We just had a little over 5 weeks with my mom visiting us here in Austria!
Her visit began with a trip to Salzburg, the Sound of Music city, and ended with a trip to Mariazell, to the Marian Basilica (the most important pilgrimage destination in Austria and one of the most visited shrines in Europe - where a miraculous wooden image of the Virgin Mary is honored).
She was here for Ellie's fifth birthday and got to join us at Kindergarten for her very Austrian celebration. She was here as Isaac got 3 new teeth and learned to stand! She was here for many morning play sessions with Francis - reading to him and teaching him to make potato pancakes. She was here as all 3 kids got rota-virus - one after the other. She made it possible for Brian to travel to Germany and Italy (and me not go insane!) And for me to be at ski school with Ellie, teach English at Ellie's Kindergarten, and to prepare to teach Legal English at a University in Slovakia! What a month!!
Now it's the back to the reality of her absence... dirty dishes are piling up, the clothes aren't folded as neatly, toys are left out... It was like having the Supernanny here as after a couple of weeks of my mom being here, Francis really wanted to play with his trains - but he stops and says, "First I need to put away my other toys!" I couldn't believe my ears! All those times we'd told him to pick up his toys and he had none of it (without bribery anyway;)
But really it wasn't the fact that our home was loads cleaner and that I could take a nap if need be - that we loved having my mom here. It was her presence, her warmth; enjoying many conversations over tea that didn't matter if you got interrupted, watching her play with my children and sing the songs she used to sing to me, hearing the kids excitedly announce 'NeNe is here'!
Getting to share with her our life here, our life as a family, which she has helped to shape most importantly by her faith. She was able to be there for my talk to the college girls about Dating & Marriage - and hear how key she was in me finding my soulmate. She had prayed I'd go to Franciscan University and when that didn't happen she prayed I'd marry someone that went to Franciscan - so needless to say, now getting to visit our family at Franciscan's study abroad campus in Austria is pretty special.
Thank you so much for your prayers and love, Mom!
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She was here for Ellie's fifth birthday and got to join us at Kindergarten for her very Austrian celebration. She was here as Isaac got 3 new teeth and learned to stand! She was here for many morning play sessions with Francis - reading to him and teaching him to make potato pancakes. She was here as all 3 kids got rota-virus - one after the other. She made it possible for Brian to travel to Germany and Italy (and me not go insane!) And for me to be at ski school with Ellie, teach English at Ellie's Kindergarten, and to prepare to teach Legal English at a University in Slovakia! What a month!!
Now it's the back to the reality of her absence... dirty dishes are piling up, the clothes aren't folded as neatly, toys are left out... It was like having the Supernanny here as after a couple of weeks of my mom being here, Francis really wanted to play with his trains - but he stops and says, "First I need to put away my other toys!" I couldn't believe my ears! All those times we'd told him to pick up his toys and he had none of it (without bribery anyway;)
But really it wasn't the fact that our home was loads cleaner and that I could take a nap if need be - that we loved having my mom here. It was her presence, her warmth; enjoying many conversations over tea that didn't matter if you got interrupted, watching her play with my children and sing the songs she used to sing to me, hearing the kids excitedly announce 'NeNe is here'!
Getting to share with her our life here, our life as a family, which she has helped to shape most importantly by her faith. She was able to be there for my talk to the college girls about Dating & Marriage - and hear how key she was in me finding my soulmate. She had prayed I'd go to Franciscan University and when that didn't happen she prayed I'd marry someone that went to Franciscan - so needless to say, now getting to visit our family at Franciscan's study abroad campus in Austria is pretty special.
Thank you so much for your prayers and love, Mom!
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