first penance

Nora had her first penance the other night...she was a little nervous.  The service was beautiful and when it was time, she rushed up to the altar and was the second to talk to Fr. Joe!  Right there on the side altar in the open!  She used those hands as she talked and a dad who knows Nora a little too well turned to me and said that she was probably not even talking about her little sins, she was probably telling Father a story about what goes on at our house, like she does to this dad all the time!  She was happy to have it over with and got a sweet little lamb necklace.  The class had been praying and praying for a classmate who was terrified and was not going to do penance.  They prayed for him to be strong and not scared.  He got in line not far behind Nora with a smile on his face and kept turning to us all giving a "thumbs up"!  He got his strength!