Such joy

St. Augustine once said, "one loving heart sets another on fire" 

and I truly see that played out in the life of my dear Isaiah.

On the feast of the Holy Trinity this past month -- incidentally, the same feast day as his baptism -- he received his first Holy Communion. It was a stunningly beautiful day.

We spent the days leading up to this momentous occasion making beautiful art

preparing our home and his outfit

enjoying time with our family

(harvesting rhubarb with my Dad)

and praying daily for much grace to infuse his soul.

On the day of, he was just so excited to get up and get ready. Not unlike both of his grandfathers, he's an early riser and an eager do-er, so he sought out ways to help me and Patrick as we bustled about.

He wanted his outfit to look just so and was touched by the decorations I had pulled together.

He was ELATED by the Sacred Heart cake my amazing sister made. That has been his one request -- a Sacred Heart cake. And boy, did she deliver.

When he actually went up to receive, oh how I sobbed.
To see this fine young lad, who in my heart I tend to think of so little (and yet not little at all, as he has suddenly outgrown even size 7 pants), be so reverent and excited... and nervous... it was too much.




How my heart delighted in him as he knelt down to pray afterwards and told me "Mommy, my soul feels like a torch."

He is indeed a little fire of God's love.

He organized a juice box stand at his school's track meet in June, all to raise money for our local hospital's hospice. He delivered a letter to our local grocer, asking for juice boxes to sell, made posters and advertised his sale over the PA system at school. When the school wrote up a cheque for his work, they sent it home with him so we could deliver it in person to the hospital foundation.

His whole being was thrown into this project, all because he felt so strongly about doing something good for others. This was the third year in a row he did this, and he doubled his donation from last year.

The ways in which he longs to do good, to love and bless others, have inspired and humbled me and Patrick countless times. He has a unique relationship with God that I can't take credit for; he speaks of Him like he knows Him well and I am certain it's because of an authentic private prayer life he already has (I've overheard him quietly praying in his room many times).

Now that the grace of the sacrament is part of his life, I can only imagine what good Isaiah will do in the world, and what good Christ will do in him.