I have such a bad memory some days, that I am so grateful for the iPhone and it's camera  I can look back on my photos and remember that "oh yes, we had xyz on that day" and I wasn't as boring a mom as I make myself out to be.

We have entered the busy month of May (why is it always that way?  Some day, we will figure this out) and I have my running shoes on.  In addition to the last weeks of school for my older kids, we have First Holy Communions, confirmation, graduation, warmer weather which means dirtier clothes, and just more things on the calendar.

One of the events which came at a very special time this year is the annual pilgrimage that Seton makes to the Shrine/Basilica of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton. 

We are blessed that it is so close, and it was a tradition for our family to go every year, for many years.  We used to tease the sisters that gave the tours that we could fill in for them, while they took a break.  This year our family decided at the last minute to attend, with my sister Jenn and her family.

 

One of the main reasons for our family to go on the pilgrimage was to visit the Grotto of our Lady of Lourdes that they have in the mountain nearby.  It just so happened to be the same time that my brother Joe and Melanie were IN Lourdes.  Despite the rain, and cold weather, it was a beautiful visit.  But I will say my heart wasn't there.  It was far across the ocean with him, praying and uniting our visit with his.

 

As I said, it was cold and rainy, and *some* of us brought appropriate jackets for the rain (I did think we had some Scouts in our family) so when it was time for the rosary outside, the kids scrounged in the car for whatever they could find jacket-wise. Some were more waterproof than others.