Diego's Mattress

Like most of my Saturday mornings since Diego was born, I spent it being his mattress. It gives Lucy sometime to sleep without worrying about him. Yes, we co-sleep.

A good friend told me awhile ago, things with babies comes in short waves, since they grow so fast, so enjoy it and absorb it while you can.

Heck, just the other day I was telling Diego, *I remember when I use to be able to swaddle you.* And that was what - five months ago.

I usually just sit there quietly, but after awhile I’ll watch some YouTube on the TV and just wait for him to sleep it out.

It’s something to be a mattress for my son. To feel his weight on me. To know he’s warm, feels safe, and is loved.

Lucy got up around lunchtime and made flour tortillas and my favorite Chrizo Con Huevos. They were good.

Then, I went to confession. I needed to do some soul cleaning.

I was reminded of that, because this woman came in with four little kids. Her eldest held this large piece of paper and I caught a glimpse of it: the kid had written down all his Sins on a piece of paper as to not forget.

Anyways, while sitting down, this mother of four, told one of her children to let her prepare her soul, and shushed him off to another part of the church.

Now, these kids were loud. They had space, time, and a nearly empty church that carried their small voices.

Now, there’s this part of me - I think it’s human - that was annoyed. Why did she bring her kids? Why can’t this mother control her kids? Has she not taught her toddlers to be quiet in church? Ya, know the normal old man stuff.

Then, there’s that part of me, that part I like that’s like, “Hell yeah, bring your kids!”

Look, Catholicism isn’t an easy religion. It isn’t supposed to be. Not for me. Not for any believer. That’s the whole point. So what if I’m annoyed, this Sister in Christ, needs to reconcile to God, and can only do it by bringing her kids, then heck yeah, bring your kids. What’s the saying, “if your church isn’t crying, it’s dying.”

And, someday, I’m gonna pass away, and let’s face it, I’m gonna need some good Catholics to pray this sinner to gets to heaven and I’m gonna be thankful this mom raised her kids in the faith.

I’ll be honest, my only lament, is that I didn’t offer to help her. I thought it be kinda of weird to ask her if I could help, I’m a stranger, and well, in the climate we live in these days. I did feel kinda of bad.

So I pray she made it into Confession. I pray God continue to give all the grace she needs to be a good mother and I pray God bless her children.

I ended the evening watching Death by Lighting. It’s the one about James Garfield, wonderfully played by Micheal Shannan and Matthew McFadyen, as Charles Guiteau. Nick Offerman played Chester A. Arthur well too.

My favorite part of the movie is Garfield gets the nomination. This nobody - in political terms - who turns into a somebody almost overnight. It reminds me of the election of St. Pope John Paul II. There’s these warring factions and they come for a consensus candidate and pick the guy that didn’t want the job in the first place.