Nothing's more fun than a ballgame during July 4th weekend!

JULY 4TH IN GRAND RAPIDS MEANS...

fireworks of course! After our weekly holy hour Sr. M. Gabriela, Sr. Mary Brigid and I Sr Anne Marie loaded up the big white van with residents and went in search of the perfect spot to see the city fireworks. We didn’t take into account how CROWDED it would be! Any spots close to the city had already been full for hours, and people were everywhere with baby strollers, bikes, and of course sparklers and firecrakers that popped and sizzled. Finally, we found a nice space in a parking lot on a hill where our residents could enjoy the bursts of color in the sky. They loved it!
Sr. Mary Brigid and I were next slotted to go along on an outing to a local baseball game! The West Michigan White Caps were playing the Dayton Dragons, and we were, of course, cheering for the White Caps. The ballpark had a special program for senoir citizens, which began with bingo before the game, which was held thanks be to God, in an air-conditioned booth out in right field. The sun was shining a mighty 90 degrees, and we came armed with sunglasses and sunscreen lotion.
There were many groups from different homes for the elderly, and Bingo was, as always, a huge success with them. Sr. Mary Brigid and I privately had doubts about one table which seemed to win every other game, but nobody seemed to mind. Lunch was hots dogs, of course! Chips, and cookies rounded out the meal, and everybody was stuffed!
For the game itself, some people stayed in the cool building, while we more adventurous (or more silly) ones braved the heat. In spite of the ending score- 6 Dragons 3 White Caps, everyone had a great time, even me with my silly oversized sunglasses!

Beautiful 4th of July fireworks!

On Sunday we had our cookout by the Blessed Mother grotto. We said our prayers by the grotto and then sat down to eat. Sister Emmanuel cooked delicious brats, corn on the cob, and squash. We ate until we were about to pop. Then Sister Anne Marie and I brought out our guitars and played songs for the Sisters to sing. Sister Jacinta and Sister Emmanuel sang along. We played until the sun started to set, then we had to round our stuff up and head inside for the night. All of us slept well that night.

This weekend had been lots of fun, from Saturday yard work to the Sunday cookout. We worked hard this weekend, but we also played hard too. We found joy in serving our Lord in both.