St Benedict - cleaning- "the Spirit of my Father speaking through you." Matt10

2 year old Rose holding baby Dominic, who will be a month old tomorrow.  Rose loves to see him come up from sleeping in the downstairs apartment and goes over to give him kisses - today she got to sit on the couch and hold  him like the bigger kids have.  She was very happy and felt special to be able to be big enough to hold him and give him a big hug!  It has been eye opening to see Rose being sweet and loving when she has been a bit of a terror for her parents and suffers a lot from the "mes and the mine."  "It is good to see her maturing into a sweet and loving little girl." says mom.

Friends Rose and Patrick are just 5 months apart and are good friends after this time together.  They were waiting for breakfast together with that red juice that moms love to see on faces and shirts!
Today is the feast of St Benedict - I had 2 go through a Benedictine college - U of Mary in Bismarck, ND!   In morning prayer it was shared that every day St Benedict had his monks begin morning prayer with Psalm 95 - a Grand Hallel Psalm which reminds them to keep open the "eye of the heart."  They build their lives on prayer and Praise of the Word of God.
"Come, let us sing to the Lord
and shout with Joy to the Rock who saves us.
Let us approach him with praise and thanksgiving
and sing joyful songs to the Lord...
Today, listen to the voice of the Lord."  Psalm 95

I am on my last day of having my family together here in Michigan, so I am still striving to gather as many special pictures of my daughters with their kids.  It struck me that the toddlers and babies would do better with their moms in the pictures, so as they got up this morning I told them that they needed to get their kids dressed semi nice along with themselves as I wanted to attempt a grandkids with their mom pictures.  Here is Ruth with her 5 as we get ready to get them all in a big bunch.

With all the bedding and cleaning to do for us to leave this nice - we have to get a start the day before.  I am on my 4th load of laundry with another to go.  We have moved couches and tables and chairs and rugs with a mountain of sand underneath... after two weeks of close family living... there is a lot to clean up.  One thing is a mostly empty fridge - we have eaten all the food and have to pick up a few things for our supper and breakfast in the morning.  I am looking out at all the throw rugs hanging over the railing and a pile of clean sheets ready to go back on the beds here on the table.  We sleep on the top under a blanket on the last night.  Washing all those sheets on the last day is not possible. 

Maria was ready next... 
One part of the Gospel today grabbed my thoughts... I have experienced this Truth - "do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say.  You will be given at that moment what you are to say.  For it will not be you who speak but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you."  I work many Catholic retreats called Together Encounter Christ and when you give a talk - Yes, you prepare but you are prayed over numerous times and we ask the Holy Spirit to say the words that those there need to hear.  He does!!!  There is no doubt that those present hear just want they need from Our Lord!  It is most amazing!  There have been times here in this close family time when we speak out of LOVE one to the other about issues we are dealing with and it is the Spirit at work also.  When we pray and believe - He ministers to those around us through our words and actions - giving without counting the cost!

Nancy with her little family- each one so precious!  Dominic has been so wonderful to have here.  His first time in Michigan at 3 weeks old!
Jesus, we thank you for the gift of Family and all LIFE is such a gift.  We are not just given a certain amount of love and it grows more thin with each new arrival - no, it grows larger and larger as we add each new LIGHT to our chandelier of most amazing beauty and brightness!   The Holy Spirit fills us with so much LOVE/LIFE/LIGHT - we are blessed over and over and ask that we can touch others in our domestic Church/family with The Truth we have received through Jesus in his Word, Sacraments, The Saints, Mary the Mother of God, The Church... so very much!  Jesus, we trust in YOU.  Amen and Hallelujah

All together in a big circle of LOVE!  Bless-bless, Barbara Luke

Another location - not as good but still a special keepsake for us....

I woke up to the full moon pouring in the cabin in the middle of the night... so wondrous is our world and our God and our Church, and our families, and our crosses in our lives that bring us to LIFE/LOVE/LIGHT! 

Peter Mayer - Holy Now