St. Joseph

The feast of St. Joseph on Monday gave us a much needed break from Lenten fasting. I had cream in my coffee and beer late at night. I always feel as though St. Joseph must have been a bit exhausted, being the only imperfect member of the Holy Family, and now, as the patron of nearly everything, he is equally exhausted. We even ask him for help finding the things we’ve lost, as St. Anthony can’t be trusted not to hide them himself. St. Joseph doesn’t have time for games like that, though he sometimes gets distracted. When we want something particular, we tuck a note behind his icon, so the reminder is always there.

On his day, Petka and I gave him a special place at the table, and a candle all his own. Petka tasted a corner of his icon and waved to him while I prayed; the sun shone down through the dome. I put out new candles around the house and realized later that they were all bright red - a good color for luck, for new life, and long, happy days