part of the Christ City church community. Above all, what a joy that Jesus has risen and I have eternal hope!!
Pages turning as my daughter reads a book / Coffee dripping / Kids singing their hearts out / A sermon playing through my headphones / Community group laughing / The new artist I discovered on Spotify / Comfortable silence / Friendly staff in the hallways / Choir practicing / Sunday's call to worship / The ding of someone messaging me / The kids telling me about their days / Emmi's evening prayers / My prayer app / You look amazing / Steak sizzling / Laughter / The Doxology / I'm sorry, I'll try to change / The opening to my favourite show / My bff cooking for me.
My church has put together a choir for Easter and I am so excited! Yesterday was the first practice and it was so much fun! I had forgotten what hard work it is to sing properly, but I've missed it. We did warm ups. We all sang all of the parts for one of the songs. I've never done that before. I chatted with my friends. The hour flew by. We will be performing on Easter Sunday and I can't wait. It'll be a long day since we will be singing at all three gatherings, but that's ok. It'll be great. And in between we'll get to hang out and eat snacks, lol.
Just when I think I can't love it at my church any more than I already do, they do something unexpected to make me love it more, like put together a choir. We have now attended there seven years and it keeps getting better and I keep getting more involved, which if you know me, is a very good sign. With choir happening on Thursday nights, I will now have church events five out of seven days a week. Is that too much? No! Sundays, Bible study, community group, choir; they're all very different. Mondays involve driving my boys to church for youth, so it's not really an event for me. But, it is still another way that my family connects with our church family. And this is my community, our community. This is where I want to invest my time.