Two Mistakes at Church

This actually was a fairly pleasant Church day. No behavior problems, really. However, we did have two mistakes. The first was my mistake. I told Leia that she could have her pixi-stick candy (from Brooke's party) if she participated in the Mass (stand when we stand, sit when we sit, kneel when we kneel, pray when we pray). She wasn't old enough to do that yet. So she asked again and again at Mass, "Can I still have my candy?" But the second mistake was right after the Consecration. Leia Rose decided she wanted to go over and see Annie (who was in the carseat on the other side of me). As she stepped over the kneeler, her hand brushed the man in front of her. He wasn't kneeling, he was just kind of leaning over, and I'm sure this was because he was very, very old and in a state of severe dementia. Still, he turned around with the speed of a mongoose and scowled. And when I put my hand on him in an apologetic gesture as I said, "I'm so sorry sir," he said, "Excuse me. Get your hands off me!" I totally understood what was going on. I mean this poor man is probably in a nursing home all week and gets to go to Mass for one hour with his daughter who is also his caregiver. The poor woman, who was so embarrassed, turned around three times before the end of Mass and kept apologizing profusely to which I always replied, "Don't worry!" with a smile. And although I am very sensitive by nature, I ended up feeling more sorry for this poor man than embarrassed for what had happened. Brian, however, was really freaked out by the whole thing and kept saying, "What was that man's problem?!?" And when I told him, he just replied, "Well, we're never sitting in front of or behind him again!" Hey, there's no harm in protecting Leia from further incident.