Advent -"presence or coming" begins with HOPE!/Back on the farm with snow/"Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord." - +JMJ+

Two grandsons that are cousins and just 2 years apart... they are of the same mind and heart even their hats are both Fr Kaupan's.  It warms my heart to know that the grandkids are close to one another!  Sharing deep and wonderful Truths too!  

The LIGHT of Mary the Mother of God chapel in the little brothers' Monastery at the foot of a steep hill in the heart of the poor in KCK.  It was where we gathered to share a Thanksgiving meal on Thursday!  

Their cupala painted by one of the little brothers some years ago when they built their monastery down the hill from the little sisters Lumen Christi/LIGHT of Christ Monastery.  

Aunt Hallel with two of her nieces - military girl, Therese and farm girl, Rose, whom grandpa and I brought along from Minnesota.  They were attending a teen girl's retreat the following day - Friday after Thanksgiving.  Bernadette joined them from Delano.  

Nancy's family from Delano and some from the farm provided the Thanksgiving meal for Open Table at the little brothers.  

16 year old Therese made a lot of the pies - all of the pumpkin from fresh pumpkins they collected around the neighborhood!  Not only that but she went the extra push of decorating them with the Immaculate heart of Our Lady - Mary Queen of heaven and earth!  

Maggie showing grandma her sweet hand me down wool coat.  Then she did a swing dance with her brother, Hector for my entertainment.  

Out Thanksgiving table 11 years ago - this is now Ruth and Paul's Dining room with the wall gone - open floor plan from one end of the house to the other.  

Our homemade tomato soup we canned this fall here.  Sharing in supper on base after our Thanksgiving in KCK.

Farmgirl 12 1/2 year old Rose Again along with us for a day on the road to KCK for Thanksgiving followed by a wonderful powerful retreat with her Aunt Hallel and two cousins.  

We left the farm with a beautiful frosted world but good roads for which we prayed and were thankful as we traveled in our chapel on wheels - Rosary, Morning prayer, and Catholic Radio fill a lot of our time.  

Pat loves his cranberry orange relish, and does the work.  He uses artificial sugar to make it healthy for him!  

We put out our Christmas lights on our porch - LIGHT in the darkness that comes so early these days.  

Bernadette hiding in the cupboard - lots of fun with the 3 granddaughters.  Pat and I were in charge of them overnight, but they still talked and laughed till after midnight.  "It was so much fun." said 16 year old Therese!  

Nancy's 2 youngest out to feed the chickens the table scraps with ls Collette.

Open table for about 50!  The food was wonderful and fed all well!  

This week - the First week of Advent is for HOPE - It represents the anticipation of the coming Messiah!  So much HOPE for our being forever in heaven with Jesus, Mary and the Saints and Angels!  

Sister hug!!!  Hallel and Nancy.  I am overjoyed that Nancy's family are coming more to Kansas now that there are two of the girls living there.  Our beloved Community of the Lamb and Major Joseph and Maria on base in Fort Riley, KS with their 7 homeschooled kids!  

The hall was full and we went around from youngest to oldest to share for what we are thankful for in the last year.  I shared that I am back volunteering with hospice and bringing Communion to my sweet ladies and a man here and there.  

O, I was the next to the oldest! 

Hallel and her family that shared Thanksgiving at Open Table -This was taken after we shared mass with Archbishop Naumann, who I am eternally grateful for bringing The Community of the Lamb for their first foundation in the U.S.  And only 7 hours from our door to theirs'. 

lb Francis Xavier with Archbishop Joseph Naumann.  

Through Him, with Him and in Him...We adore you, Jesus!  

After sharing in heaven here on earth at Mass we had wonderful food and fellowship with many.  

Hallel giving the girls little benches for Adoration and Bibles to read the Word of God with Jesus on the altar.  The Community of the Lamb love Jesus in the Word! 

Lumen Christi - LIGHT of Christ Monastery lit up on the hill with the evening star bright in the sky.  

So much JOY and HOPE sitting behind these 3 granddaughters as they witness the love, joy and prayer of their Aunt Hallel and her fellow little sisters!  

Talk about peace and joy - look at the face of this little soon to be 3 year old Regina Maria on the lap of her Aunt Hallel!  

Chief cook - son-in -law Bill!  He has made glorious turkeys for us since he and Nancy were dating in 2009 when John was battling brain cancer!  He works long and hard over them from salt water baths to butter all in and out of them!  So wonderful and moist beyond belief! 

Roses in the winter in KCK at the light of Mary the Mother of God Monastery!  Like our Lady to Guadalupe in Mexico in the winter!  

Bill serving those gathered at Open Table with his wonderful food! 

Dressed in a little brother blue apron.  I am so grateful that our Delano family, who lived just half an hour away in Shawnee, KS for 3-4 years and spent time each week with the little sisters.  Have now traveled the 7 hours to be in KCK with The Community twice in the last few months!  LOVE!!!  

It was such a beautiful day!  Cool but so pretty and bright.  

The girls and the Archbishop!  

12 year old Bernadette with her little sister, Gina.  Gina is so loved by all her 5 older siblings!  

Overhead in Lumen Christi Monastery - the Lamb - "Wounded, I will never cease to LOVE."  So hard to do!  Jesus, the Lamb of God, showed us how to live this out in our lives and families and marriages and homes!  

Maggie and Hector showing the dance moves they learned from their big sister, Therese.  

Friday after Thanksgiving - the 3 teens just before they attended the girls' retreat with a total of 38 girls!  They loved many parts of it!  They shared that they cried at Adoration, they wrote heartfelt letters about what Jesus means to them, and the skit was so good!  

Grandma was praying so hard for them to come closer to Our Lord and always ask Jesus for the plan he has for each of their lives - They will find happiness and peace and JOY with Jesus and His Church!  

Hallel reading a sharing by St Clement at morning prayer with Mary looking over her shoulder!  

Therese with Jesus - she was so aware of his True Presence!  

Rose and Bernadette with Jesus on the altar during Evening prayer on Thanksgiving Day.

Raking leaves to work off their big meal and get some fresh air!  

What we remember from our first ancestors here in America!  

The pie dessert parade we have after each meal!  

Archbishop is fundraising to build a retirement home by the Little brothers at the foot of the hill.  

They wear capes when the weather gets cold and Advent arrives!  

Hallel is Godmother to her Therese, and that is such a blessing to both.  

Rose gazing into the light filled humble chapel of the light of Mary the Mother of God Monastery where the little brothers have their home.  

The 3 teens and younger sister to Berna, Josephine, who is 8.  

Little brothers chapel...  

"The Lord bless you and keep you.  The Lord make his face to shine upon you and give you his peace."  A farewell blessing from our family of the Lamb!  So much LOVE!!  

The girls were glowing and so happy after their teen retreat!  

Pat and I went to St Joseph about an hour away to see the new foundation that they have started there.  3 of the sisters go there for a week each month to live and pray and beg for their food from the poor.  

The 4 Apostles in each corner of the dome in St Mary's Catholic Church next store to their rectory now Monastery in St Joseph, MO.  

Mary the Mother of God with the 3 candles I lit for each of the girls while they were making their retreat.  So many prayers and HOPE for their future walk with Our Lord and Lady!  

Their front porch with the church right next store.  

A huge window on the stairway in their new monastery in St Joseph, MO.

Library for the sisters in St Joseph

Their chapel in St Joseph

The refectory where they eat meals.

I have never seen this icon before - Abraham feeding the angels - the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.  

The Church year begins...

we d

We drove out of the snowy roads thank goodness.

We added an hour to our trip up to Christmas with Pat's siblings to end our time away.

Woke up to snow Saturday morning.  

The two 5 year olds missing their buddy Jude the dude.  

These two are both 8 and Joy will join them in March.  We were on base in Fort Riley with 14 grandkids and 6 adults.  

Grandma and Grandpa with the 14 grandkids before we headed up to the Cities for a Christmas - it took us 10 hours because of the bad roads as we left Kansas.  

It was crazy but fun to be with 14 of our 23 grands snowed in in Kansas.

12 year old Berna with her little sister, Regina Maria - Queen Mary!  

Bumpa made pancakes for 20 - the line was steady.  

the little girls loving the pancakes made by their farmer grandpa.

Sister puzzle time.

Looking at cows on grandpa's phone.  

LOVE this - how Pat loves the little ones and they love him!  Bumpa!!!  

The 3 grands, little brother David, who is blind, and the Archbishop.  I am so filled with HOPE and LOVE and JOY after this wonderful Thanksgiving and all!  The words from the Psalm today - R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
I rejoiced because they said to me,
"We will go up to the house of the LORD."
And now we have set foot
within your gates, O Jerusalem.  Psalm 22

How I love The Church and this new season of Advent - the coming of Jesus into the world - LIGHT into the world of darkness.  Jesus, I trust in you.  Bless-bless, Barb and the 33 plus 13 in heaven

All which I took from thee I did but take,

Not for thy harms,

But just that thou might'st seek it in My arms.

All which thy child's mistake

Fancies as lost, I have stored for thee at home:

 'Rise, clasp My hand, and come!'

 

- Excerpt from The Hound of Heaven, Francis Thompson

 

"As we are searching for God, the good news is that God is searching for us.  Better yet, He has found us.  The great question is not whether we have found God but whether we have found ourselves being found by God.  God is not lost.  We were, or, as the case may be, we are. ...

Here is what St. Paul says: “It is full time now for you to wake from sleep.”  He is telling us to wake up the gift already given.  This season of the Church’s calendar is called Advent, which means “coming”.  Christ came, Christ comes, Christ will come again.  There is no time–past, present, or future–in which Jesus the Christ is not God with us.  He was with you yesterday, is with you today, and will be with you tomorrow. 
So we are invited to give up our searching and let ourselves be found by the One who wants to be with us, and to have us with Him, forever." - Fr. Richard John Neuhaus, God With Us

 

Hail Holy Queen - Nashville Dominicans - just like our sisters sing it at night prayer!  

The girls sharing night prayer with Hallel and all!