Remembering the Scruffy Hospitality of a St. Catherine of Siena Picnic & Play

As so may of us sit in social isolation, wondering when things might "get back to normal" and what the "new normal" might look like, sometimes, it is helpful to pause and just give thanks for the moment we are in - for the relative quiet that this time in history ca offer us.

It can also be enjoyable to walk down memory lane, recalling the altogether too often madcap mayhem that was everyday life not too long ago.

Tonight, I have been doing that, and ended up running into some notes that I wrote about how we celebrated St. Catherine of Siena's feast day last year.

What a riot!  What a real-life day!

I've never been one to attempt to spend much time making things picture perfect and blog beautiful as I share about our life and learning here - and, what follows, is anything but.  So, if you like posts replete with idealized life, just keep scrolling.

If you crave a sense of solidarity in "this is my real life", read on.  For I forewarn you: The memory of last year's St. Catherine of Siena feast day celebration is not blog beautiful nor picture perfect. Rather, it is real!  Very real.

A memory of how we roll here-  often with the real usurping the ideal, but blessings unfolding nonetheless.

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Inspiration after Morning Mass Unfolds into Chaos and Clear Blessings with Some Scruffy Hospitality

What do you do when you are running on little sleep, navigating some of life's curve balls, and have a task list a mile long?

If you're me, you'll walk out of Mass on a sunny morning and follow a prompt from the Spirit to offer to host a last-minute St Catherine of Siena feast day gathering.

As you get word out to others to invite them to the gathering, you will think you have plenty of time to move through the necessary tasks of the day with an hour or more to spare in order to prep for the picnic potluck.

But, then, your day will go off course multiple times, and, after getting back on track to a degree, you will meander off course again. Indeed, you will lose track of time while out at a commitment, and return to your house 15 minutes before the potluck is set to begin.

As you pull up to your house, you will find someone already waiting for you.

Ooops!

With humility, you will then apologize for the mess you know is inside your house and ask your first guest to be patient while you run in and out to set up for the picnic.

Yes, a homemade salt-oil-sugar free dressing was made among the mess in that Magic Bullet there.

Then, as you begin quick preparation, you will randomly remember that you forgot to return a library book that is due ASAP and will thank your eldest son who volunteers to bike the book down to the library.

You will then smile with gratitude at your daughter who you will notice has jumped right in making homemade pasta for the gathering.

Love Her Helpfulness and Handiwork in the Kitchen

Meanwhile, as you bring things outside for the feast, you will discover that your chickens have gotten loose and run into the woods. Then, you will be enormously grateful for your youngest child who will bravely battle briers to attempt to catch and coral your runaway chickens.

Guest being ever so gracious and child and chickens in the woods, you will then field phone calls, check messages - including a missed ones from car dealers that you are praying will help land you a new vehicle because one of your family vehicles has died - and, concurrently, you will begin prepping food for potluck before pausing that task to help your youngest fetch the chickens...

So not picture perfect - mess from the morning was added to with potluck prep mess - just keeping things real!

Chickens corralled, you will discover that one chicken somehow got a string wrapped countless times around its leg, so you, your son, and your wonderfully understanding first guest will team up to hold the chicken, try to untie the string, and, finally, use scissors to extract the chicken's leg from the string.

At this point, your oldest son - who happens to have an OCD thing going on - will come home from his library run and begin to worry about chicken germs, but, thankfully, he'll get over his concerns quickly.

Your daughter will pull through with a stellar homemade pasta.

My sweet girl whipped some homemade pasta up quickly!

Then, other guests will arrive and graciously overlook the disaster of your house and help you see the beauty of blessings in it instead. 

As moms lay out the meal outside, kids were happy inside.  I just love seeing various ages so content together.

Said guests will be laden with yummy dishes to share, and, you'll find out that one guest actually prayed the day prior for a chance to get together, and, then, felt prompted that very morning morning to make a random and rare Facebook check, seeing the last minute invite you felt prompted to make after Mass.

Yum! Spaghetti squash brought by a friend.

Upon hearing this, you'll think, "Ah, God thing! Total God thing!"

Vegan Pasta Sauce for the Italian Saint

Delicious food will be spread out, everyone will gather on blankets, and you'll pray, chat, and read about St. Catherine of Siena.

A bit of beauty and some books to use during our saint celebration "circle" as we pray, read, and chat

Finally, the ideal becoming real...

A little Italian veggie flag...

But just for a moment.

A Quick Stigmata Salad

For, while you are leading the "saint day circle" of prayer and chatting, one small guest child will find a wagon your kids have left out, climb in it, go careening down your small side "cliff", causing all to turn with great worried intakes of breath.

Thankfully, however, the child's Guardian Angel will prevail and - praise God! - the child will be no worse for the wear  somehow having missed briers, rocks, and more!

Thus, eating, story, prayer, conversation, and play will continue.

In the end, you'll be delighted by your children's helpfulness and warmth - and comments from others about your children which remind you that the same children you chided earlier in the day for ill behaviors truly can be filled with wonderful joy, kindness, helpfulness, etc. Indeed, the experience will evidence that they are growing in virtue so much that they actually inspired one of your guests.  

The big smile makes reality right!

And, so what started as an after-morning-Mass-inspiration, developed into a real mess, and then progressed onto a lovely time with fresh air, faith, friendship, and plenty of good food will leave you satiated.

Safer wagon play...

You will know that you may have provided the scruffiest hospitality ever and that - although the day may have had plenty of imperfections and be ending before all your to dos are attended to - all is blessed.  For you listened to the Spirit prompt and it was good.

You will realize you did not take many photos, but that the night was replete with memories, so you'll write some out so as never to forget the extraordinary challenges an blessings of a rather ordinary day in your madcap life - the real within the ideal, and the Go(o)d part of everything.

Then, finally, you will go off to finish the sleep you never got night before thinking, What a day!  I have the fabulous friends, good kids, and so much to thank God for. St. Catherine of Siena, pray for us - and, thank for you every intercession you may have offered for me and for others today.

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Whatever your Saint Catherine of Siena feast day observances bring this year, may you find beauty and blessings in them!