On baptism

As I mentioned before, a friend of mine was baptized at the Easter Vigil. I loved his comments afterward - they are a good reminder of the importance of our Baptism, whether as infants or as adults.

I can really feel the effect of Baptism. It brings a new
understanding of forgiveness, especially the forgiveness I owe others.
And I've a sense that I am not alone.

This is something to remember every day, and especially when we receive God's forgiveness again in Reconciliation!

A good thought for the day

From a Franciscan solitary who blogs at Little Portion Hermitage...a reflection on the gospel for Friday of Easter week:

http://littleportionhermitage.blogspot.com/2009/04/gone-fishin.html

Easter Sunday

No new photos today, but I did make a web page of all the photos that have appeared here during Lent, plus a few more that I liked: http://www.klickfamily.com/vickie/Lent 2009
I'll keep using this blog, but probably not quite as regularly as I have up to now...and probably not always with photos.

To those who walked with me through Lent through this blog, thank you very much. I hope that Lent was a fruitful time for you. Easter blessings to all!

Holy Saturday/Easter Vigil

I went to Easter Vigil at St. Joseph's Church on the near north side of Chicago, which was standing in for Holy Name Cathedral since it's unusable due to fire damage. While waiting to watch my friend Leo be baptized by Cardinal George, I noticed the gifts waiting on the table gleaming in the late-afternoon sun, and thought this would be a fitting photo.

Blessed Easter!

Good Friday

Good Friday was a vigil of a different sort for us. We took my mother-in-law to the airport for her first trip in quite a few years, and were waiting for her to get from the airport to her destination. All did not go smoothly - she got lost - but ultimately she got the help she needed and got there, in the middle of the night. So that was finally a relief.

I just walked out in the garden to look around yesterday. The symbolism of the new leaves on the rose bush amidst the thorns struck me, so even though it wasn't the best picture I took, this was "the picture" for the day.

Holy Thursday

I had decided where I would stop on my way to work...but traffic changed my mind. As soon as I got out of my car and started walking down one of the trails at Blackwell, I knew it was a good choice. Never mind photography, it was just good to walk in nature and listen to the birds (at least until the noise of the aforementioned traffic started drowning them out!). You have to look a bit closer at this photo, but the tree is covered with big buds. Most trees and shrubs still look pretty lifeless at a distance, but there's a lot going on!

This Lent has reminded me how much being out in nature "restores my soul". It also has helped me see that getting out in nature isn't something I need to reserve for special occasions (vacations or day trips) but rather, something I can fit in to 15 minutes or a half hour to going to and from work. What a blessing!

It's just about time to go to the Mass of the Lord's Supper. A friend who is being baptized at the Easter Vigil had his feet washed by Cardinal George earlier this evening! What a prelude to the sacraments...

Wednesday of Holy Week

A few days ago I was writing, and thought, "I'm not ready for Lent to end yet." Well, now I am - and a good thing, too, as we're almost there - roughly 24 hours to the Mass of the Lord's Supper and the start of the Triduum.

Tonight I wanted to go back to one of my regular destinations, Warrenville Grove. The goose caught my eye in the late afternoon sun. I was happy to find something fairly quickly, I admit - I was tired and ready to get home. But I'm happy I was there.

I have 42 photos in my "Lent 2009" collection - there were a few days when I liked more than one of my photos, which made up somewhat for the days I missed entirely. I will post them on my website after Lent is over.

Tuesday of Holy Week

It was sunny with a very cold wind today. These flowers didn't want to hold still to have their picture taken. At least there are flowers to see, now! Despite the snow night before last, spring is starting to take hold as Easter approaches.

Monday of Holy Week

We had snow again Sunday night. By the time I got out and about late in the day on Monday, the snow had mostly melted, and I think a lot of it was running over the "rapids" past the dam on the Fox River near our house. White water, making a lot of noise!

Palm Sunday

It's a windy, chilly Palm Sunday, with rain and snow in the forecast, but when the sun came out this morning, I decided I should go out in the garden and see what I could see before the weather gets nasty. The plant above is actually leafing out - those aren't petals. The polygonum dies back to the ground each winter, but grows each year to be a 3-foot-high shrub with variegated leaves. Frankly, these red leaves are more showy than the small, white flowers it will produce later in the season!

Saturday of the fifth week of Lent

I woke up early today and looked outside - there was a pair of mallards in front of the house! There is a small stream half a block away, and a retention pond past that, but no water in our yard. I took a couple of quick photos of the ducks through the front windows. Then I started to get ready for the day, but realized the sunlight was at that beautiful golden stage. For the first time this spring, I went out with my SLR and even a tripod. I experimented a little, but liked this forsythia best.

Photography gets a lot easier once buds start opening!

Friday of the fifth week of Lent

I was driving home after running an errand, and running out of places to stop and look for photos. I pulled into the industrial park northeast of us, and tried photographing some windblown clumps of ornamental grass. Then, driving through the industrial park, I saw these power poles and their ultimate destination, Fermilab. (The power lines go to a substation to the right of the picture, but Fermilab is the reason so much power comes in here.) I liked the scene so here it is.

Thursday of the fifth week of Lent

I was traveling home a different way because I had gone to my eye doctor in Darien. I passed Springbrook Prairie Forest Preserve and thought it would be interesting to at least see where you accessed it. (It was overcast and not very nice out, plus windy again.) After driving around three sides, I finally found an entrance. Of course, being prairie, there isn't too much happening at the beginning of April. Then I found this downed tree and all the colors and textures in it, and started playing! With my pocket camera, I had to delete a lot because they weren't in focus, but it was fun. Even picking all the prairie seeds out of my clothing after I got through was worth it!

Wednesday of the fifth week of Lent

I took the day off, after making our deadline at work with a day to spare (hurray!). The morning, before we went out, was overcast; the whole day was VERY windy. After spending most of the day doing other things, I went out in the garden to see what I could see. These crocuses (captured at a mostly calm moment) were what I saw.

Tuesday of the fifth week of Lent

It rained all day...and rained a LOT. On the way home, I realized the clouds were finally breaking a little, and I thought the stormy sky would be nice from a high spot. Blackwell Forest Preserve has a high hill (a former garbage dump) so I went there for the first time in a long time. The effects of the rain were VERY obvious - water was bubbling up from the ground in low spots, and even on the hill, the ground was squishy wet. I wasn't wearing boots, so I didn't get to the top of the hill; however, the sun came out and warmed the landscape for a little while.

As I continued my drive home, I watched more storm clouds cover over the sun again.