Hallel's LIFE as a Little Sister on Catholic Sprouts/“My home is within you.”/A day with Joy - painting, tea party, pancakes with sprinkles with grandpa on the porch on a glorious day! ...

Hallel meeting her youngest niece, Regina Maria, a week ago when she was here for a home visit on the farm.  Little did I know that she and Nancy were recording her sharing on Catholic Sprouts this week all about her life as a Little Sister of the Lamb!  

Today Hallel shares with us her life as a Little Sister of the Lamb.  I personally learned so much!

Some notes from her sharing; 

Our habits are blue - the color of heavenly sky- bring this light of heaven here on earth!

Contemplative - spend a lot of time with Jesus in prayer.  

Jesus is our best friend - talking and listening to him in the Gospel.  Learning to get to know Jesus and who we are.

Missionaries - go out like Jesus sent his Disciples - send out 2 - go out as beggars - knocking on doors for food to eat at lunch time.  Reveal to them that God is a beggar.  Each one of us has a door on our heart.  He will not force his way in.  

Sisterly life -  not always easy to get along.  "Wounded, I will never cease to love."  Jesus lived it first.  Hurts/wound either I can be a victim or I can try to get revenge or I can just go in my heart and beg Jesus to help me to love her- the gift of the Resurrection as you did for me, Jesus.  Show the world that it is possible to live in peace!  We want to love not hatred!  

Arms full of the 3 new ones in our family - with each new LIFE our LOVE grows more!  

"I want to be with the nuns!"  Evangeline Mary was the constant companion of Hallel and Benedict.  Grandma is going out to Seattle tomorrow and I expect Evie to be by my side, too!  You are never alone with this sweet girl.  

With our huge family meals there was lots of dishes to do, and Hallel spent a lot of time at the sink doing the dishes!  She describes her life as "prayer and dishes".  With their vow of poverty they do not have hot running water and heat their water on the stove to do the dishes.  They definitely do not have a dishwasher other than their own two hands and many hands make light work.

I have heard that the day after we returned them to Kansas City that they were very exhausted - "They were just staring ahead at breakfast, but we did manage to get a few stories out of them."  Sr Stella shared with me.

Today Josephine turns 6!  They were all 5 together for about a month and a half.   Today Joy is here with grandma for the day! 

We shared morning and evening prayer with Hallel and Benedict while they were here.  Much song and sharing the Gospel in a kind of telephone game as we sat in a big circle and shared lines from the Gospel from one to the next one to them - all the way around the circle with as many of 20 of us from 70 to baby Thomas at 5 months!  These words today from the Psalm from mass - Psalm 87 - "My home is within you."  Our inner temples are filled with LIGHT/LOVE/LIFE - the Holy Spirit dwelling within us!  

Joy with my parents and the glorious roses to start our time together!  We have certain things that we share together - today it started with watercoloring together.  I draw the picture and she paints and then I highlight and it is a great group effort!  

My sweet Joy Joy!

Today our picture started out with Joy and her baby brother, Thomas, and then we added her 9 baby kittens!   

The sketch - we had a discussion about using skin color on the faces and not puple or red.  

We also talked about using smaller brushes for the baby kittens - she was quite precise about their colors - 3 white with grey ears, 3 black and 3 gray.  

"It is good to take your time."  I can tell that she is learning things at preschool.  Next year Kindergarten all day!  Mom will have Tommy then walking by then.  Her next litttle companion on the farm!  

Grandpa pop and markers, too!  

Our finished work of art!  a group effort with baby kittens everywhere!  Joy told me that they moved themselves from the playhouse to the dirt shed where the goats and the pigs live.  I guess they wanted some interesting company!  

A fun and busy day with my sweet little "farmer."  

Out to get the mail Joy helped pick up a big branch that the wind blew down out of my huge 100 year old Cottonwood tree!  I will be mowing for the first time today before I fly to Seattle for a week tomorrow.  

Grandpa joined us for lunch on the porch on "such a nice day."  Joy said that she and grandpa are farmers.  "And farmers get dirty!"

Pat shared that she found 14 eggs in the ground hay mountain yesterday.  Joy loves to be outside on the farm even by herself!  

Perfect time of year to eat on my wonderful porch with perfect temps and no bugs!  And we had the eggs Joy found from our own chickens!  

Homemade strawberry jam and sprinkles!  

Joy found a tea set in a drawer of toys - so a new tradition has begun with a tea party shared on my porch swing today!   A pancake with sprinkles cut in a pie shape and sweet tangerines make our tea party special on a beautiful day with a sweet girl!  

Joy and I remembered how I would sit out on my porch on nice days with my dad while he lived here with me for 6 months until his natural death 2 years ago for an entire growing season!  

Grandpa ready to go to town and fix a tire for my lawn mower so that I can mow my lawn today!  

"Grandpa and I are farmers, and farmers get dirty!"  

My happy place indeed!

We decided that our next tea party when I get back from Seattle - we will wear pretty dresses and lift up our pinky fingers like proper ladies do!  

Pouring the tea, while grandma takes her forever pictures.  

She already "swam" in my jacuzzi, and she is now in my dad's lift chair watching Big City Greens!  Grandma has her rosary beads and nap calling her before the mowing will begin!  I find so much peace flooding my heart, mind and soul when I begin to pray to Our Lord through Our Lady!  My dwelling place for the Lord within me is filled with so much LIGHT and those sweet singing birds that Joy, I, and Pat commented about as we sat on the porch just moments ago.  

Joy recalls a Baltimore Oriole that sang on the deck outside her crib each morning and woke up mom and dad with it's beautiful song.  

Baltimore Oriole songs

Yes, I can see how this would wake a person up in the morning, Joy!  Bless-bless, Barbara/grandma and the 50 - 33 here with us and 17 in heaven including our parents!  Yes, Lord, your home is within me!   

Bill Withers - lovely day is so true of today!  

Every night before bed - Hail Holy Queen!