As we begin the start of summer, we pause to remember the US service members who died while serving their country.

God Bless America.

Happy Easter to all our family and friends.

None of us are providing music for any of the services this year.  It will be a pleasure to sit in the congregation and worship along with our fellow parishoners.

May your Easter season be blessed.

Gospel Reading from today’s liturgy:

On the first day of the week,
Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning,
while it was still dark,
and saw the stone removed from the tomb.
So she ran and went to Simon Peter
and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them,
“They have taken the Lord from the tomb,
and we don’t know where they put him.”
So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb.
They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter
and arrived at the tomb first;
he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in.
When Simon Peter arrived after him,
he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there,
and the cloth that had covered his head,
not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place.
Then the other disciple also went in,
the one who had arrived at the tomb first,
and he saw and believed.
For they did not yet understand the Scripture
that he had to rise from the dead.

(John 20:1-9)

Today we commemorate the death of Jesus Christ – dying on the cross for all of us.

A tradition of mine is to watch Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ” during the Holy Week.  It is such a powerful portrayal of the events of the of the Lord’s agony in the garden, his arrest and trial, the scourging and the crowning with thorns, His carrying the cross, and finally his crucifixion.

I am so thankful for the price paid for the freedom gained for me, my family, and my loved ones.

In the days when Christ was in the flesh, he offered prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears
to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence.  Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered; and when he was made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him. (Hebrews 5:7-9) Second Mass reading from today’s liturgy

Image from www.art-wallpaper.net

This past month found the addition of a sunroom to our backyard.  We have tried our best to combat the mosquito problem we have in our yard – seven years of candles and repellants came to no avail.  We even put up a bathouse in hopes of attracting bats that eat thousands of mosquitos per hour.  Since none of this was working, it was decided that a screened-in porch was the answer.

The contract was signed in late December and then we waited for 10 weeks while our room and windows were custom built.  About a week before we were to leave on our trip to the Bahamas, we were informed that the crew was ready to build our room.

First , we had to deconstruct the small privacy fence that surrounded the patio.  This was done by a good friend, Jamie.  We also had to remove half of the brick patio that we painstaking placed about 4 years ago.

About 2 days before our trip, the old concrete patio was removed.  It was necessary to place a new pad that was level and had appropriate footings and foundation.  Unfortunately, I was working night shift during these few days – sleeping through jackhammers can be tricky.  Ear plugs and moving to the guest bed helped.

Upon returning from our trip, the new concrete pad had been poured.  The crew arrived the Monday morning and by Wednesday it was completed.

I celebrated the completion with a cigar from a new box of BOTL (Brother of the Leaf) cigars that had arrived.  The room was promptly named “The Doctors Lounge” and a buddy came over to test out the ability to withstand cigar smoke from two seasoned cigar aficionados.  However, the installed ceiling fan didn’t quite cut it.

Linda found an awesome patio furniture set at Costco.  She brought it all home and placed it in the room prior to my even knowing she got it – what a surprise when I got home from work.  The furniture is comfortable; the room is even more comfortable when the windows are open and the breeze is gently coming through.

I’ve figured out the ventilation and have fans that face outwards.  Any cigar smoke quickly exits the room with the breeze from the fan.  The Doctors Lounge is open!