Swim Party and Iris Seed Pod Harvesting

We celebrated summer with a family swim party.

 

Iris seed pods were harvested after cross pollination attempts. Perhaps we'll have some new hybrids! Little Flower, R, won the national Ackerman essay contest for her age group with a $100 prize! 

Seed pods covered with cheese cloth to prevent loss if pods burst. 

Congratulations!

Labeling the seeds from their crosses

End of Year Reception

 The Little Flowers have now completed Wreath IV. First, we celebrated with Mass on the Feast of Corpus Christi. The girls took part in the procession and brought up the gifts. At the end of the year lunch reception, they were presented with their year long St Gianna Molla Pro-life badges. We presented a tithe from our Fish Fry earnings to Birthstone Corporation for their work in supporting single mothers. We had a brain storming session on what patron saint badge activities to incorporate into Wreath V and what adventures to do over the summer. The girls seem most excited about camping, swimming, animals (Francis), woodworking (Joseph), charity (St Vincent de Paul), and dance (Jacinta). The girls took a turn sharing their favorite memory of the year and we concluded with a decade of the rosary for the babies we have spiritually adopted. Have a blessed summer. St Thérèse, Pray for Us! 

Iris Show and Kindness Petal Meeting

Little Flowers came together with the American Iris Society and pulled off a fantastic Cinco de Mayo themed Iris Show. Prior to the show, the Morrises hosted an open garden to allow the girls a chance to hybridize Iris. 

During the preparation for the show, we had our last petal meeting of the year where we stamped our passports with our neighbors to the north, Canada and to the south, Mexico, concluding our "travels". The girls practiced the virtue of kindness by being fantastic greeters to our show guests and complimenting one another on their amazing ofrenda and Our Lady of Guadalupe floral designs. The girls were also encouraged to chose one person to secretly do a novena of kind acts for. 

The girls worked so efficiently we had time for a gelato break!

St Marguerite d’Youville (1701-1771) is the first native Canadian to become a Saint. She was the oldest of six. The early death of her father left the family impoverished. She married and had six children. Marguerite endured the loss of four of her children and her husband before she was 30. Through all her suffering, she grew in trust in God and believed in His tender mercy for every human person. Despite her own poverty she did many charitable works and shared everything she had, even after a fire destroyed her home. Her two surviving sons became priests which left her free to establish the Sisters of Charity of Montreal known as the “Grey Nuns.” Another fire destroyed the hospital she had built for the poor and still she praised God and began reconstruction. Her vision for caring for the poor spread and she became known as “Mother of the Poor.” Her feast day is April 11.  Our flower for kindness was the Blue Flag Iris, native to Canada, and providentially blooming locally at the time of our meeting. 

In 1519 Spanish conquistador, Hernan Cortez, arrived in Mexico to conquer the Aztec Empire. Most of the Aztecs opposed Christianity because of the cruelty of the conquistadors, but in 1531 things began to change. A baptized Christian native named Juan Diego was on his way to Mass one morning when a beautiful Aztec princess appeared to him calling herself Holy Mary of Guadalupe. She sent him to the bishop of Mexico to ask him to build a chapel on the hill where she appeared. At first the bishop did not believe Juan Diego and asked him to show a sign to prove the apparition was real. She appeared to him again and instructed him to collect roses in his tilma (cloak) to bring to the bishop. When Juan Diego opened his tilma to give the flowers to the bishop, they were amazed to see the image we know today as Our Lady of Guadalupe exactly as she had appeared to Juan Diego on Tepeyac hill. The bishop had a chapel constructed on the hill and later a basilica was built to house the miraculous image. Devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe led to miracles and the conversions of many people in Mexico. It remains a central part of Catholic identity and devotion in Central America today. Our Lady of Guadalupe is the patron saint of the Americas  and the unborn. Feast day: December 12. 

In Mexico, Dia de los muertos or Day of the Dead (All Souls and All Saints) is traditionally celebrated by building ofrendas to remember beloved family and friends. Ofrendas usually include photos, candles, foods, candy skulls, and bright flowers, like marigolds. 

On Cinco de Mayo Or May 5th, we celebrate friendship with Mexico. The holiday originated as a celebration among Mexican American’s celebrating Mexico’s defeat of a French invasion in 1862. Today it is marked by celebrating Mexican culture and cuisine. 

A Little Flower's horticulture entry won Best in Show! Many of our designers kindly donated their flowers at the end of the show and we worked together to make arrangements to brighten the days of our friends at the retirement home. 

All that remains of Wreath IV is the end of the year celebration date TBD soon. 

More camping pictures were added to the Spring Events blog post. Check it out.