Blessed Easter

This morning, after 3 1/2 hours sleep, Courtney and I woke up to go to the sunrise Mass at the beach. We woke up at 4:30, got dressed (without saying a word and walking around like zombies) and left the house at 4:45 a.m. We got the the beach around 5:05 a.m. in the PITCH BLACK. There are no lights or anything. You can barely see 5 feet in front of you. At about 5:45 a.m. Father Ralph (our beloved Pastor) yelled for this "flock to follow him". Hundreds of people followed him down to the beach where they had a bonfire. We were given sticks that represented our sins and each threw them into the fire. The priest blessed the ocean and we all went down to the waters edge to bless ourselves. We then walked to the next area and celebrated the rest of the mass. By this time the sun was rising, and while it was bitter cold (35 degrees) the morning was beautiful. Courtney swore that her toes were going to fall off because she wasn't smart enough to double up on socks or wear boots. Thankfully, she left the mass with all her toes still attached. We got home and the next chapter of my day started by caring for Mike. My mom and brother did the cooking and setting up, and for that I am grateful. I was EXHAUSTED and by 5:30 p.m. after I had given Mike his dinner, I feel asleep on the couch for about an hour.

While the weekend was difficult, because I didn't get a chance to do anything else, I was blessed to have spent the extra time with Mike.

The pictures were taken this morning. We HAD to take the one of Courtney and I when we first got there, and the next was a picture of our beautiful Easter sunrise.