Little...Felt...GRAPES!!

On Saturday I volunteered at Emma's first communion retreat. I was really dreading it. The dread was monumentally misplaced. This was one of the most fulfilling experiences I've ever had. I could so totally be an elementary teacher!

So I pick up Emma at 8:30am. You read that right. For those of you who know me, that means leaving at 7:30am, which is simply a miracle. Why? Cause that means getting out of bed at 6:30am. I'm just getting good dreams at that hour.

Anyway, at 3:30am I wake up and drift briefly back into sleep. 6:30 is no prob.

I get there and deliver Emma to the choir room for practice at 9am. The volunteering doesn't begin until 9:30, so I go back out to my car and listen to music. And drink my orange juice. And amuzingly watch my pulse do "beat beat SKIP" in rhythm to Gwen Styphani. I'll post about that later.

After trying to find the right room to volunteer in, I happened across it. It was at the end of the cafeteria, by a small stage.

I then met another volunteer guy who looked remarkably like Tommy Thompson, and he thought I was in charge. Ha. I told him I was just as clue-less as he.

About 20 minutes later, there we were. My 4-person crew setting out burlap banners and felt decorations for our first class of about 19 7-year-olds. The first of six. The retreat was from 9:30 'till 3:00pm.

I took the role of instructor, quizzing and explaining to the communicants about the host with the cross in the middle, the chalace, the loaf of bread, and the grapes. Most of the kids were really in-tune with the whole symolism thing. They were mostly well-behaved, and wide-eyed. I have the whole "looking over the top of your glasses" thing down, so there was little disruption.

Here's the thing, though: There was so much prepared for these banners that the kids only needed to glue the felt to the banners. 90 kids times 10 felt grapes equals 900 felt grapes!! And 90 chalaces, etc.. Why can't the kids cut out they're own friggin' felt?! After all, we had 45 minutes with each class, most of which was spent not doing the activity! Grrrrr...

Ours was one of many classes including Cross-making, Bread-making, Heart-making, and others I've already forgotten. It was magic.

Ate lunch with Emma, and really bonded with her. I wish this could happen once a year.