Playing, Prayers, and Saints

Kwamai's doings these days focus a lot on playing outside. Today he and Mary Joy were on our front porch trying to hawk their wares (selling his toy cars to the highest bidder or offering them as prizes to various contests). Of course, as there were no passers-by, they simply shouted loud enough to be heard by the neighbors still in their houses. I wonder sometimes if it is nature or nurture that causes Kwamai and his best next-door friend to be so much alike. The cars came out of hibernation as he was watching a monstor truck video I got for him from the library. He had them all lined up "just so" this morning to simulate the crushed cars the trucks drive over.

Felicity's speech still leaves us a bit amazed now and then. Physically she is 2 years old, but she talks almost like a 5 year old, minus her little girl vocal chords and some of the themes she talks about. She loves her liturgy. The other day she started singing "Sanctus... sanctus..." but her favorite song right now is Hail Holy Queen. She'll sing the "Salve Regina" part over and over again, and ask me to sing the rest. We sang it at Mass today and she was bouncing up and down joyfully in my arms with her arms lifted up high. We often go to visit "Mary in the Parking Space" (see this post for the visual), and she has taken to spontaneously praying a Hail Mary or two when we stop.

This reminds me that we have done the Saint of the Year for everyone in our family. (You can click on the link and get picked by a saint yourself!). Felicity's patron is St. William of Vercelli. He was a monk of the middle ages with an intense devotion to Mary. No mistakes there. Kwamai got a heavy hitter -- St. Luke! Erol's is St. Agnes of Monteclare, and mine is St. Eligius (patron of metalworkers, and of those who need to be refined, I guess). I am always asking the intercession of our special patrons throughout the day, especially St. William and St. Luke. I picture these four saints getting together in heaven and planning special graces for our family. And St. William has helped in getting Felicity calmed and off to sleep any number of times!