Godmother, Hallel, and Goddaughter, Therese, share Religious life/Catholic grandmother/Heavenly family wedding - +JMJ+

This arrived in the mail today!  It has been a bit beat up in the mail, with even a nibble out of the bottom.  But it is filling me with delight especially after the amazing phone call we received as we were driving home from a family wedding over the weekend.  I love the picture taken in Big Lake Michigan last summer!

My beautiful niece on her wedding day with such a stunning bouquet of flowers!  Our Therese is a gardener also with a magical touch when it comes to transplanting and growing flowers wherever she had lived in her many homes across the country!  

All the forts that Therese has lived in for the last 19 years!  Now to Bismarck, ND and the University of Mary!  Her two Aunts, Ruth and Nancy were graduates of U of Mary!  So excited for our Therese!  

Praying at Mass with some lily of the Valley!

I was starting to share about this phone call we received from KCK - Lumen Christi Monastery on our way home from Nisswa.  We were so surprised to hear both our nun, little sister Hallel, and our granddaughter, Therese together.  "We are having some Godmother, Goddaughter time together!"  It so happens that Therese finished up school, and was not sure what she could do next.  Before she knew it she was on the road - for the 2 hours distance from Fort Riley, KS to Kansas City!

My Mary pregnant with Jesus statue and lily of the valley!  I am filling in with random pictures as I share because I just have words and not pictures to share with you the sharing we had from our daughter and her Goddaughter on our trip home!  

They were so happy and excited to share with us the special prayers and going on mission together including hitch hiking to get back to the Monastery!  "We knocked on many doors and they gave us food.  One told us to come back tomorrow that they didn't have anything to share today.  Then they came and found us and gave us some white rice with sauce.  It was so good!"  "After we ate in an apartment, we hitchhiked to get back! We got a ride right away from a Hispanic man with a couple kids.  They had a statue of Mary on the dash!"

Therese is a baker extraordinary!  She made this amazing lemon cake for Mother's Day!  This is her 9 year old sister, Evangeline, modeling the cake with gorgeous Peonies!  

Hallel and Therese shared that she had done some gardening with ls MarieJean.  How she loves to garden like her Aunt Ruth, her grandma, Gail, and now with the little sisters!  She brought along her water color paints and will paint with Marie jean too!  I am so very happy and excited for her! 

Mother's Day family picture of Maria with her 7 military kids -of which Therese is the oldest and leaving for college in the fall in Bismarck!  

The 7 military kids five years ago with new baby sister, Magdalene!  Therese is a fabulous oldest sister!  she has changed more diapers than her mom!  The joke is - "Here Therese look I had you another baby to take care of!"  Truth!  

Hallel 4 years ago on a home visit giving baby Tommy his first taste of ice cream - so good!  

Therese is staying till tomorrow so she can have a time with the "young adults" tonight with a meal and time in prayer and hanging out.  There are many of the younger little sisters for her to share time with too!  I just cannot stop thinking about her there having so much fun with her Aunt Hallel and The Community of the Lamb!  

4 years ago with 22 of the 23 grands - we added Lucy the following January!   Grandma doing her dress alike thing - one way that I splurge on them!  We also do experiences!  

Knowing how special this time is for Therese makes me yearn for some of the others down through the years also having time with The Community!  I want all my grandchildren to include discerning a call to priesthood, being a brother or sister when they ask the Lord to show them the path he has for each one.  Being Christ's is such a gift and a blessing!  

The same mass that Fr Denny preached about listening to the prompting of the Holy Spirit in our lives - there was a Schoenstatt Sister in Mass!  My thoughts took flight!  I recalled how I made sure that my girls went to Schoenstatt Camp so that they could see nuns in habits and experience the JOY they live out!  Coming home from Camp with Susan/Hallel when she was about 10 or 11 she told me - "Mom, I think that I am going to be a nun."  I had to pull the car over as I wept for JOY!  

After Mass I told Ruth, Nancy and Maria that we need to get their girls to camp - Next summer as two are not yet 10!  

https://familysoulstory.blogspot.com/p/susan-angela-agneslittle-sister-hallel.html  

Praying together on their visit at the farm!  ls Benedict is a member of our family as she has been here with the Community from the beginning in 2008!  I can only imagine all the powerful prayer that T is sharing in!  They were up most of the night in the Vigil for The Ascension which was celebrated on Sunday!  

John and Bobbi with Jude and Birdie 4 years ago - they now have added Lucy, who is 3 already!  

I need to go for now, but I am still brimming with excitement and JOY!  

Last September we had a "surprise" 40th Birthday party for our nun in KCK - all of our 5 kids were there - together for the first time in a couple years!  

At this time we have 2 daughters living a couple hours apart in Kansas, and that allowed Maria's oldest,  Therese to spend some days with the sisters including her Godmother, little sister Hallel!  

John and Bobbi's wedding in 2018.  All but Hallel, and we have since added 8 grandkids - 3 of which are John and Bobbi's.  John was told while he was battling brain cancer that he probably would not be able to have children.  That has been proved wrong 3 times now!  

We are working together of John's book about his finding Faith through brain cancer!  His miracle continues with wife and children!  

https://familysoulstory.blogspot.com/p/johns-cancer-stories.html  

John's Spirit Juice video

All but Hallel 3 years ago for our 44th Anniversary.  We have added Lucy since than.  

4 years ago - so soft and sweet!  

A promise made to Pat's sister, Grace... I filled both Pat and my glass with red wine.  Pat does not drink, so I use both of our glasses on occasion.  

There you go Grace with her husband wonderful Jack!  

Grandparent's Day at St Max in Delano- 10 year old Josephine with crowned Mary.

Visiting her class - I had 6 to visit from Preschool to 8th grade!  

4 year old Queen Mary - Regina Maria!  

1st grader George!  I told him something I love to do with him is to watch him with his 2 cousins that are his age ( 3 boys in 6 weeks!), and to have large crazy family meals and special times together!  

Bernadette is in 6th grade, and sang in the choir during Mass when heaven came down to earth!  

Domnic is in 5th grade and was one of the altar boys!  

Gus is in his final grade at St Max - he will be going to Chesterton in Robbinsdale next year!   

Gus is the MC on the altar - so close to the consecration!  Dominic is also assisting.  So powerful and beautiful.  Fr Kyle uses boys on the altar and they need to be open to considering the priesthood.  My prayers for our grandsons!  Priests are so needed to keep LIFE in the world - Body and Blood of Jesus!  

An amazing sharing last night at our CCW meeting by a wonderful TEC friend, Missy!  So inspiring to hear the Holy Spirit at work and healing her in her life!  I especially smiled when she shared about St Agnes - our Susan chose St Agnes as her Patron Saint while visiting her older sister studying in Rome!  Getting to know her story of being put into a house of prostitution to break her love of Jesus and her body - the only man that tried to touch her was struck blind and she left there untouched.  She went to her death as a bride to her Groom/Jesus!  

I have encouraged others to pray to St Agnes to assist us in this world of sin and darkness!  

Nancy and mom

Helping me with my garden about 11 years ago!  How I love and appreciate the help now that I don't have little ones at home anymore.

Gus and Berna 13 years ago while their parents were in Scotland for a wedding!  They were so good for grandma!  

John with 3 month old Lief at the wedding.

John dancing with "the girl posse."

Pat listening to the speeches by candlelight.  "They were all so good!"  

Mother of the Bride with her 3 month old grandson!  

What a work of art - yummy and beautiful with the lake as a backdrop!  Then the gorgeous flowers too!  

How I love our groups of grands!  These girls are all 9, and grandma sure loved to dress them alike.  Recently I got all the young girls the same shirt - Pray like a girl!

7 granddaughters - Pray like a girl!!

Truth!!!  

13 years ago - 5 month old Bernadette!  

Classic with big brother, Augustine, who is 1 1/2 year older than her.

Tommy loves his naps with grandma!  This was 2 years ago now.  

My cup runneth over with so much to share!  Jesus, may I die to self so that I may serve without counting the cost.  Jesus, I trust in you.  Bless-bless, Barbara and the 33 here and 13 in heaven.

Psalm 139 - Wonderfully made