"Happy Fiftieth Aniversary Mama Dorothy"

I was invited to one of the Anglican churches, St. Barnabas, this last Sunday to celebrate Mama Dorothy's 50th wedding anniversary. (She is the mother of Kelly and Marlene, and has continued to come into my class every week to give blessings and give hugs to all my students.)

The best part of the service was when Mama Dorothy and her husband the every silent George went up to the altar rail and their whole family and many of their friends gathered around them. The priest prayed a wonderful for them. Mama Dorothy must have been filled with the Holy Spirit and with deep emotion. When we all returned to our pews she could barely contain herself. And while the priests were praying for other people in the front, she kept praising and thanking God for all his blessings through her long and difficult life. She stood up and said in a loud voice, "Oh my God, thank you! Thank you! And thank you all for coming to celebrate with us today! Oh my children, follow Jesus! He is so sweet. It's the most important thing you could do!" The request she had for her anniversary was that all her children come to church with her.

The altar boys and some of the congregants looked at her like she was crazy. For a conservative and contemplative Anglican church like St. Barnabas, this kind of effusion of emotion was probably quite unusual. I thought it was gorgeous. I couldn't keep from smiling through her prayer. She is a true saint.

I spent the rest of the morning in the reception hall of the church at a sumptuous breakfast for family and friends of the aged bride and groom, and then was at their home all afternoon relaxing and eating with their family.