Showing posts with label Family Events. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Family Events. Show all posts

Thursday, December 31, 2020

2020's best gift

No need to sum up 2020 except to say that we have been blessed in this year of pandemic with good health, continuing work, and having our immediate family all around us. Once the library opened up for pickup of books we were fairly well taken care of.

I certainly am able to count my blessings in more concrete terms than ever before. Here's the biggest one — our grandson Andy! He's just over 2 months old now and we have the great privilege of providing daycare a couple of days every week. So we get to see him grow and learn about the world.

Andy, Christmas Day 2020

Saturday, August 22, 2020

Happy Birthday, Hannah!

Scout, the most patient dog in the world
What with the pandemic and all, we're having Hannah's birthday catered. As you can see!

Hannah actually chose Chocolate Mousse for her celebration so I'm breaking out The Silver Palate Cookbook which has stood me in good stead for Lime Mousse and Pavlovas.

Hannah's our tree loving, animal loving, sweet girl who is smart as a whip, funny, generous, and thoughtful. No wonder we love her so much. We just can't help ourselves! Though how she got to be a married lady expecting her first baby in November ... well, I do remember how but somehow those years just breezed by. She's been a blessing and a treasure through all of them.

Happy birthday, dear Hannah.

Cake by Cake Couture by Tina
Do you live near Cebu City? That's where Tina is. Get one of her cakes!

Monday, August 22, 2016

Happy Birthday Hannah!

From Coco Cake Lane
(scroll down to see many great dog cakes)
How did my sweet Hannah turn into a 28-year-old married lady?

She's been an incredible blessing in our lives over the years.

She's still the same sweet, kind, generous, loving person she's always been ... we are proud to be her parents.

Another thing that hasn't changed is her abiding love for animals, especially her dogs. Toddler Hannah and grown up Hannah would both like these dog cupcakes!

Wednesday, May 25, 2016

The Third Most Important Day of the Year! My Birthday!


I say this every year, but that's just because it is always true. First is Easter, then is Christmas, then is ... my birthday!

Some people ignore their birthdays or don't want much fuss made. Not me. Everyone in the household knows it too. (To be fair, they all regard their birthdays to be the third most important day of the year.)

You notice that only Jesus trumps this day for me ... so then imagine the place He holds to overcome a lifetime of "most important day of the year" before I became Christian.

Hannah showed the proper spirit years ago when she was filling out a job application on Sunday and asked me what the date was. Then she answered her own question with, "Oh, wait. It must be the 22nd because I know Wednesday is the 25th." Yep, just like Christmas. All other dates are figured around this one.

Tom and I tried a French bistro last week for our anniversary. I liked it so much that we're going back again for this celebration. No birthday cake this year. I'd been thinking of making a Chocolate Mint Cake but there it would be just too heavy after French food. So we'll enjoy the restaurant's offerings which are, of course, perfect followups to French cuisine. Dark Chocolate Mousse, Profiteroles, Creme Brulee... mmmmm.

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It is also the Venerable Bede's saint day which is also very cool. What better connection than someone who is always linked with books, reading, and writing?

Also, just last week I picked up a tip from him which has proven invaluable to get me to follow through on the Daily Examen every night. "Prayer is a discipline." Oh, yeah. I always feel as if it should just flow naturally and if I'm not in the mood, well, you know ... God will forgive me. No — this is like exercise. Do it whether you feel like it or not.

You will never read a better death than that of the Venerable Bede.
On the Tuesday before Ascension Day he was decidedly worse : a swelling appeared in his feet. Nevertheless he continued to dictate cheerfully, begging his scribe to write quickly, for he did not know how long he might last, or when it might please his Maker to take him. That night he lay awake, giving thanks alway. The next morning he urged the brethren to finish writing what they had begun, and when that was done, at nine o'clock, they walked in procession with the relics of the Saints the origin of our "perambulation day," according to the custom of the time. One stayed with him while the others were thus engaged, and after a time reminded him that there was still a chapter to finish, would it weary him to be consulted about it?" Get out your pen and ink," was Bede's reply, " and write fast, it is no trouble to me."

[...]

Even on the day of his death (the vigil of the Ascension, 735) the saint was still busy dictating a translation of the Gospel of St. John. In the evening the boy Wilbert, who was writing it, said to him: "There is still one sentence, dear master, which is not written down." And when this had been supplied, and the boy had told him it was finished, "Thou hast spoken truth," Bede answered, "it is finished. Take my head in thy hands for it much delights me to sit opposite any holy place where I used to pray, that so sitting I may call upon my Father." And thus upon the floor of his cell singing, "Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost" and the rest, he peacefully breathed his last breath.
======

Also I love the fact that this is also St. (Padre) Pio's birthday. I still remember the sense of joy and light-heartedness that I received while reading a biography of him. It was a photo of him with his head thrown back laughing that first made me notice him. I thought, "Now there is someone I could talk to..."



While praying before a cross, he received the stigmata on 20 September 1918, the first priest ever to be so blessed. As word spread, especially after American soldiers brought home stories of Padre Pio following WWII, the priest himself became a point of pilgrimage for both the pious and the curious. He would hear confessions by the hour, reportedly able to read the consciences of those who held back. Reportedly able to bilocate, levitate, and heal by touch. Founded the House for the Relief of Suffering in 1956, a hospital that serves 60,000 a year. In the 1920's he started a series of prayer groups that continue today with over 400,000 members worldwide.

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Rose Speaks at Hannah and Mark's Wedding



Shared with Rose's permission. Tom and I are proud not only of Rose's speech but of the fact that Hannah and Rose love each other so much. That was made abundantly clear not only in this speech but when Hannah showcased her bridesmaid every chance she got, something that not every bride would do. They are such wonderful people.

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

The Wedding Album

I can only be thankful for the proliferation of phones with cameras and people posting their pictures to Facebook. There was a photographer but while waiting for those results, it is lovely to see these photos.

Here are a very few of them to give a feel of the essentials.


Almost ready.





You may not be able to see it above, but I love the tender smile on the priest's face. 


I don't believe I've ever seen Mark smile like that.





 Hannah and the next generation of cousins ... who didn't plan it, but all seemed color coordinated. 
It was so much fun seeing the gaggle of girls running through the party.


Let there be pie! 
Cindy baked for days to provide some of the most delicious pies I've ever tasted. 
This is just one of the many personal touches that Hannah and Mark's friends provided 
which made this a really special celebration. 

(As I said, this wedding showed the heart of a great community.)

Saturday, October 10, 2015

In Celebration of a Wedding: Hannah Davis and Mark Edinburgh

Edmund Leighton (1853–1922), Signing the register
This is for Hannah and Mark who will wed this afternoon. We are delighted and can't wait for the happy occasion. Tom's and my prayer is that their life together will be as happy as ours.
But there are four lamps of thanksgiving always before him. The first is for his creation out of the same earth with such a woman as you. The second is that he has not, with all his faults, "gone after strange women." You cannot think how a man’s self restraint is rewarded in this. The third is that he has tried to love everything alive: a dim preparation for loving you. And the fourth is – but no words can express that. Here ends my previous existence. Take it: it led me to you.
From "To Frances," G.K. Chesterton's marriage proposal
One of the most delightful things leading up to this big day is how their friends have contributed to the celebration. So many have given of their talents to make this wedding a real reflection of the community joyously supporting this marriage.

It makes this big city wedding feel as if it is happening in the heart of a small town. From flowers to music, from hair and makeup to decorations, from paying for photography to making pies, I feel that it shows they are the "richest couple I know."

May God bless them as they begin this best and richest part of their lives, together.

Saturday, August 22, 2015

Happy Birthday Hannah!

Cake by Cake Couture by Tina
Do you live near Cebu City? That's where Tina is. Get one of her cakes!
This is the same cake as I featured last year because I couldn't improve upon it, no matter how hard I searched.

It either had to be a Pit Bull cake for Kif or a German Shepherd cake for Zapp since those are Hannah's two dogs. (Or Futurama now that I think of it since her dog names are both characters from that show.) This was just so adorable that I kept it.

I wasn't Catholic when she was born but now I feel very lucky that she chose to come on the Feast Day for the Queenship of Mary.

It's Spicy Ginger Cake with Chocolate Frosting again this year, at Hannah's request. Mmmm, a delicious but unexpected combination.

We'll be going out for dinner with Hannah and Mark, our soon to be son-in-law to an Asian-Mexican fusion restaurant. I'm really looking forward to trying it. And then home for cake and gifts!

The best, of course, is the gift of Hannah herself to our family. Our tree loving, animal loving, sweet girl who is smart as a whip, funny, and thoughtful. No wonder we love her so much. We just can't help ourselves!

Monday, May 19, 2014

Happy Birthday, Lisa!

Irises, Vincent van Gogh, 1889
via WikiPaintings
When I think of my sister's birthday, I always think of irises. When we were children in Kansas, irises bloomed thickly around the little pond near our house. We always had vases full of them at that time of year. I have since come to love them in a way that I didn't when I was young. Every different color of iris has a different fragrance and I love the scent of each and every one.

This brings me to my sister whose super-curly blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and light, fluttery personality must have made her like a vivid, exotic butterfly in our household. She's a bright, vivid spot in my life. An iris of unusual perfume and difference who makes me glad. Happy birthday, Lisa!

Vase With Irises, Vincent van Gogh, 1890
also via WikiPaintings

Sunday, May 11, 2014

Happy Birthday, Rose!

Yellow Rose Cake from Williams-Sonoma
This cake is because I was thinking of how much fun it would be to celebrate Rose's birthday with her in person.

Alas and alack, she is in the city of the angels and we are in Dallas. But it made me think of how she loves Texas. All the Texas cakes I found were rather uninspiring. Not that there is anything wrong with the Texas flag on a Texas shaped cake. In fact, that is the height of Texas love, but I couldn't find any photos that looked as if I wouldn't be ripping off a family cake photo.

So I naturally turned, for my Rose, to thinking of the yellow rose of Texas and it turns out that Williams-Sonoma has made the ultimate yellow rose cake. Ultimate.

Happy birthday my sweet Rose. 24 years old? How did that happen?

I hope you have a wonderful time and that someone makes you a fantastic cake. Or that you find yourself a delightful treat at our favorite L.A. bakery, Porto's.

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

The Ultimate Trust Test

Everyone likes to talk about that test where someone stands behind you and then you let yourself fall back into their arms.

Will they catch you? Many a funny television bit has been based on this little test.

I've got a better one.

Say that your loved one, with his eagle ears trained by a lifetime in Texas, discerns that there could be a cockroach coming out of the air-vent that is right over your head when you are sleeping.

(Yes, this is partly a horror story. Those are the best tests of trust.)

He could only tell this by flipping the light on and off repeatedly looking for intruders as you were trying to sleep.

In brave, manly fashion, he does not reveal this until you irritatedly ask him what's going on, because he is so focused on your safety that he is straining every sense for danger. No time to talk. Must listen.

Once the danger is revealed and you have moved in one second flat across the room, wrapped in a blanket, he can act.

Cautiously, carefully, he sprays inside the vent with roach spray, springing back in readiness, the better to battle the danger. Together, you wait.

Nothing happens.

Cautiously, warning you to listen for possible encroachment, you both return to bed.

Five minutes later, when you have shrieked, "I hear it!" and bolted across the room in a blanket, your hero turns on the lights to see, emerging from the darkness, a gigantic cockroach.

Your head would have been right under it!

The danger. The horror.

"Ugh" cannot express it, but it will have to do for now.

He battles the foe in practiced style. The hounds leap about, seeking their share of the prey.

Safety plans are discussed. Sleeping on the couch. Sleeping in the guest room. All unsatisfactory. The ultimate plan, moving the bed across the room where there is no vent, is long-term and awaits the coming dawn. (Platform beds put the strongest hero's muscles to shame in the middle of the night.)

A hasty but reliable battle plan is developed. Tape the vent with packing tape.

You begin to wish that your favorite movie was not Aliens and this incident were not so reminiscent of the many plans to hold back the vile forms lurking in the darkness. The horror has taken hold in your soul. A cockroach could drop on your head while you are asleep.

Once again, less composed than usual for sleep, lights out, there is a rustle above. Your hero has heard it too and tells you that the heater is bound to cause some expansion of tape, but it is tight. No need to worry, he tells you, it's ok.

So, here it is. The moment of trust. One which you will relive throughout the night as you awake repeatedly, hearing a slight rustle overhead.

"It's the heater," you will think. "Or has something slipped through the perimeter?"

And then, it comes down to the final thought. "Do I trust what my hero did for my safety?"

Yes. Yes you do.

And you fall asleep again. Without turning on the lights to double-check his work. Without elbowing him awake to ask again if he taped it really tight.

You sleep. In safety. In trust.

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Happy Birthday, Hannah!


Image from Plant Answers

This is from last year but so much of it is still true ... and I love this picture ... that I'll let it stand. And hopefully Hannah will like it too!

I'd have featured a cake with a tree since they are Hannah's passion, however, they are darned hard to find. Instead I will content myself with offering  an image of one of her favorite trees. In fact, it is the Vitex tree which I'd never heard of until she talked about cutting down some big bushes in the back yard to plant a couple of these. (No Vitex tree in the yard yet, but someday ...)

After looking at the pictures, I had to agree. They look beautiful. Looking for the image above, I found some interesting information. I will now be calling these by the much lovelier name of Texas Lilac.
It is the Texas Lilac Vitex*, or Chaste tree (Vitex agnus-castus).

This tree is also known as Mexican lavender, monk's pepper, lilac chaste tree, hemp tree, sage tree, or Indian spice. It is a native of China and India, although long ago it became naturalized throughout certain areas of the United Stated. Records indicate that Vitex has been cultivated in the U.S. since 1670.
Happy birthday, my darling Hannah! You may be 25 but you'll always be our little girl!

Saturday, May 11, 2013

Happy Birthday, Dear Rose

Far from home, in exotic L.A. (where I'd like to be myself), Rose is still plugging away in the entertainment industry. Specifically, she's doing free lance editing for a company that produces promos for syndicated shows.

That means that she and Zoe (our Boxer who has become Rose's Boxer) are far from home on her 23rd birthday. She is planning to go again this year to Porto's Bakery (which I spoke of in our L.A. Diary) and select a decadent cake.

Perhaps the Parisian? (Devil’s food chocolate cake, layered and decorated with chocolate whipped cream. Finished with chocolate shavings.)


Or the Red Velvet Cake? I'm not crazy about red velvet cakes but look at those lovely rose petals on top. (Layers of red velvet cake and cream cheese filling. Finished with cream cheese icing. Decorated with red velvet crumbs and fresh rose petals.)



Or possibly the Checkers Cake? (Two layers of white sponge cake, layer of Bavarian cream, layer of chocolate mousse, finished with chocolate ganache.)


If memory serves, last year she chose a Chocolate Raspberry cake. Chocolate and raspberries is a combination Rose is passionately fond of.

I'd rather have her here and be making a cake (if memory serves, she prefers a Chocolate Buttermilk Layer Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting). It wouldn't be as pretty, but I bet the company would make up for it. I've sent gifts (fingers crossed they got there on time) and I can buy her cake, but I can't give her a hug.

So I miss Rose on her birthday but I hope it is a wonderful day for her. She will be celebrating with friends, one of whom shares a birthday with her.

They will be barbecuing and going to see The Great Gatsby. Rose loves Baz Luhrmann's movies and does not care much about the original F. Scott Fitzgerald movie. So from what I have read, she should have a wonderful time.

Happy Birthday, Rose!

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Happy Birthday, Dear Tom


This doodle looks like it would be the scene for a wonderfully romantic birthday evening, doesn't it?

Perfect for Tom (and me) then!

Tom has chosen Strawberry Shortcake. Ok. To be honest, I suggested it (knowing his tastes) and he liked the idea so much that he never bothered trying to think of anything else.

I made an actual, honest-to-goodness sponge cake (leavened only with egg whites) and will be seeing how Nigel Slater's tip works about a touch of raspberry heightening strawberries' flavor. With freshly whipped cream, of course!

Perhaps I should say the above Google looks perfect for a celebratory evening since we will not be alone.

Hannah will be joining us before that for dinner at a nearby Italian restaurant and then for the ... presents! Rose will be chiming in from the West Coast also ...

Friday, May 11, 2012

Happy Birthday, Dear Rose

Far from home, in exotic L.A. (where I'd like to be myself), Rose is plying two unpaid internships while gathering work credit to hopefully propel her into the film industry.

That means that she and Zoe (our Boxer who has become Rose's Boxer) are far from home on her 22nd birthday. She has instructions to go to Porto's Bakery (which I spoke of in our L.A. Diary) and select a decadent cake.

Perhaps the Parisian? (Devil’s food chocolate cake, layered and decorated with chocolate whipped cream. Finished with chocolate shavings.)


Or the Strawberry Shortcake? (Yellow cake, soaked in a light French brandy syrup, with a layer of fresh strawberries/real whipped cream, and a layer of vanilla custard. Topped with real whipped cream and surrounded with puff pastry crumbs.)


Or even the Cappuccino Mousse Cake? (A layer of chocolate-fudge cake, a layer of chocolate mousse, a layer of white sponge cake, and a layer of cappuccino mousse. Finished with a clear glaze marbled with coffee extract.)


We can see that I am interested in providing Rose with a delicious cake. I'd rather have her here and be making a cake (if memory serves, she prefers a Chocolate Buttermilk Layer Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting). It wouldn't be as pretty, but I bet the company would make up for it. I've sent gifts (thank you Amazon!) and I can buy her cake, but I can't give her a hug.

So I miss Rose on her birthday but I hope it is a wonderful day for her. She will be celebrating with friends, one of whom shares a birthday with her.

Happy Birthday, Rose!

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Happy Birthday, Dear Mom!


I was just on the phone with Mom, having a delightful conversation, and she mentioned making an orange cake.

Now, she was talking about a bundt cake infused with orange glaze, but perhaps this sort of cake* has that same glaze between the layers, eh? It might ... and so we will imagine it!

It sounds as if she has had a great day so far which is just going to get better with an Italian meal planned for tonight. And presents! Always with presents!

Happy Birthday, Mom! I love you!

* Cake photo from Bayshore Cakes. I'm not in Salt Lake City, but if I were, that bakery would tempt me to try way too many cakes!

Saturday, April 30, 2011

Happy Birthday, Dear Tom!


He's so hard to shop for but at last I found this lovely doodle and piƱatas are for birthdays, so it is perfect!

Tom has chosen not to have me make a cake, for a variety of reasons, but mostly because he loves profiteroles so much and never gets them. I have made them before and they are, believe it or not, very simple to make. However, in the interest of a busy weekend, we are lucky to have wonderful whipped-cream filled versions from the Central Market.


This photo is from Oui, Chef, where they are filled with ice cream, but he would tell us that whipped cream is equally as good, isn't it? Oui, chef!

Now I must go wrap gifts!

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Happy Birthday, Hannah!


She's celebrating her 22nd birthday this year. We did a big celebration last week when more people were in town but it is still HER day around here.

If I lived near Nolly Cakes then I would actually plump down the cash for this truly wonderful cat cake ... as it is, she asked for tiramisu, which we got from the best place in Dallas for that delicious desert.

I'm am repeating this viewing of the things she loves best, slightly updated ... simply lots and lots o' critters. (Don't just pick these up and pass them on, please. Click through on the links to check permissions, some of which I have obtained personally for this blog alone.)




Happy birthday , Hannah!
























Wednesday, May 26, 2010

A Birthday Like When I Was a Kid

Once you get to a certain age, you lose that frisson of excitement over your birthday. Members of our household know that my birthday is special and I yield to no one in my enjoyment of my special day. However, you can't control feelings, as we all know, so it is a rare occasion indeed when we are transported back to those glorious days of our extreme youth when everything is possible and every gift is magical.

It began when I went home and did only what I wanted. Right there, that was a darned freeing feeling.

Then Tom came home half an hour early, having left work an hour early to drive to the other side of town to Cheesecake Royale where, which despite what you might expect from the bakery's name, he was picking up "the best tiramisu in Dallas."

You might think they would mention this on their website, but no. They are evidently hoping that the fact they even produce tiramisu will also be the best kept secret in Dallas. Anyway, it is truly amazing as is evidenced by the fact that we had it over ten years ago at an acquaintance's home who I no longer even recall by name. Wow. This bakery uses all fresh ingredients and starts from scratch each day. It shows. Delicious, creamy, not too sweet, and dripping a bit of fresh espresso from the lady fingers. So very good. So very much also as they sell it in a large plastic pan that is about 9x13". Hannah and Rose, we have a ton of tiramisu just waiting for you to help us eat it!

Then we grabbed Kirsten (a college friend of Hannah's who is staying with us for a few weeks as she has begun working after graduating but needs to save up some deposit/rent money) and went to Fireside Pies on Henderson. I'd been curious about the quality of their pizza since they mention a wood burning oven and hand stretched dough. Hoochy mama, that's good pizza!

They definitely encourage communal dining as diners are advised that pizzas are good to share between two to three people, as are the salads (which are gigantic). We tried Jimmy's Spicy Italian Sausage Pizza (with Scamorza & Roasted Red Onions) and the Peta Pie (Sonoma Goat Cheese, Balsamic Mustard Portobellas, Arugula, Roasted Red Peppers, Roasted Pinon Nuts & Charred Tomato Vinaigrette). Both were delicious with thin, oven baked crust and perfectly balanced flavor. The sausage pizza was definitely spicy while the Peta Pizza almost seemed as if it came with salad atop it which made it a bit difficult to eat but the balsamic element shone through and made the trouble worth it. We were all full with four pieces total left over. Tom and I indulged in an Italian beer on tap which was a flavorful lager that complemented the pizza perfectly.

In a mellow mood, we returned home where I attacked a pile of gifts, most of which were books ... my idea of the perfect birthday.
  • The Help (thanks to Mom and I can't wait to read it),
  • complete Flannery O'Connor short story collection,
  • Flannery O'Connor essay collection (noticing a trend here?),
  • an absolutely gorgeous book on the Vatican (from my sis who now is determined that I should visit some day after she and her husband were there about a month ago ... isn't it great when people want something so wonderful for you? It makes me feel very loved ...),
  • A gift certificate for buying books (woohoo, another way around that New Year's resolution of no book buying ... with my own money ... thank you Kirsten!),
  • In Bruges, such a profane, violent movie and yet I love it so
  • Hot, Sour, Salty, Sweet, one of the best cookbooks/photography books ever but ever so expensive
  • And, of course, baby Mac. From darling Tom who understands me as no one else does. It also may help explain my feeling of being overcome by the munificence of this gift when I mention that not only are we on a tight budget but I have the hand-me-down that has made it through everyone else in the house. I was fine with that actually. But Tom wanted me to have new. What a sweetheart.
Then there was the fun of powering up the MacBook, setting it up, learning the new and nifty tricks it can do (can you say two-finger-scrolling? how about four-finger-scrolling!).

My cup runneth over.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Do We Know What Today Is? The Third Most Important Day of the Year!


I say this every year, but that's just because it is always true. First is Easter, then is Christmas, then is ... my birthday!

Some people ignore their birthdays or don't want much fuss made. Not me. Everyone in the household knows it too. (To be fair, they all regard their birthdays to be the third most important day of the year.)

You notice that only Jesus trumps this day for me ... so then imagine the place He holds to overcome a lifetime of "most important day of the year" before I became Christian.

Hannah showed the proper spirit several years ago when she was filling out a job application on Sunday and asked me what the date was. Then she answered her own question with, "Oh, wait. It must be the 22nd because I know Wednesday is the 25th." Yep, just like Christmas. All other dates are figured around this one.

Tom is supplying the celebratory dessert. Not a cake or a Strawberry Tart as I made last year, but Tiramisu which for some reason really struck me a few days ago as just the thing.

Also I love the fact that this is also St. (Padre) Pio's birthday. I couldn't find anything online that communicates the sense of joy and light-heartedness that I received while reading a biography of him. It was a photo of him with his head thrown back laughing that first made me notice him. I thought, "Now there is someone I could talk to..."
While praying before a cross, he received the stigmata on 20 September 1918, the first priest ever to be so blessed. As word spread, especially after American soldiers brought home stories of Padre Pio following WWII, the priest himself became a point of pilgrimage for both the pious and the curious. He would hear confessions by the hour, reportedly able to read the consciences of those who held back. Reportedly able to bilocate, levitate, and heal by touch. Founded the House for the Relief of Suffering in 1956, a hospital that serves 60,000 a year. In the 1920's he started a series of prayer groups that continue today with over 400,000 members worldwide.
And it is the Venerable Bede's saint day which is also very cool. You will never read a better death than that of the Venerable Bede ("Write faster!").
Even on the day of his death (the vigil of the Ascension, 735) the saint was still busy dictating a translation of the Gospel of St. John. In the evening the boy Wilbert, who was writing it, said to him: "There is still one sentence, dear master, which is not written down." And when this had been supplied, and the boy had told him it was finished, "Thou hast spoken truth", Bede answered, "it is finished. Take my head in thy hands for it much delights me to sit opposite any holy place where I used to pray, that so sitting I may call upon my Father." And thus upon the floor of his cell singing, "Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost" and the rest, he peacefully breathed his last breath.