Baby Therapy

Sister Mary is home for her 5 day visit. It will be four years before she is back in Minnesota for a visit.

Sr. Mary is the youngest daughter of our good friends to me she is The Little Sister. In August her parents delivered her to St. Cecilia's in Nashville. She will be a Dominican teacher when she is through with her course work. She loves her new life as a postulant and it shows. Her mom told me she brought home the clothes she traveled in to Nashville 9 months ago. She will not be needing them again. Ever. She is staying. And it is no surprise, for as my daughter Brittany said more than once this weekend, she glows. Sister Mary has found her vocation and is loving it. Thank the Lord for vocations and young women like Sister Mary.

Sr. Mary's entire family came over for supper Friday evening. We were to have a bonfire but it was raining. Sister Mary who had been up since 4 AM lasted until about 10 and she was ready to head home. She usually gets about 7 hours of sleep and was getting up early in the morning to go to morning Mass. Saturday night Sister Mary, her parents and her sister Sarah came over for a bonfire this time we had time to visit. Sister really does glow with an inner peace as she is walking the path set out for her by our Lord. She freely shares her life and stories about her family the sisters, her St. Cecelia family. They stayed late it was after 11 PM before they headed home.

Her parents are having a struggle. As I watched them the past 3 days. Her mom talked to me letting me know her feelings. But her dad, he is so unusually quiet. My heart is breaking for them. They know this is right, they see the joy and peace in Sister Mary. This is their baby, their little girl. Living so far away in a way of life we only have glimpses of. She will take her first vows in late July and get her habit, her wedding dress. She said the dress was done before she left on her trip and she sewed it herself. (And spent some time ripping out stitches to make it right.) The veil is not yet complete. This summer she has classes at the convent one of the classes is learning about her vows.

Brittany came home this weekend just for Sr. Mary. Sr. Mary has kept Brittany and her husband in prayer from the time they were married, when they started to treat their infertility and she was one of the first to know they were pregnant. Oh how she prayed for these babies. But today at Mass I wondered if there was another reason for this impromtu visit home. As I watched Sr. Mary's dad walk into church I felt the need to offer the baby I was holding to him. So just as Mass started he looked back at little Michael in my arms and put his finger out for Michael to grab on. As much as I wanted to hold my grandson I leaned forward and asked him if he wanted to hold Michael. Sr. Mary's dad held that baby all through mass. I cried several times at Mass for him, for them. I really hate when I have no control over tears. I don't know what he thought after mass I know I looked like I had cried. But I got the biggest hug from him. He didn't say a word. I don't know if he was trying to comfort me because of the tears or if he was thanking me for the gift of holding that baby. But I am going with the latter.
We got pictures of the Little sister holding those 2 boys in church. The next time she sees them they will be about 5 and in school.

Tuesday Sr. Mary will leave to return to her home, to her family, the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia. And to close
the words Sr. Mary's friend Nikki wrote about saying goodbye to Sr. Mary again...

"you would think saying goodbye would start getting easier, but that definitely doesn't seem to be the case does it... thank You Jesus for such an incredible friend! I can see why You chose her to be Your Bride :) "though I cannot see your face, I will see you in the Eucharist" ♥