Back in March, my office hosted Nine Nights of Prayer and we prayed a Novena together online with several hundred people.
Then in April, we did Evening Prayer for a while, then the Divine Mercy Chaplet for nine nights.
Every night in May, the Donovan family gathered and either led the Rosary online or at least participated it in. Sometimes, several hundred people would join us. Other times, several dozen.
Since the end of May, we have gathered on Sunday nights and Tuesday nights to pray the Rosary with the online community. Once again, we average a few hundred each night.
Last night, something remarkable happened.
Last night, we forgot.
We stranded a few hundred people online and it was not until I came up from the basement and looked at my phone that I realized what had happened. The texts, the reminder, the emails – the cacophony of noises I had missed by leaving my phone in the kitchen all conspired to remind me that I had missed the Rosary.
What was happening instead?
Family time.
The day began with the electricians – masked and gloved – coming in at 7:30 am to fix a few things. Then we spent the day cooking, singing, playing cards, and generally doing nothing. We watched television, read a little, and had a great time.
When dinnertime rolled around, we had leftovers and grilled cheese, a great salad from the lettuce we grew in our own garden, and then headed to the basement for a movie.
We left the phones in the kitchen and just enjoyed each other’s company.
And before you suggest we set an alarm, I should tell you that the fifteen year old heard the alarm go off at 7:15 and turned it off.
“I thought it was Saturday,” she admitted later. Mass was a distant memory and since she’s in the midst of summer vacation (with so few responsibilities), she just silenced the alarm.
Another unintended consequence of quarantine. All the days run together.
So to all those who wanted to join us, my apologies. I am sorry I missed praying with you. But I really am not sorry that I got to spend such a great day hanging out with my family.
Have a great week.