Eleven Pipers Piping

Merry 11th Day of Christmas – Thurs. Jan. 4, 2024 

My mom and dad, when they chose to have each of my 5 siblings and me baptized as infants, promised to raise us in the Catholic faith. While my parents did not always agree with everything happening in the Church, I know they did their best to live their lives as a good faith example to their children.

Of course, they were not perfect. None of us are perfect – that is reserved for Jesus! But they did their best to share their faith and they certainly “walked the walk” and not just “talk the talk.” They were the first to help others, whether by helping to fix something broken in the house or caregiving for a sick or dying relative or shopping for groceries or driving loved ones to appointments.

Mom and Dad with me and my 3 older siblings on the day of my Baptism, 1964

Why Eleven Pipers Piping on the Eleventh Day of Christmas? 

The eleven pipers represent the eleven faithful apostles: 

• Simon Peter,  
• James the Great,  
• John,  
• Simon (the Zealot),  
• Jude (a.k.a. Thaddeus),  
• Andrew,  
• James the Less,  
• Matthew, 
• Phillip,  
• Bartholomew, and  
• Thomas 

They were followers and leaders  

Family Photo from 1971

In their way, my parents were like the eleven faithful apostles represented on this eleventh day of Christmas. They were flawed humans who chose to follow Jesus. They were good leaders who showed their children a living example of how to be generous and giving people. Like our parents, we do not always get it right, but I think we all do the best we can with what we have to work with and where we are in our hearts and minds at any particular time.  

Merry Christmas,
Karen 

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