A Non-auspicious Start

Whew!  I'm happy to be home and I'm staying right here for the rest of the day.  The morning has been terrible.  And in the back of my mind is the fact that it's the first day of the new year.  I hope this inauspicious morning isn't a sign of worse things to come.

First, I was sleeping through the alarm until hubby nudged me awake.  That's unusual.  I awake easily.  Then I fly out of bed, take a few steps and find myself on the floor.  I fainted.  I guess I got up from being asleep too fast.

I also felt boiling hot and then freezing cold.  For a while, I had chills.

I went to church anyway because I had to lector at the first Mass and I was going out to breakfast with friends to celebrate the New Year.  In the sanctuary, no altar servers showed up.  I didn't feel like doing double duty; I was praying I could get through my readings.  I couldn't make up my mind whether I felt nausea or diarrhea coming on.

Another lector showed up, so at least I wasn't doing all the running around.  We begin.

I read the First Reading.  The next lector reads the Psalm and the Second Reading--only she forgets the Psalm.

Father and I simultaneously look at each other with raised eyebrows.

Mass continues.

We start setting the altar.  I bring his chalice.  He shakes his head no.  She brings the paten.  He shakes his head no.  What he wanted was a little tiny pix.  One person in the congregation has a gluten allergy and brings her pix with a gluten free communion host.  Father wanted that brought to the altar.

Then I hear "pst--pst--pst"  I look in the doorway and a man is handing me the wick to light the candles.  We didn't light the candles!!!

Ah, now we bring everything else.  As I was at the credence table, I hear CRASH/BANG.  The other lector or maybe Father, dropped the chalice.  It could have been worse--the floor could have been marble and the chalice could have been the pastor's waterford!

The consecration and communion were perfect, except for the two lectors' posture.  We couldn't kneel.  I was afraid because this morning's fainting spell was on my mind.  The other lector has the beginning of Parkinson.

Going to the restaurant I almost got into an accident.  I was headed downtown.  I forgot that downtown was made into a two-way street a few months ago. I almost had a head-on accident.  And then as I was driving, I realized I was going in the wrong direction, anyway.  I was headed to a different restaurant.

Even at the restaurant, misfortunate followed me.  Halfway through the meal, the electricity went out.  No one knew why.

 But I wasn't surprised.

Now I'm home.  I had a nap.  I watched a football game and the Patriots won.

There, back on track.