Thursday, September 18, 2014

An Odd Morning with Definite Upside

Sue and I found ourselves at an assembly of sorts at the kids' school yesterday. It wasn't one of the popular assemblies, and only a few adults showed up. Usually, gatherings are crowded and wild at their school events, and we must arrive early to find a parking space. We did that yesterday but needn't have bothered.
Why was the gathering so poorly attended? Because it was a mass.

Why did we attend? Because Danica was doing a short reading and wanted an audience but the rents couldn't attend.

A mass at school? Yes. It's a Catholic school (don't ask), so religious trappings are part of the package.

Was there a priest? Yes. One of [East] Indian origin who intoned with a heavy accent that few could follow. Wonderful fellow, I'm sure, but it did seem somewhat surreal.

Being the sort of bloke who doesn't appreciate kids being indoctrinated, this was not an event that I appreciated, but the kids sort of made up for my vexation. After Danica was done with her readings, she crossed the gym and sat with us and on us and was ever so cute and overjoyed. Then JJ slipped away from his class and sat on the other lap. It was touching and pretty well made it all worthwhile.

Then they wanted to be taken out for lunch but preferred different destinations. She wanted a milkshake from DQ: he a donut from Tims. Said items were purchased and brought back to our place to be eaten alongside their packed lunches.

It was quite a rigamarole, but it was fun. I'll remember this little outing often in the next week or two as we head to the country -- tomorrow.

By the way, I will also remember how kids are gifted in different ways. Danica has been an early reader who has been chosen to read at assemblies since Kindergarten. JJ is not made the same way, but he sees things that few others would notice. Yesterday, I put on dressier shoes that he hasn't seen before. He noticed and asked what it was all about. Not too many kids would notice their grandfather's footware, but he notices many things that others don't.

Then, Sue and I went for a little stroll later in the day, and I took these photos at the beginning of the Beckwith Trail. Autumn colour is creeping into the landscape. See you in a few weeks.







19 comments:

Linda Kay said...

Thanks for sharing our experience with your grandchildren. My grandson won a competition yesterday for a Panda Bear at his Mathnasium. He is really outstanding at Math, and his mom keeps him interested with this after school challenge. He's very competitive, he's 7 and beat out a 9 year old for the prize. Will miss you! 3 weeks???

Beatrice P. Boyd said...

The getaway with just the 2 of you sounds wonderful and undoubtedly yiu will be taking photos and reading, but most of all relaxing. Looking forward to catching up on your return. The grandkids experiences are always good when shared.

Jimmie Earl said...

Aren't the grands grand? I am noticing that each of mine has a special gift, too. I shall blog about that sometime.
Have a great time as you slip away for a few weeks. Take lots of pictures. Some of us non-traveled take vacations vicariously, you know!
Shoes? Shoes? I have worn "flip-flops" all summer, and now am having to don real shoes and I am not liking it one bit! LOL!

TexWisGirl said...

an editor or actress and a detective in the making. :)

EG CameraGirl said...

I bet the grandkids will miss you while you're away! We will too!

Kerry said...

I like how you describe the differences in the two children. I think you're quite observant yourself.
Most kids I know who went through parochial schools got over it by the time they were adults; hopefully your 2 grands will as well. :)

ADRIAN said...

Indoctrination is the least of your worries with Catholics.

Have a good holiday.

Mage said...

I like that you can see the kids so clearly. Yes, some of us do survive the religious indoctrination with humor not just anger. You go see the world with your clear eye and bring it back to us....thank you.

Hilary said...

Enjoy the country. :)

troutbirder said...

Glad all's well that ended well. My spouse has many interesting stories about her education in Catholic schools. Some good. Some not so. We met, however, teaching in the same public high school...;)

Ginnie said...

Have a great week away ... having just got back from a long weekend away myself I know how refreshing it can be.
I'll bet the kiddies will miss you lots and lots.

Donna said...

Raised Catholic, the school was at one end of the block and church was at the other end...we walked to mass every day...I think I turned out alright...other than having a twitch in my left eye and a hump on my back...I'm ok!Hahaaaa....
TEASING!!!!
We are ships passing in the night! See you on the flip side!
hughugs

Unknown said...

Love the images. Thank you for sharing them.

Gina said...

Ahhh, Catholic school. 12 years of my life spent there, but not a total waste.

Hope you have a wonderful time.

Mara said...

That last photo is a beauty. A bit surreal, but that adds to the whole view.

I love it when children read. They get so curious about everything and nothing. Mind you, some (JJ sound like that) are just curious about everything and nothing anyway.

Have a good holiday.

Pearl said...

I only attended mass twice, once in English, once in French. can't say I felt comfortable.

have a good time offline.

Unknown said...

Kids are truly amazing. I am always amazed what I learn from talking to a tot. They are always full of surprises.

Hena Tayeb said...

it is always interesting to watch how the boys are also so different in so many ways..
good for you grandpa.. going for Danica even though you didn't agree with the whole thing. I'm sure she was happy you were there.

Tabor said...

Your photos are luscious. Wonderful that you notice and your grandchild notices. Such fun being able to enjoy the details of the children. It seems that more and more priests these days come from far countries. I think they are having problems recruiting.