I told you how our church in Tivoli closed.  Now I go to Red Hook, about a 20 minute drive and except for the extra mileage, I am enjoying it very much.  The church is packed and there are lots of little kids, which I have always found entertaining in church, dating back to my own experiences with my kids.  Paul would run the zipper on his coat like a car on a track, making the appropriate noises.  Sabra took the pencil and paper which asked "who would you nominate for sainthood?"  and she penciled in "My mother, for giving birth to me."

Anyway this past week, I had several kids to choose from and selected a little boy two pews in front of me.  He was about three and was with his father and an older woman, maybe Grandma.  The father was a large man and very attentive to his son. At 9o'cock Mass our priest calls for the kids to come up to the altar and answer questions about the homily.  The little boy, who was about three, started to go then changed his mind. He was carrying a stuffed blue rabbit, that had floppy legs.  His father picked him up when he got restless, and the boy put the rabbit on his father's head.  That large man with a rabbit whose legs flopped on all sides of his head, was the sight that did it to me.  I started to laugh, and the kid made eye contact with me.  Now I was caught - he knew he had an audience.

Church to me is being part of a community.  Mrs. R who went to the church in Tivoli and always sat  two pews in front of me, joined my pew this week.  The old man next to me held a rosary in his fingers, the first time I have seen that in years.  All the old people used to finger rosaries in church.  I guess it was like bringing a toy rabbit - something to do if you needed it.   It was a good day for a person watcher like myself, and even Saint Nick all dressed came to visit the kids.