Day 3 on the Lake - Feast of His Precious Blood

“By the Blood of Christ we have been set free, that is, our sins are forgiven.” Ephesians 1:7

Praying with John morning prayer with a ray of sunshine little Rose joining in with her smiling face.  Many sweet babies remind us have a touch of heaven with their love and sweetness. 

Feast of the Sacred Blood of Jesus today, and I am without my trusty Magnificat to guide me through the day.... I left the July issue on the bedside at home – not remembering that there was only one day left of June. Thankfully they helped me use their I phones and read the readings for today, and John and I did the office morning and night together. I was reminded of the feeling of awe we have by this huge body of water that greets our eyes as we look out in front of our cabin – the Big Lake Michigan as John and I read morning prayer – Psalm 29...

“The voice of the Lord is heard on the seas,

The glorious God thunders,

and his voice echoes over the oceans.

The voice of the Lord is heard

in all his might and majesty.”

 

Tonight I started reading a book written by my mother to the older grandchildren – Treasures. It takes place in Michigan on the beach just as my mother experienced, I also spent summers on Lake Michigan with my family, and my kids experienced coming here since 1998 when my parents built this vacation/retirement home for us. Now my grandkids love it here, and it a frequent – almost daily topic of conversation all year round. It looks to be a place where they will come summer after summer and there are already many special things we do here year after year. Mary already has started to pick up a fossil here and there, and we have already spent two afternoons in the water swimming and playing in the sand. Ruth said today that for all the kids there are watercolors to do with grandma! Yes! I just love to paint a picture a day while I am here, and today I had three of the 4 Lanoues painting with me...even Rose painted her first picture with the help of her mom. It is something that I love to do with them! Now part of reading this story of my mom's to the kids is so that we can get some ideas and possibly work on some illustrations for it. I had mentioned this to Mary, and she surprised me with a picture she had drawn while I read the first 3 pages of their little house in the sanddunes and a pen for their horse, but also the little handmade treasure box! I am very excited to show my mother her first illustration thanks to Mary! It has officially begun, mom!

The darkness is descending, the waves are the sound of the wind crashing on the rocks and shore, the frogs are croaking, the house is quiet as all the little ones are asleep in the loft above our heads, it is a night not for visiting as many are tired or busy with projects. We are kissed by the sun and so many mosquitoes that have taken our precious blood from us. We will remember 2013 as the year of the mosquitoes. The sun has been warm but not too warm – in the 70s. We breath a sigh of relief from the heat , as the Big Lake keeps us cooler and we love it! I remember sadly how excited Therese was to get here and to escape the grinding heat of Texas for a couple weeks! How she loved to be able to be outside in her summer clothes and to be comfortable in the cool yet warm enough temperatures. She was so excited for wonderful weather to be outside and to be able to wear a sweatshirt in the coolness of the evenings. Maria has been sharing that it is over 100 there each day from early on. They are missed and I am longing to send them a little love note on the wind of this cool lake breeze that is wafting over me right now from the open widows on both sides of the cabin. Missing their time here – hopefully it will happen next year and be that much more wonderful after missing this year. That is so true of LIFE – when you have to sacrifice and give up and hurt or miss out -it makes the good things we get that much sweeter and more special. If life were all good and no hard... it would be boring and dull. The mosquitoes this year will make us very happy when they are not near so bad next year, or when the wind comes up and blows them into kingdom come!

 

Jesus, may we come to share your LIFE-giving food from Heaven -your precious Blood. We long to LOVE and serve you in all that we say and do... giving without counting the cost. It is so good to be away from all that pulls at us, and to focus on our family gathering to share many wonderful experiences in this place of beauty and many fond family memories. Keep us safe and patient with one another as we have many days of close family time. Jesus, we trust in YOU. Amen and Halleluia

 

Bless-bless, Barb

“It is good for John to write his book about what happened to him – share the emotions and the pain as well as the humor and the humiliation that changed him forever – the new John.” his two sisters