Sunday

 Far Guy has some kind of lung infection, we are doing the best we can to monitor his oxygen and he has contacted his Doctor.  That is all we can do for now....I started him on steroids as he has standing orders for them.  I am keeping one two eyes on him.  He has been going downhill over the past week, more out of breath and his oxygen sats were slowly decreasing.  One day at a time.  

We watched online Confirmation of one of our Great Nieces.  We were invited to the dinner afterwards but declined.

It was a large class of sixteen young adults.

This was Olivia's  Confirmation Bible verse.

When Far Guy was going through Confirmation classes, he wanted to go fishing one Saturday...why they picked Saturday mornings at 8 o'clock to have Confirmation Classes is beyond me.  The Pastor said he should follow his conscience...so he went fishing.    

When I went through Confirmation classes we got to hear all about the adventures of the Pastor...he was a bachelor and had some real big stories...one day a bridge was out and God carried him safely over the water...

Far Side

Paige: Confirmation

Paige was confirmed on Sunday May 8, 2016.  We travelled up North to be at the church service.  Chance stayed home, it was a warmish day.

We filled up a pew.  Trica and Richard were there, Savannah, Andy, Jen, my parents and Richard’s parents.
30 children were confirmed. Paige picked Saint James the Greater as her Saint.

Jen and Paige

My parents and Paige

After the service we gathered in the church social hall for cake and punch.

Wistful Wednesday: Confirmation 1944

I know when my Mother was confirmed.  Not sure about my Dad I am certain he was confirmed but I have no photo to prove it.

This is my mothers confirmation class in 1944.  Mom would have been 15 years old. She is third from the right in the back row.  Note that most all the girls have some kind of curly hairstyle and are most likely wearing a white dress.

My mothers can still recite most of Luther’s Small Catechism….probably first in German and then in English.  

I was thankful that when I studied Luther’s Small Catechism that they didn’t require the Large Catechism too…I memorized verses and the “What does this mean” parts only long enough to repeat them in a group…then it was out of my brain ready for the next what does this mean.

Since 1529 the Lutheran Church has been using Luther’s Small Catechism to teach its Doctrine to the children…it is often called a short course in the Christian Faith.

I am reasonably thankful that my parents made me go to Confirmation every Saturday morning for two years. ( At the time I wasn’t too thrilled.) The end result was a firm faith foundation even though I wasn’t very good at memorization.

Adam: Confirmation

On Sunday May 1st Adam was Confirmed.  Church was at nine AM so we got up before O dark thirty to make it up north for church.  We could have gone the day before but we like our own sleeping spots.

It was a lovely frosty morning for a long drive.

Adam’s Confirmation Class had three boys and one girl.  Afterward we went to his home for brunch.

The happy confirmand.  Two years of studying for this smile!

Adam and his Great Grandparents (my parents)

Jen and her boys

Andy, Adam and Jen

Noah, Andy, Jen and Adam

Jen made several different egg bakes, cinnamon rolls, and homemade mints.  I think Andy wanted some meat with his meat so there were smokies surrounded by bacon that was just yummy!  I smiled when I saw the skewers of powdered sugar donut holes…knowing that was Adam’s request…he loves donuts.  There was a wonderful punch described as Orange on orange sherbet with something fizzy…it was perfect.  Oh and fruit…how could I forget the fruit…everything I was allergic to was in one bowl and every fruit I am not allergic to in another!  Our daughter is very thoughtful….guess she wants me to live yet another day!

It was a beautiful sunny day. It was good to visit with everyone. Richard, Trica, Savannah, Madison and Paige were there. Trica our oldest daughter was Adam’s Godmother at his baptism 14 years and 8 months ago.

 

Wistful Wednesday : 1966

In 1966 I was confirmed.  The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod is a bit stuffy sometimes.  But by golly we make our kids memorize Luther’s Small Catechism or all the the “what does this mean?” parts of that Catechism. 

I went to confirmation class on Saturday morning from 8-11 or maybe even noon.  I hated getting up on Saturday morning.  School five days a week, then confirmation on Saturday morning and church on Sunday morning..when all I wanted to do was sleep in.

Here I am clutching the Luther's Small Catechism.

The Mothers all got together and sewed confirmation gowns.  Under that gown I am wearing a store bought dress..oh it was lovely.. a knit that was a turquoise and beige tweedy thing with three quarter sleeves and a peter pan collar..I loved that dress. 

Confirmation Days would not be complete with out a big meal and lots of relatives.  I do not remember, but I am sure my Mother cooked a big meal and asked a whole bunch of relatives over for dinner. Unless we had a church dinner in the basement of the church to honor all the confirmands.

I see Easter Lilies on the Alter in the church.. this was Palm Sunday in 1966.

It was a small church.  These were all the 8th, 9th and 10th graders that I was confirmed with.  I was in 9th grade that year. When it came to our questioning..we were allowed to answer as a group..safety in numbers…and some of those kids were really good with the What does this mean part:)

1 Peter 5:10 “And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.”

Wistful Wednesday: Confirmation

This is Far Guy's Confirmation Class. This was probably taken in 1964 or 1965. ( I marked Far Guy with a red dot!)  Far Guys Dad took this photo, or someone that had his camera..I can tell because it is a polaroid. Eighteen kids were in this class..Pastor Malotky had his hands full (He is also the Pastor that married us in 1969). In the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod children are forced to attend confirmation classes for two years..back then it was Saturday mornings. So lets see..you go to school five days a week, then on Saturday you still have to get up to go to Confirmation..and then Sunday of course there is Church.

In the spring there is fishing, and two of these teenagers had fathers that were going off fishing. The boys who I will not name..but I dated both of them.. promised as God was their witness if the Pastor would allow them to go fishing that they would attend church every Sunday for the rest of their lives.

Memorization..when was the last time I consulted the "what does this mean" part of an article or a commandment.. I will tell you when..in confirmation. Far Guy had to memorize them and say them out loud if selected. In my confirmation class, our Pastor was old and he let us say them as a group. So we used to play hangman during confirmation class. We didn't have a proper classroom in the old country church, so we just sat in the pews of course no one ever sat in the front pew. So you could hide out behind the high backed pews and play games all morning. Our Pastor was old and plump, once he got sat down..he hardly ever got up again until it was time to waddle to his car. His car was an instrument of God..one day in the spring..the culvert was out and his car and God flew him safely to the other side.

I believe confirmation is important, but it should be something started when the child is young..way before they want to go fishing or learn to play word games. I also believe that these men of God should keep things realistic for their students. Who in their right mind would extract such a unrealistic promise from young boys, and who would entertain their students with tales of miracle flying cars:(