I love this picture of my youngest grandson, Romeo, in the loving arms of his big sister, Therese. Romeo is now 7 months old and has red hair with blue eyes, and is a delight. Maria shared that he had just gone through the agony of double ear infections plus cutting his first tooth. But look at him now happy and sweet as can be. His 7 year old sister has always loved him and cared for him with no limits to what she will do for her baby brother. She loves babies so much, and when she was here for a month she would be the one to bring him down from his naps and change his diapers and bring him from one place to another and always aware of what Romeo was doing or needing. This is so reminiscent of how our 4th daughter, Susan now Little Sister Hallel, would care for her baby brother, John. There had been 2 losses between them so they were over 3 years apart, and after the pain of the losses it just seemed that Hallel felt herself to be his care giver and care taker. There is a family story of how she saved his life when he was just walking about 18 months old. We were out in the yard with some company visiting and suddenly Susan/Hallel said; "Where's John?" We looked around to see him walking into the shed just as his dad was beginning to back the tractor out of it. We rushed over and scooped him up just in the nick of time! She was always caring for him and watching out for him! It was quite evident to all of us that sharing our losses as a family (7 - 2 of which were 5 month still births)made us have deep abiding love and appreciation for those that we have here with us here on earth! The toddler and little girl Susan witnessed her families grief at the loss of Thomas and Joseph - the names I have given to these two losses - and when we were allowed to have John join us she rejoiced and protected his life!
Hallel returned home from her postulancy in France when we were fighting the battle against John's brain cancer less than a year after she had left. http://familysoulstory.blogspot.com/p/johns-cancer-stories.html For more on this here is the page I have devoted to John's cancer journey... More than most anything else about his brain cancer John loved that it brought our family together to fight the fight with him shoulder to shoulder!
One thing that really came out of this retreat weekend is much like I am sharing here... If it weren't for the Cross/suffering and deaths in our lives the good times and places would not be near as sweet! If life was a bed of roses it would get pretty boring and dull. When we have those hard places with the hurts and pain and dying to self we then find LIFE/LOVE/LIGHT with Christ and His Bride, The Church! Yes, it is hard to face the losses in life, but I have so much excitement and JOY with my eyes on heaven knowing that I will be united with my 7 in heaven someday! I feel their prayers and love for me and I must really need a lot of them! I have named them... with 4 girls I felt that for some reason I couldn't carry boys... Christopher, Thomas, Joseph, Paul, William, Robert, and Mary. The last 3 I lost after John - William and Robert were both at 5 months and are buried at the cemetery, and since I had John here with me I named the last one Mary, hoping that she would be able to stay with me here and show all those that think I quit because I had my boy. No! Sometimes it is just too much work to share the story.
When we repeat this 10 times in our prayer called The Rosary, we are merely saying Scripture/Gospel! Such a gift to me! The Annunciation is a decade - 1st joyful- that I pray every day for Pat and I! Mary's yes for me - Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word. A bit more than a simple "yes" - such beautiful submission to her Lord. How I wish I could do better at this! Hear my prayer, Holy Mother of God!
Jesus, with your Mother at your side... the Queen Mother of Heaven... I have so much to learn from her humility as she shows me how to bear LIFE to the world. May we bring her into our homes and allow her to show us how to heal our domestic Church/family. We need the Holy Family to be at the center of our homes as we share our Faith with great JOY! May we always love without reservation Jesus and His Bride, The Church! The Church is here to help us get to heaven, so why would we ever question or pick and choose? Choose sin and darkness over LIGHT and Truth? It just does not make sense at all! It is with great JOY that we proclaim "Hallelujah" today to celebrate the coming of God in the form of a human - the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel, which means "God is with us!" Isaiah 8:10 The first reading from mass today! Our Salvation comes through the gift of LIFE in the womb - that is the best! Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah! Jesus, we trust in you. Amen and Hallelujah
St Catherine of Siena (1380) was quoted in the Magnificat today so I thought I would google some of her quotes - Wow!
I think our Lady exemplifies this Truth!
Unspoken - Start a fire
I have to share this again, and it seems that they are listening to St Catherine... We need to set the world ablaze!
Danielle Rose - The Saint that is just me
We are all called to be Saints!
So beautiful - Hallelujah!
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