Great and Holy Week so far

As most would expect the parishioner and visitor numbers have swelled as the week progresses. I'd say between a third and a fourth more people each day. We have run out of books two days in a row. The response to this is for the big families to share books and redistribute to "new people" as they come in.

We were lucky in that 2 of our children fell asleep, so while it made for creative seating postures having to mould our bodies around recumbent youths we had a smaller disciplinary role and a greater ability to share a book. As veterans of large families know parents have to choose who sits next to whom with great care. It's equivalent to seating charts at the White House.

After the divine liturgy we had a compline service. Even fewer books were available for this. So in my best Oliver Twist 'Please, sir, I want some more.'-like theatric approximation I walked around with a slumbering child in my arms looking forlorn at my lack of a reference text. A book was made available. By now our legatees were dazed by hours of liturgical splendor and sat, leaned, and sucked thumbs quietly until the end. All was right with the world.

The car ride back was quiet save the lonesome voice of a child in need of a Happy Meal. Recently we have gone to calling McDonalds "MeccaDonalds" as our youngest son desires it so that we end up making a more than annual Hajj to the Golden Arches to quiet his wailing fervor. I, as a child taught that McDonalds was synonymous with the more gory pages of an Upton Sinclair novel or the rule of Muammar Gaddafi, still view the palace that Ronald built with some suspicion, but as long as I am not forced to dine (does one dine at a McDonalds?) there I sleep the uninterrupted sleep of the innocent.

Now at home with all asleep in the back of the car we - like so many ants carrying away crumbs - made the repetitive trip from the car to the bedrooms. Open car door, lift child, hear complaint, shuffle child until noise goes away, go up stairs, lean to one side and uncover bed with freed hand, place child in bed and cover for 8 hours at 350 degrees. Repeat as needed.

Tonight we do it all again.