Kenny's second CCD lesson this afternoon was on the Blessed Trinity. He learned how to make the sign of the cross. Not that I haven't tried to show him many, many times before. Personally, it's a dear gesture. It's also hard for kids to get. Even in the fourth grade, I had students who struggled to form it properly.

And he drew a symbol of the Trinity. Not the complicated and beautiful Triquetra¹, but the simple design of three complete, interlocking circles (see inset).

His first words to me after leaving the education trailer was "We don't have class on Halloween!" So important.

Actually, it is.

When I taught on Sunday mornings between church services, whenever Halloween fell on a Sunday, the kids would ask whether we had class. I was like, "Yeah, of course, it's just Halloween. It's not like the prom or anything where you need all day to get ready, right?" Obviously I was such an uninteresting teacher that they sought any excuse "to be excused".

As the children were leaving the trailer, I was rather stunned to see a middle school boy wearing a black T-shirt with what looked like a pentagram on it. I mean, really, did he have nothing else to wear to religious ed. class?!

¹ this is absurd . I haven't read it all but I will. Am I for once glad that the NAB falls below the radar on this? You'd think they were speaking of the TNIV!

Jeff put this up on flickr with this comment:

Late Sunday afternoon, a hot air balloon decided to drop into the neighborhood.

Yup, that's our house. They landed somewhere nearby, down the street or something.

We combined Chris's annual checkup with flu shot immunizations this morning.

Chris received the new Hep. A vaccine (see the current US Immunization schedule). I don't know whether the older children will eventually need it. Probably. As I said in a previous post, my nephew in Ohio had to get it this year.

Afterwards, we went apple and pumpkin picking at Eastmont Orchards in Colts Neck.

There are closer places to go but I like the set-up they have there.

It was very crowded, as I expected. Of course, I left my camera in the car ... d'oh!

We found a low tree that all three boys could pick from. We filled up five plastic bags in 15 minutes. Then we walked over to the pumpkin patch and found two large ones and several gourds. They like the funny shaped gourds very much.

Payment is cash or check but they wanted me to write my driver's license number on my check and I declined for personal privacy reasons, so I paid cash.

He was embarrassed when we sang "Happy Birthday To You!" And got some cake in his hair. More pictures at flickr.

As usual, Jeff's pictures are probably better than mine. I'll let you know when his are up at flickr. Here's how he looked last year (Chris, not Jeff).

My, how they grow!

We signed our lives away, when was it, last Wednesday? for only the second or third time in our joint history. The deal this time is an addition to our home. Two years ago, the architect estimated $150 / sq foot. It's up to $250+ thanks to natural disasters (read "Hurricane Katrina").

It's a lot. It's a big deal. There will be too much to do and too many decisions. I'm already at the point where my body gives out by 9PM after sitting around all day. It's only going to get worse over the next two months. I suppose skipping my vitamins for weeks on end isn't healthy. I'm in limbo a little waiting to hear the results of my first sugar test. I say "first" because of past experiences. I hope it's "first and only" but that's not likely.

... for the success of the mission of the Holy League to hold back Muslim forces from overrunning Western Europe.

Following the reforms of the Second Vatican Council the feast was re-named Our Lady of the Rosary.

The feast is still celebrated on the anniversary of the battle on October 7th.

Our Lady of the Rosary - Wiki

Across my five weekly/bi-weekly Bible studies this fall is the relationship between the Egyptian plagues in Exodus and the eschatological ones in Revelation. We all know that the series are related but to study them simultaneously makes such a clear impact on understanding and appreciation.

And I asked of my study group on Tuesday, why didn't Pharaoh's magicians use their powers to reverse Moses' divinely-orchestrated plagues? Instead, they shoot themselves in the foot by imitating the plagues, increasing the number of frogs (Exodus 8:7), already too many! Or turning water into blood, already all turned to blood ... (see a previous post on apparent inconsistencies in the sacred text - read the comments).

The sacred author mocks the Egyptian magicians for such dimwitted exercise of their abilities.

Our homework directed us to look at Psalm 105:27-38 which offers a highly-stylized picture of seven of the ten plagues, an idealized list perhaps (be sure to read footnote #5).

And a study partner observed that God's direct role is articulated more explicitly in the psalm than in the Exodus account, 'though nobody would contest that God was at work in the historical happenings. The part that God's word played in the event is very clear, the efficacy of His word being a recurrent theme in the Psalms, an important piece of the Psalmist's theology. A keen insight.