Holy Saturday

This is a post from Facebook.  It’s a friend of my friend Magdalena.  Father Martin says it much better than I ever could.

“Most of our lives are spent in Holy Saturday. In other words, most of our days are not filled with the unbearable pain of a Good Friday. Nor are they suffused with the unbelievable joy of an Easter. Some days are indeed times of great pain and some are of great joy, but most are…in between. Most are, in fact, times of waiting, much as the disciples waited during Holy Saturday. We’re waiting. Waiting to get into a good school. Waiting to meet the right person. Waiting to get pregnant. Waiting to get a job. Waiting for things at work to improve. Waiting for diagnosis from the doctor. Waiting for life just to get better.
But there are different kinds of waiting. There is the wait of despair. Here we know–at least we think we know–that things could never get better, that God could never do anything with our situations. This may be the kind of waiting that forced the fearful disciples to hide behind closed doors on Holy Saturday, cowering in terror. Of course they could be forgiven; after Jesus was executed they were in danger of being rounded up and executed by the Roman authorities. (Something tells me, though, that the women disciples, who overall proved themselves better friends than the men during the Passion, were more hopeful.) Then there is the wait of passivity, as if everything were up to “fate.” In this waiting there is no despair, but not much anticipation of anything good either.
Finally, there is wait of the Christian, which is called hope. It is an active waiting; it knows that, even in the worst of situations, even in the darkest times, God is at work. Even if we can’t see it clearly right now. The disciples’ fear was understandable, but we, who know how the story turned out, who know that Jesus will rise from the dead, who know that God is with us, who know that nothing will be impossible for God, are called to wait in faithful hope. And to look carefully for signs of the new life that are always right around the corner–just like they were on Holy Saturday. (Image: The Two Marys Watch the Tomb of Jesus, by James Tissot.)”

Handmade Holiday -20 December 2011

Our last week for sharing our Handmade Holiday items.  I'm not quite done, but Grandma doesn't mind nearly finished presents.  I thought I was finished Grandma's blanket but then I found 3 more balls.  Even with knit night on Friday, I don't think I'm getting it done in time.  I've also got 2 embroidered tea towels to finish for Ella, those will be done in time.

I finally got the mittens felted for Gregory.   The Ice Harbor Compass mittens are a great pattern.  They knit up quickly and I think would be a good first project for someone wanted to attempt fair isle.

With leftovers from the mittens I made 2 felted mice.  One is for my sister's cat Millie, the other (the one that looks like a Belted Galloway) is for Ella.  They are felted but still need to be stuffed.  I didn't know how expensive catnip was!

At the back are the peg people I made for Ella's knitted fairy house.  I got the pattern here.  They are finished according to the pattern and in the Waldorf tradition, but Ella's going to want faces.  She doesn't like toys and things without faces.  I'll let her help me pick colours after Christmas.

We Interrupt Our Regularly Scheduled Progamming...

We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming, there won't be a Farm Girl Friday post this week.  The farm girl has melted and is trying to find somewhere cool.  What kind of crazy province goes from -45C to +48C (118F) with humidity???  These are about the only times I miss working, our office was so nice and cold in the summer -sigh!

We had a fabulous visit down to Scarborough.  Auntie Belinda is really making the house look like a home.  She has a perennial border down either side of the front walkway.  In a couple years it will will fill in and be gorgeous.

Sunday we dunked Ella in the sunscreen and headed to Centreville on Toronto Island.  Even though we lived in Bowmanville all my life, we never went to Centreville.   Ella is the perfect age/size for Centreville this year.  There was only 1 ride she could not ride.  A few required an adult to go along, but that wasn't a problem.







A favourite ride was the antique carousel.  This turn around Ella tried out the ostrich.  Ella had so much fun on the roller coaster.  I finally have someone to go on the wild and crazy rides with me and now I don't like them so much any more.  I was is a bit of a car accident in university and since then my balance isn't what it used to be.  So getting spun and tossed around isn't the fun it used to be  :(




Waiting for the ferry.  The crowd on the island was fairly large, there was an India Festival going on.  But the crowd at Centreville was perfect.  Ella got straight on every ride or only had to wait one turn.  Unlike Canada's Wonderland, we didn't have to wait for hours.

I would definitely recommend Centreville for anyone in the Toronto area with little people.  You'll have a blast.

The main reason for going to the city this time of year is because it's Great Grandma's birthday at the end of the month.   We usually come early because we can't leave Daddy alone during sweet corn season -just too much work for one person.  We got Great Grandma a pretty stain glass hummingbird wind chime.  She loves hummingbirds (Great Grandpa did).





Not only did I pick up my supply of yarn but we also went to St. Jacob's Market and the fabric store.  I got a nice pile of material for Ella and I and we picked up some gorgeous fresh peaches and yellow plums.  It's still early for peaches so I was only able to get a small basket, not the big bushel one that I was hoping to get.  Though with this heat I'm glad I don't have to be canning a bushel of peaches.