The Assumption of Mary is one of my favorite days of the year.  I just love all that it means and all the hope that it gives us.  I love that it's a beautiful reminder of where we began - body and soul completely pure, completely holy.  Both meant to live in eternity and only faced with decay and death because of that nasty original sin.  

I love how much our Church truly values the body and sees it as good and pure and beautiful, in its essence.  The Assumption reminds us that Mary was created pure and someday, through the merits of her Son, we'll be that way, too.  In heaven at the end of time, we will be completely whole again, just like her.  How amazing that hope is.

I also love that the Assumption falls right in the middle of August and at the tail end of blueberry season.  We try to go picking sometime around the Assumption as a little tradition (and as a way to stock up for the long cold winter!).  We had a crazy violent storm here last night and woke up to yard flooding here and all over the neighborhood.  Thankfully, we don't have any real damage just a soggy soaked yard.  And the blueberry place near our house was still open so we made it to Mass and then off to pick.

St. Mary of the Assumption!

On the Assumption we wear blue.  

#pretendingtoknowpopculturereferences

And off to pick!

The boys were actually pretty good little pickers this year!

I tried to get some pictures but Mr. Never-Sleep-While-Out decided to...not sleep. 

This one makes me laugh because grumpy puppy in the background.  He wasn't upset but this is often his default face.  I feel you, kiddo.

It got really muggy and hot and this one just wasn't having it so we got the royal treatment in the air conditioning while our minions picked.

The haul.

Since the rain had gotten them wet I just had to do a quick towel dry before we could stick them back in the bins and freeze four.  Seriously one of the best reasons for finding a no-spray place is that it makes it a thousand times easier to not have to wash them!

Michael was so so so excited to try his hand at muffins.

His first thought was that he was going to buy the blueberries from us and sell the muffins at the street.

A lick of the spoon prompted a mind change and it was decided that some of them would become the traditional family blueberry dessert instead.  

They were perfect!

This teaching kids to cook thing is going to be a very very very good thing, I think.

Happy Assumption!

Mary, we honor you today following the example of Our Lord.  Please help us to become more and more like you each day, pure in soul and body.  

May we cling to the hope that your Son gives us and find ourselves one day completely whole and in the fullness of His Presence.