Ready!

We wrapped up the first season of "Gravity Falls" tonight, and everyone was left with a great cliffhanger, complete with some great questions.  It's been a fun series to watch, each night Madison asking to watch just one more episode.  Talk about binge-watching!  The new popcorn we've been having is so good, cooked up and healthier.  We sit there, the three of us, munching and laughing - and occasionally taking some notes about what lines could be used for skits later.

Afterwards, it is as has been these last few weeks, reading and praying and zerberts.  Of course, there's always the hide-and-seek before that, and the small eternity Madison spends getting ready for bed.  It's a slow process, approximately the speed of a glacier in slow motion.  We usually have to call up to her, and after maybe the second or third time, she calls out, "READY!"  Then it's time for hide-and-seek!

Today was a cooler day, which must have been a result of the crazy weather yesterday.  The wind last night was ferocious.  We took down the canopy Saturday night in preparation, but we may have to keep it down for a week, as there are more rough storms predicted later this week.

Madison's day was without Milestones, which helped immensely in making it a good day.  She was doing a statistics project in math, one where she's collecting information from other classmates.  They're interviewing each other, collecting data, and putting it all together for later on.  She's studying Latin America, which will be timely with Cinco de Mayo coming up.  We may watch a few related movies too - there's much richer material to enhance her classes with, versus the Canada lessons.  Those were basically reading a few comic issues of "Wolverine!"

The other lesson of the day involved the piano.  Madison had class tonight, while Daddy and Mommy did a bit of grocery shopping.  The new renovations at Aldi's are nice, and there was a big crowd there.  There was also a big amount of groceries in the car, as we were a bit overdue for some shopping.  We went home, had dinner, and got ready to wind down for the night.

There was a terrible tragedy today, one where we lost much of something so iconic - and yet at least no one was hurt.  The church at Notre Dame caught fire, and the blaze seemed unstoppable.  The steeple collapsed, a horrible thing to see.  It's a symbol of France, as much as the Eiffel Tower or the Arc de Triumph, and to see it ablaze like that was gut-wrenching.  Collectively, many of us throughout the world - despite political affiliations - were united in grief and shock.

     The fire raged for twelve hours, and despite the attack of the blazing flames, something remained that stirred our hearts:  the golden cross above the altar, seen here rising above the smoldering ruins.   Despite it all, the message of the cross remains, beauty from the ashes, a message of hope, and a reminder to all that God’s love will always be with us.  Whatever you are going through, God’s love will always be there.