"God fashioined a living heaven" - "her soul was the space from which God was able to gain access into humanity." Pope Benedict XVI

Simon holding his youngest sister a few months back... she was just a month old when Hallel was here for her first home visit in 4 years!  She was able to meet 3 new nieces and a nephew.  Now we have another grandchild in the womb, and Hallel's prayers and ours are surrounding it from the moment we are aware of their arrival here on earth!


Speaking of life in the womb, and celebrating a day of birth... today is the birthday of our wonderful Blessed Mother, but I am discovering that it goes back to the beginning in many ways to her conception as it was according to the perfect plan for her to be "the holy throne which he prepared for himself.   He who established the heavens in wisdom has fashioned a living heaven."  (Byzantine Liturgy)  Such wondrous and glorious expressions of what her conception and growth in the womb of Anne and then her birthdate of entering the world all means for the world of sin and darkness!

Our entire family when Hallel was here... I added Joseph, who was in Virginia for training.


With my many losses over the years of my childbearing...7 including 2 buried at the cemetery as they were 5 months along... I have been asked if possibly some could have been blighted ovum and if they should be named and considered a life.  For me LIFE begins at conception and hence they all are my little ones that keep my eyes on heaven and whom I long to meet someday and know of their prayers for me.  http://familysoulstory.blogspot.com/p/my-most-cherished-cross-patrick-gerard.html

Hallel with the 3 baby girls our 3 daughters had within 10 months of each other in the last year.  So fun!

 "When the most holy Virgin was born, 

the whole world was made radiant;

blessed is the branch and blessed is the stem 

which bore such holy fruit."

Today's Liturgy of the Hours, Antiphon 2

I am in love with all the beautiful words this day on the day of birth of Mary!

LOVE!!

Happy Birthday, Blessed Mother! Today is the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Celebrated since the 6th century, the traditional date of the feast is September 8, exactly nine months after the feast of her Immaculate Conception. The birth of the Virgin Mary ushers in the dawn of the redemption of the human race through Jesus Christ.

O Mary of all women,
You are the chosen one,
Who..., ancient prophets promised,
Would bear God’s only Son;
All Hebrew generations
Prepared the way to thee,
That in your womb the God-man
Might come to set us free.

O Mary, you embody
all God taught to our race,
For you are first and foremost
In fullness of His grace;
We praise this wondrous honor
That you gave birth to Him
Who from you took humanity
And saved us from our sin.

Yes, it is true that we also celebrate her Conception on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, but for me there is not one without the other, right?  

And I see this as true in our domestic Church/family as we freely inform all of the new life so that there can be prayers surrounding that life and if there is a loss, there can be shared grief and support given.  Trusting in Him! 

Many told me to not inform my kids and family when we were expecting another child to spare them the pain of loss if I should lose it.  No!  In sharing that loss as a family we grew so close to each other, and our deep seated respect for all life grew from the tiny seed of loss/the cross called being open to life and raising lights yet some are called to be with him and pray for us left here to go forward!  It is important and good to be open and share pain as well as JOY!  Our joy would be dull and lackluster everything were all rosy and easy!

Lord, The LIGHT entered the world through your perfect Mother!  We rejoice with you and celebrate this her day of birth!  These words of St Paul to the Romans in the first reading from mass today; "We know that all things work for good for those who love God,
who are called according to his purpose.
For those he foreknew he also predestined
to be conformed to the image of his Son,
so that he might be the firstborn
among many brothers.
And those he predestined he also called;
and those he called he also justified;
and those he justified he also glorified."  Yes, we certainly are filled with great Joy this day!  Jesus, we trust in you.  Amen and Hallelujah

Special time with our family 4 months ago when they lived with us... It was great to spend a few days with them last week... grandpa sure got to reconnect with this sweety.

Bless-bless, Barbara Luke

He was there and then he was gone... til next time little sweetheart!

Joy is now 5 months old and looking for her first food!  She is enjoying our wonderful homemade applesauce.  This is why we do all the work!  We sadly don't have any apples this year, so we are unsure about getting our applesauce made this year.  Time will tell.

5 year old Rose loves to feed her sister maybe too much.  "Joy gets a little worried about what Rose is going to feed her next. "  I guess mom has a big helper, who is a little too enthusiastic. 

"Our concern must be to know God's Will. We must enter that path.
IF God Wants
WHEN God Wants
HOW God Wants."
-St. Gianna

This is real surrender, and the only path to true happiness.

"Remember that you are never alone. Christ is with you on your journey every day of your lives."
-St John Paul II

Even in the smallest, most thankless moments of this life's journey, you are not alone and the work you are doing does matter.

"We never give more honour to Jesus than when we honour

His Mother, and we honour her simply and solely to honour Him

all the more perfectly. We go to her only as a way leading

to the goal we seek - Jesus, her Son. ... 

She is an echo of God, speaking and repeating only God.  

If you say "Mary," she says "God." 

St Louis Marie de Montfort, True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin, #94

The Gospel - Ryan Stevenson

So good!

Danielle Rose - Hail Holy Queen

Danielle Rose - The saint that is just me