Tuesday, December 16, 2014

"Look to him that you may be radiant with JOY," Psalm 34

Thinking about Amy today as she recovers from being sick... still weak and needing a day to work from home.  Also feeling the lingering effects of her smiling beaming face after she came to spend a weekend at the farm with us.  The Psalm from mass today really speaks of where that JOY comes from..."Look to him that you may be radiant with joy, and your faces may not blush with shame...  Let my soul glory in the Lord; the lowly will hear me and be glad."  Psalm 34  Talk about a light that comes from within to touch all those around you! 
I am so lucky that Amy likes and appreciates pictures, so John goes along with the fun!
 
I am in the midst of much pondering and planning for our gathering with my family this weekend - CCC - Cross Christmas Camp!  Foremost is being able to see and hold and photograph my family from Texas...  I am the only one who has seen Romeo and that was almost 3 months ago now, as he was 3 months old yesterday!  I have longed to get the 3 new grandsons together, and with Luke now walking that will be a trick - probably requiring the 3 moms to hold the 3 boys!  I have visions of dressing them alike or coordinating, so I am gathering sizes and ideas are swimming around in my head.  Yes, I am a bug about this, but having Hallel in Rome and yet to meet the 3 new nephews gives me great incentive to do this over and over and over and over again.  I always say about my pictures - "I take so many of them that I am bound to get some good ones!" 
Luke made my day at Sunday Dinner sitting up to the table like a big boy and Santa hat and Christmas Sundae and on and on and on!
 
 How did I get so addicted to photos?  By having many babies, baby animals and a hunky husband is what I have come to realize.  My husband was disapproving of all my pictures, so many of them were taken from behind as he walked away or was at work.  It is a gift to have now girls that have nice cameras and take pictures for me!  They can get their dad to smile and pose where I would not have luck. 
 
Returning to my original thought for this sharing about where our JOY comes from...  There is so much credit that goes to my husband, Patrick, and his direction from the Holy Spirit on which our marriage is based - "The world needs lights!"  Raising your children with morals and values and sharing your Faith with great JOY is such a foundation for that Faith to become their own and for them to find that place of happiness within themselves.  They do not have the pain and baggage of much sin and darkness to deal with.  As my girls have said now as they are all either in their 30s or close to it - Hallel was 29 this year... "Mom, we have nothing hard to talk about in our lives."  Not to say that sharing the pain of losing brothers and sisters through miscarriage and still birth was not painful for them, or facing John's brain cancer as a united family force surrounded by PRAYER wasn't a cross, too... but it is also true that through the Tree of LIFE/The Cross we find LIFE/LOVE/LIGHT!
They bought each other "ugly sweaters" and gave them to each other at Thanksgiving time so that they could have lots of chances to wear them.  John's lives up to the name, but Amy's is adorable!
 
Yes, some kids that have had struggles and are given nothing by their parents can come to a firm Faith and their lives can be transformed.  But it is so much better to give them a firm foundation in our homes/domestic Church, and The Way, The Truth, and the LIFE everlasting/Jesus can take root and bear much Fruit in their lives and change the world filling it with LIGHT and LIFE and LOVE! 
 Smiling
 Radiant with JOY
 A joyful smile that fills our heats with warmth from the little ones that remind me of my little ones!
 Jesus, it truly is the season of Joy and rejoicing in this third week of Advent/Gaudete!  Every time we light that pink candle we are reminded of the call to Rejoice - You soon will arrive to fill the world with LIGHT!  May we take to heart the Truth that we are called to raise LIGHTS by sharing the Truth with JOY in our domestic Church/family.  We can find a small slice of heaven here on earth as we find YOU in our midst.  May we give without counting the cost and although at times we are wounded - may we never cease to love and forgive.  Jesus, we know that the poor and lowly are those that come to you, and go when you tell us to and come when you call us to.  Jesus, we trust in YOU.  Amen and Hallelujah
Bless-bless, Barbara Luke
 
 Ruth and Paul's motto for their happy marriage - say words and do things for one another that are Life-giving!  Such a powerful reminder of how to treat one another!
The ugly mud has been covered by this beauty!

Our craft at camp last year - an ornament on the tree... gearing up for my family Christmas this weekend!  Lord, give my mom healing and strength to join us for some!

 So pretty!
 Herbie wants in, and I let him in.

First we got rain and so there is ice underneath...
Mary did you know - Pentatonix
Brandon Heath - Give me your eyes

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