The Worm Moon has come full, and March is marching on. We’ve got a trio of amazing feast days coming up–Patrick on the 17th, Joseph on the 19th, and the Annunciation on the 25th. But how will we mark these days? What small shifts can we make in the daily routine to mark this time as sacred?
The Magic of Simplicity
Some people create elaborate themed saints teas. For us in this season of family life, that’s just not realistic. We keep things very simple. Often we brew a pot of tea and read aloud from a book. We might add in a cookie; it’s a celebration after all. If the stars align, we might color together. A story shared aloud over a cup of tea. Simple. But the magic of simplicity is that it can happen in a reliable way. Through the goodness of the church calendar, we can remember again. We can make space for wonder and contemplation to happen.
Reliable Resources
The key to actually keeping things simple is to create a collection of trusted resources that you can return to over time. It’s great to have a basket full of seasonal picture books. But if I don’t happen to be on top of upcoming celebrations, the basket can be empty. We use The Loyola Treasury of Saints and Around the Year: Once Upon a Time Saints.
We love the Loyola collection for it’s luminous illustrations. It’s also organized by historical time period instead of the church year. It’s enlightening to realize who was a contemporary of a given saint. Around the Year is a treasure of a book. Ethel Pochocki’s writing voice is a blessing to read…and Ben Hatke’s drawings make us all so happy!
We love Paper Dali for coloring inspiration! Here’s Vee’s amazing St Francis to get you started! This year for St Joseph’s Day we’ll be playing the memory game from Shower of Roses. These images of Joseph and his boy just sing to me! I’m also going to be praying these prayers from the Seven Sundays of Saint Joseph all week. Join me?
