Rain all summer long!

 Mary and the sunflowers in my Mary garden on this hot end of summer day.

 Most summers I don't have to mow because the lawn is dead due to the drought, but not this summer!

 Pat was exclaiming that this is the summer of his dreams... "You drive through the country and you see corn busting out the end of the ears.  This year we have corn busting out the end of the cobs thanks to all the wonderful rains!" 

 A sight we have longed and prayed for after year after year.  Thank you, Lord!

 Happy to mow on this hot day... a sign of all the rain to keep things green and growing.

 Mowing in the shade was delightful.

Now that's green, and in September too!  Bless-bless, Barb

"each day meditate on the words of your Creator..." St Gregory the Great

Little Sister Hallel reading a scripture during morning prayer at Easter time in Kansas City.

After hearing from Hallel/Susan on the phone on Sunday, and following her journey from Saint Pierre, France to Rome in my heart and mind -she arrived there yesterday... now St Gregory the Great today and his love of Christ in The Word of God, I am very much thinking of Hallel and her Community of the Lamb today. 

Why?  Because Susan's love of Jesus in His Gospels/The Word of God is what led her to know that she was called to be a Little Sister. 

Why?  Because beginning the night before they mendicate/chew The Gospel for the next day and numerous times they take each line and read it 5 times and chant it 10!  In this way they do something similar to Lectio Divina in how they truly ponder and meditate upon each verse, and glean much from it with the help of the Holy Spirit!  They become Christ through His Word, and are Christ knocking on the door of the poor. 

Why do they knock on the doors of the poor?  They beg for their food from the poor!

 Our friend Maggie, from Kansas City is now in France and on August 22 - the Queenship of Mary - she took her habit and her name is now Little Sister Amaya!  Amaya means beloved and she was the niece of St Clare!  Hallel shared that she went with her family and Little Sister Amaya to Lourdes for 2 days last week, and that is was most powerful for all of them.  How I remember that place with great emotion.  It was where I watched my son, John, weak and sick with brain cancer learn to love Our Lady with an undying love and devotion!  In a lot of ways she brought him to his new found Faith through brain cancer and clinging to Jesus and His Bride the Church and surrounded by an ocean of prayers! 
http://familysoulstory.blogspot.com/p/johns-cancer-stories.html 

 The simple beauty of their chapel filled with in incense of their prayers throughout the day.  I am hoping and praying that next spring we will get our every 3 year home visit.  But I do see that Hallel has to leave behind her prayer life and some of the sacraments she is blessed with daily with mass and adoration!  It is truly as the air that she breaths, and the LOVE communication between her spouse and Hallel!

 Their lights shine so brightly!

What about begging for their food from the poor?  No, they don't do it daily, and when they do they call it going on a mission.  How can they ever feel this would be right?  Little Sister Marie, their founder, wrestled with this as she felt called to return to their roots of begging for their food and totally depending on the divine providence of the Lord as St Dominic did.  More than that she felt that they should beg for their food from the poor!  In prayer she was led to I Kings17:7-16 - Elijah and the widow...  "make me a loaf and you will never run out..."  With her last bit of flour, oil, and water she shared from her lack and never ran out!  So many times has the Community discovered the blessings flowing from their encounters with the poor as they knock on their doors as Christ knocking on their hearts... sharing Jesus in His Word and taking their prayer needs to heart!

 Hallel at prayer with now Little Sister Amaya... Amaya remains in France while Hallel is now back in Rome.  Hallel certainly has had some rich and world wide experiences in her 7 years with The Community of the Lamb!  Most importantly is the way she is blessed each day from her prayer and study of The Word... as St Gregory The Great said - Learn the heart of God in the words of God, so that you will long more ardently for eternity.  St Gregory the Great (604)

I think that St Gregory is amazing!

To see my sweet daughter in prayer/love communication with her spouse is so wondrous and fills me with JOY!

The Cross is truly the Tree of LIFE/LOVE/LIGHT!

Jesus, today in the Gospel you teach from the boat on the sea - Simon's boat!  You then ask him to lower the nets for a catch and he does in his fatigue after fishing all night with no catch at all.  There are so many fish that the boat is about to sink!  Terrified at your might and realizing deep in his soul that you are God/The Messiah... he is so humbled and unworthy in your sight...Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.  Luke 5  Yet, you love him and call him to leave all and follow after you and become a fisher of men!  Yes, Lord, over and over again I have witnessed your miracles in my life and I am humbled and unworthy of this constant stream of LOVE for me and unconditional forgiveness.  Yet, in your Lord's prayer we pray first that you forgive our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us... we need to forgive others first!  Not hold onto our anger and resentment... help us, Lord, to see clearly where we are nursing our hurts and wounds and go and forgive them!  May we come to you in the Sacrament of healing and lay our burdens at your feet.  Jesus, we trust in you.  Amen and Hallelujah

 Sharing The LIGHT! 

we do not cease praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God's will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, so as to be fully pleasing, in every good work bearing fruit and growing in the knowledge of  God, strengthened with every power, in accord with his glorious might, for all endurance and patience, with joy giving thanks to the Father, who has made you fit to share in the inheritance of the holy ones of light.  He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the Kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, and forgiveness of sins.  St Paul to the Colossians 1:9-14 - the first reading from mass today.  St Paul should know The Truth and how we marvel at his words of LOVE/LIFE/LIGHT!  Bless-bless, Barbara Luke

Danielle Rose - True Love/The Cross!

Eric Clapton - Holy Mother

Romeo is just a couple weeks from one and already in love with books! 

Animals everywhere!!!!

Ruby at grandma's...

 The seven kittens have moved over to Ruth's place, and...

 are having the ride of their lives!

 How did we get here at this crazy house full of kids and toys and noise?

 Buckle your seatbelts everyone!

 Seven kittens in a dump truck - ooops one was upside down in there!

I think they were relieved to get out to the playhouse with mom for the night.  The animals are giving us some giggles and change of pace.  Bless-bless, Barb

Mary in the LIGHT calling out to me

Out to check on the rain overnight - 1 1/2 inches!  The earth is refreshed and glorious were the morning glories this morning.  Morning glories are so aptly named as they glow in the sunlight and give great praise to the new early morning light.  I am always drawn to capture them aglow with my Mary statue under the pine tree at the top of our driveway.  Lilly had sat there in her peace and bright morning light this morning.... it looks as though she is resting her head on her from this perspective.  That very much expresses how she is special to my heart lately.

Ever since I opened my new Magnificat a couple nights ago and read the Editorial by Fr Peter Cameron, OP about Our Lady of Sorrows... which happens to be both Pat's and Romeo's birthdays in 2 weeks - Sept 15... I have been touched at my deepest place by his sharing.  He shared how Mary allows us to come to a place of hope and coming to Jesus for forgiveness... Bereft of the presence of the Sorrowful Mother at the cross, would we ever dare to hope for salvation, faced with the condemnation of our own sins?

Fr Cameron then speaks quite a bit about the wonderful song Eric Clapton wrote when he was at the bottom due to his alcoholism - "Holy Mother"

The song is a prayer:

Holy Mother, where are you?

Tonight I feel broken in two

Holy Mother, can't keep from crying.

Oh, I need your help this time,

Tell me please which way to turn

To find myself again.

Today in the Gospel there is another woman, who is sick in bed... Simon's mother-in-law..."they interceded with him (much like his mother does for us, and who knows maybe she was there, too?) about her.  He stood over her, rebuked the fever, and it left her.  She immediately got up and waited on them."  Luke 4

I look up from my sick bed of sin and darkness... weak and sick to my core... and I see Jesus standing over me!  Wow!  He commands/rebukes my sinfulness and my sickness of heart, mind and soul to leave me, and it vanishes into the LIGHT.  Yes!  I jump up and wait on my Jesus and become his hands and feet in this world.  I am so grateful for the intercession of my Lady, Mary Queen of Heaven and earth, as well as The Saints and Angels. 

John shared another instance of how he missed being hurt yesterday... a fence crashing down very close to where he was..."That is why I pray to your guardian angels each day."  I can just envision the angels holding John safely and pushing the fence away from him.  I have too often lately had those close calls and said these words.  I am very much convinced that I must pray each day and recognize them with us and protecting us.  "Guardian angels thank you and continue to watch over all of us.  Amen and Hallelujah"

Lilly with Our Lady in the sunlight.

Dear Lord, where do we experience this healing as you rebuke our fevers and sicknesses?  In the confessional with the sacrament of reconciliation!  I have had you stand over me and without judgment command me to get well and I long to then go walking and leaping and praising God and taking that forth into my world.  May I always come to you through my prayers to Mary that she bring all my needs and weaknesses to you as she intercedes for me.  I hear the words of Hallel reminding me that when we are sick and weak is when we turn to Jesus. May I always be poor and weak = humble in your sight, O Lord.  Jesus, I need you and trust in you.  Amen and Hallelujah

 Ruth shared that she had her two youngest and the 7 kittens in her house all over the living room.  I can just imagine... Yikes!  Bless-bless, Barbara Luke

I take enough that I should get a few good ones!

Eric Clapton - Holy Mother

He finds hope:

Holy Mother, hear my prayer,

Somehow I know you're still there.

Send me please some peace of mind;

Holy Mother, hear my cry,

I've felt the anger running through my soul;

All I need is a hand to hold."

She will hold us, comfort us and take our needs to her loving and forgiving Son! 

The Truth gives us hope - Prayer!

St Paul turning darkness into LIGHT!

Maria has done so much work to promote beauty and Truth in her home!   I was amazed and pondered long and hard and learned... all the time she spent on how each number represented something from our Faith!  A work which shows her LOVE for Jesus and His Bride, The Church!

 I know that Maria, Joe and their kids do novenas in their home.  As a convert this is not something that I think to do, but how powerful and deep to pray and fast for 9 days for intentions and with the help of the Saints!  Wow! 

Today St Paul once again talks about how we that are of the LIGHT need to be always vigilant and ready for the coming of Christ into the world.  This does not mean the second coming alone, but how we are to share daily/hourly/by the minute and second the LIGHT we are given by his unconditional mercy.  Pope Francis is extending that mercy today in this Year of Mercy - http://cnstopstories.com/2015/09/01/for-year-of-mercy-pope-extends-possibilities-for-absolution/... to include those that have had an abortion and are contrite and aware of their sin. 

 So special to see the images which takes our hearts and souls to this place of prayer and penance and worship!

 Now the Gospel is from St Luke each day... today the healing of the man with the unclean spirit in the temple.  Jesus tells the spirit to "Be quiet!  Come out of him!"  John was wondering why Jesus does not like or allow these spirits of the darkness/evil spirits, who recognize him to speak of him being the Son of God...  It does say something about those that are deeply into darkness - possessed by evil - that they can still see the Truth and the LIGHT shining there.

It was interesting to read this about St Paul this morning...  some fourteen times St Paul refers to darkness in his letters.  Jesus sends Paul to the Gentiles "to open their eyes that they may turn from darkness to light" (Acts 26:18)  Paul does just that as he promises that we are "children of light... not of night and of darkness."  see www.magnificat.com  

The words of St Paul to us today from I Thessalonians 5:
But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness, for the day to overtake you like a thief.  For all of you are children of the LIGHT and children of the day.

working on some pictures for David's birthday which was a month and a half ago already... a sign of how busy life is in the summer time, and fall time, and winter time, and spring time...

Jesus, may we stay awake and be ready for sharing your LIGHT always... remembering how much you have loved us and forgiven us unconditionally - may we in turn share that same Mercy or even a small part of it with those around us... most especially those in our domestic Church/family.  Jesus, we trust in you.  Bless-bless, Barb

A look of love...

A willing and hard worker in the kitchen!

David loves kittens!

Family pic by the lighthouse...