Ascension

It's Ascension Sunday.
Well, officially the Feast of the Ascension was last Thursday....but here in the U.S., in most dioceses, the celebration of it is moved to Sunday.
Perhaps a touch confusing, yes....but really, the Ascension can be too.
How did He go? Floating serenely, in a flash of light, a crack of thunder, or just, gone? (I know, goofy, but I'm a visual gal, I think about it!)
I always wonder, how come the apostles weren't crying, Mary weeping again?
I would be! I cry every time I have to say goodbye to most anyone, especially my son. But, apparently, they did not. Not ugly crying anyhow. I'm sure it was bittersweet though, it always is, isn't it?

But here is the cool thing of Ascension, for me.
Ascension is all about preparation and promise.
Ascension is about home.
Yes, Christ had to go, we are left to walk this on our own in many ways.
But not really.
Because He promised to go to prepare for us to join him, to prepare us a place, a home, with Him, left us helpers and each other along the way.

And as a mom, as a mom who is awaiting her daughter to come home....soon soon please....this really resonates with me.
My Marta can't really KNOW we are coming back to her, except we've told her so.
She has to be there on her own, but with our far-away-support and love and prayers and helpers...for now.
And we are prepared, have prepared, a place for her: a new room to share, fresh paint, new furniture, new clothes. We've carved out a spot in our home and hearts for our Marta, our new daughter.
We are all anticipating bringing her into her new place.
She is. We are.
And we wait for it.
She does. We do.

And even in this, this hard time.....if we look, once again, the family can model the most real thing in life: faith and love.
We can't do it as well, or as graciously, or widely, as the Church.
But we can stumble along trying.
And today, I think about the idea of preparation; what it really is.

Today we are reminded that Christ prepares a place for each of us.
We prepare a place for each of our children and each other.
Doing so, even the small tiny mundane things of sippy cups and diapers, groceries and clean sheets...it's all love in action.
Happily, we have feast days like today so we, (ok, I mean me) can see it more clearly through all the hubub of our busy days.
To remind us.
To say, "Remember."
We each have a place.
It's home.