St. Therese’s mother wrote about her:
“The dear little thing will hardly leave me, she follows me everywhere, but likes going into the garden best; when I am not there she refuses to stay, and cries so much that they are obliged to bring her back. She will not even go upstairs alone without calling me at each step, ‘Mamma! Mamma!’ and if I forget to answer ‘Yes, darling!’ she waits where she is, and will not move.”
Raise your hand if you were a high-energy, high-maintenance child. Raise your other hand if you have one or more children in this category.
I’m raising both my hands.
Does anyone else think it is a travesty that St. Therese’s parents are not yet canonized? Only Blessed? Really? Laughing here, but I think it’s pretty obvious they are saints.
Happy Feast of the Little Flower, St. Therese, patron saint of spirited children and their parents.
The reason I know about that quote above is when my younger teen daughter chose St. Therese as her confirmation saint, and read The Story of A Soul, that was one of her favorite parts. This morning, there were at least two of my children doing that as they came downstairs. “Mamma!” “Yes, darling.” Repeat.
As you might be able to discern, we really love St. Therese at our house. I did the St. Therese novena–I’ve done it many times in the past, and this year I did the one along with Pray More Novenas.
I was a little sad that I didn’t see or get any roses, one of the promises of doing the novena.
Last night, my 13-year-old daughter and I made rose-shaped scones, as we do every year, using this pan (you can get one, too, if you click on the photo. I only use it a handful of times through they year, but I’m so glad I have it).
There was no actual voice, but that kind of a thing would be something St. Therese would say.
Later that morning, my younger teen came down wearing leggings that have roses on them (it is her feast day, after all) so I expect a lot more roses throughout the day.
Some books about St. Therese and her family:
Briefly, Leonie: A Difficult Life details the ups and downs in Leonie’s life. Reading about her mental health issues and how she worked to overcome them and persist in seeking to fulfill her vocation has brought me to tears on several occasions.
Are you doing anything special to mark the feast of St. Therese? Any roses?
The Harvey Girls: Women Who Civilized the West by Juddi Morris s ideal for middle-grade on up readers. It’s a wonderful mix of oral history, short chapters and charming photographs and vignettes.
When Molly Was a Harvey Girl by Frances M. Wood. This middle-grade novel is based on the experiences of Wood’s great-grandmother as a Harvey girl, and tells the story of two sisters who work as Harvey girls in New Mexico. I kind of sped-read it, but both my teens enjoyed it.
*Sigrid Unset. Kristin Lavransdatter is the classic trilogy—historically, spiritually and emotionally rich—about a headstrong and complicated young woman, the mistakes she makes, and the life she lives, in 14th century Norway. If I were to make an exception, I would say it should be read by “everyone”! but you’ll know if it’s for you if you give it a try. There is a lovely newer translation of 
, both fascinating and annoying. This article is good, and even more true as you head into your 50s. “But you find your tribe. Jerry Seinfeld said in an interview last year that his favorite part of the Emmy Awards was when the comedy writers went onstage to collect their prize. “You see these gnome-like cretins, just kind of all misshapen. And I go, ‘This is me. This is who I am. That’s my group.’ ” By your 40s, you don’t want to be with the cool people; you want to be with your people.”
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