52) Today’s Date: 27 August 2012
TO: Dominique Joseph and Lee Joseph, Jr., Co-owners of our Home of Origin
IN CELEBRATION: Ten years of co-owning Arthur Avenue~ 29 March 2002 to 29 March 2012
FROM: Anna Bernadette, Caretaker at age 64, the age Mom was when Daddy died!
Tis a wonderful, ongoing sojourn tending, maintaining, inviting and teaching in our Ancestral Home…to date on Arthur Avenue:
1) 3 March 2001 to 2 August 2012:
40 ‘Silent Retreats’: 287 retreatants on Arthur Avenue (696 total retreatants in my residences in VA, DC, Lake Charles and presently Arthur Avenue for a total of 29 years to date!!) The principal (Joann Wallwork) of OLQH Elementary school has scheduled 8 Silent Retreats between 60 administrator team members, faculty and staff once a month from September 2012 through April 2013!
2) 1 May 2009 to 2 November 2012:
8 ‘Placed Based Heritage Education’ days with 4 Diocese of Lafayette Catholic elementary schools (Iota, Gueydan, Rayne and Crowley), total of 208 principals, parents, teachers and 4th-5th graders! Next for this day, “Acadiana Catholic” newspaper covering this event for ‘their’ children in articles and, “LPB” for coverage on the ground; will of course extend an invitation to you both for appearing and possible comments!!! The school in Gueydan has decided to host a “Heritage Day” to coincide with ‘Grandparents’ Day and All Souls Day Mass in their cemetery” and we are the “Heritage Ladies/Consultants!!”
3) 10 February 2009 to 18 August 2012:
26 ‘Arthur Avenue Heritage Tours’ hosting 220 people to date through our wonderful heritage home! In process…a ‘Heritage Workshop’ entitled “What Am I Suppose To Do With All That Paper?!’ People are requesting help after the tour and other events in the home for they have seen what can be!!!
03 March 2001 through 18 August 2012 there have been 91 Events in the home with 2,135 persons entering her back door!! The folks always did say, “Come if you can!!”
One week ago I finished going through many containers holding 47 years of precious ‘paper’ continuing to divide into Binders by Category/such as ‘DAD and MOM CORRESPONDENCE 1937 TO 2000’ (tabbed year/month/day) and all going into protective sleeves to then reside in respective rooms on Arthur Avenue; Binder Categories will be listed top of each ‘Room by Room’ on my website link!!!
This ‘paper/pics’ has been an 8 year saga of concerted labor, in just this area, to which I have completely caught the golden ring of holding, reading, laughing, knowing our parents in their way, in their time, in that place !! O, to hear the comments of many who cross the homes’ portals and marvel at the stories and artifacts in and of the home and her progenitors! The questions/comments from the children are priceless!
Renee laid down the flagstone courtyard under the kitchen ac, hung the vintage windows and water container over the swing which ladies love!, planted and tends the beautiful and full crepe myrtles and all trees and bushes, snips, places, thinks about and plants all the outside for the sheer joy and beauty of it all. I am inside…where recently I envisioned the ‘magic carpet on the stairs’ in that I want to save the original carpet of old for as long as I can!! (Didn’t spend a nickel on this project for I knew DJM was buying a new propane truck!!!) Also we continue to care for nine graves to date, spring/summer, fall, Christmas and Easter, with flowers from the storeroom gathered all the years long!
Thank you for your noble and consistent stewardship and for your belief in your Caretaker gathering, preserving, sustaining and making relevant artifacts and memorabilia in our ancestral home of origin. All is reverently set to inspire others as they arrive monthly and more who read the website, will view on LPB and will read the “Acadiana Catholic!” How wonderful! I am humbled to be the Caretaker of so mighty and blessed a home of origin as ours on sacred ground.
In closing…Hector, myself, Vic and Constance recently attended the funeral in Jennings for dear, sweet Pirmin Theunissen, lunched at Nott’s with Dominique then enjoyed coffee and dessert on Arthur Avenue to the record featuring Otis Redding; we danced in the kitchen knowing that was what Pirmin and Aunt Gertie Mae were doing in the heavens above! We were enjoying our heaven on earth.
P.S. ‘Baby’ Green (frame is on the Back Room wall in anticipation!) will be the 18th great-grandchild of Dad and Mom matching the #18 grandchildren; today is the 17th birthday of Suzanne Louise, the 18th of 18 grandchildren…this is told on the Heritage Tour!
Lead, Kindly Light!
53) Subject: Lee Joseph Monlezun GENERATIONAL EXCEL!
(SUBJECT: Lee Joseph and Anna 'Gertrude’ Hensgens-Monlezun Family
GENERATIONAL EXCEL!)
TODAY’S DATE: 09 JANUARY 2013
All of the Families of Joseph Hensgens have this same format for their individual families; Hensgens Three Brothers, Habetz, Monlezun, Berken and Gauthreaux to which I compile data every other year for the JHensgens Family Reunions (Sunday, 21 April 2013 in Roberts Cove, LA)
ENJOY for you are part of almost 500 Greater Hensgens Family members and counting more every day!! The printed ‘Hensgens Family Tree Maker Wall Mural’ for the Reunion April 2013 in Roberts Cove, LA is a site to behold indeed!!
To my siblings who cannot attend I will snail mail to you a copy of the ‘Worship Aid’ which will contain updated family data which you can disseminate among your own!
http://leadkindlylight.net/A_HFC_Main_Page.htm
ALLUS AUS LIEBE ZU GOTT! ALL FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!
Lead, Kindly Light!
53. A) From <leadkindlylight@bellsouth.net>
Subject: Bernadette/To Extended Family
To: undisclosedrecipient@bellsouth.net
Date: Thursday, January 10, 2013, 3:15 PM
An earlier email this morning positing the gentle correction in the spelling of a family member's name, which was successfully executed, has given me an opportunity to happily share a few cogitations!
1) You already have our favorite sons' link to 'Slade Development Group!!!'
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/antoine-a-pont%C3%B3n/28/1b1/894
2) Nique's 'Reflections' link on my site which I had wanted to send yesterday but just didn't make the list...just click and scroll to his link and enjoy...all!!
http://leadkindlylight.net/READ_READ_READ.htm
He studied in the 'library' upstairs on Arthur Avenue last week and joined Cousin Anne Fautt at table with us (three generations!) as she is moving to Houston at the end of
this month having recently celebrated her 90th birthday! Her family is so happy she will be near them and that's make us very happy although we will miss her so, and she using
her 'Anne Rail' at the back door which was installed just for her!! She has filled us with stories and pics of long ago times and some rest in the 'Lake
Arthur' vignette in the Front Porch Room across from Daddy's 'Special Collection!'
3) Renee R. and I are instigating a 'Heritage Workshop' to be held at Sylvan Learning in LC from the many request of those who have visited AAvenue over the years and who want to gather, preserve, make relevant and sustain their 'paper' of their heritage; large desks make for great work!...click http://leadkindlylight.net/documents/10HeritageWorkshopInvitationFactSheet.pdf
for more wonderful information of this mornings' offering!
4) Many family members enjoyed an 'Arthur Avenue Heritage Tour' for the Christmas Gathering; twas a complete delight to see their faces and answer their questions as they exclaimed ' I did not know that!' and expressed their profound gratefulness for the love and work in our home of origin that has been accomplished over the last twelve years!! Notation ~ Cody Lee gleefully exclaimed that he is writing a school essay on 'Knights!' and with wide-eyes had his pic taken with Daddy's Knights of Columbus sword and clothing in the Original Bedroom! And, Lawrence Joseph saw in that same closet the maternity top that Mom wore when she was carrying his father (and the next three)!! What pure, pure delight all the years later!
5) Renee M. and Morgan Olivia helped serve at Abraham's Tent over the holidays and toured Catholic Charities headquarters as they are very interested in serving the less fortunate; what a delight to introduce them to these indispensable people and places and watch that ancient seed being planted! I shared with Renee M. that her dear mother would be so very proud of her as well as the priest who long-ago gave her a blessing as she lay as a babe in her crib...the Holy Spirit works His wonders and might for all time, for that was a generational blessing, as this email!
***Germanfest 2013 I will be conducting a 'St. Leo Walking Heritage Tour' and in 2014...with Heritage actors; will be my fourth year directing the Germanfest Folk Singers!! Can't wait!!
Ah, qui'l est bon, les bon Dieu! Lead, Kindly Light!
With tremendous ministries developing and soaring I have integrated ‘Happenings!’
And, in that there are only 1,446 minutes in a day, and as I offer each day to The Father before the house rises much less the sun …well …see http://leadkindlylight.net/AnnaBernadettesTimeline.htm for all that encapsulates those few minutes on this side of the veil!
The ‘Heritage and Archival and Special Collections’
http://leadkindlylight.net/HeritageandArchivalSpecialCollectionsMainPage.htm link enumerates that which is taking the mightiest minutes in the day at this time next to ongoing monastic spirituality studies for Silent Retreats!
54) March 2013
Siblings All!
Lee Joseph Monlezun, Jr. and Family
Robert Joseph Monlezun and Family
Charles Joseph Monlezun and Family
Constance Victoria Monlezun Darbonne and Family
Malcolm Joseph Monlezun and Family
Ione Marie Monlezun Broussard and Family
Dominique Joseph Monlezun and Family
What a labor of value to execute and for you to receive!
Your treasures to our parents were gathered over the last thirteen years, differentiated and sequestered from the ‘archival paper’ on Arthur Avenue that continues to be placed in its familial ancestral rooms/Binders. From these ‘archival gleanings’ my corpus of heritage facts and remembrances are shared for all who enter her back door and/or click the links on my website/‘Web of Gratefulness’!! Wonderful and fulfilling ministry indeed!
64 years of ‘paper’(1936-2000) collected by Dad and Mom which I (age 54 to 65!) ordered into Binders 2 January 2001 to 5 April 2013 at which time my son (age 30) said that he has gone paperless!! That is why there is an ‘Archival and Special Collection’ at your local university library; God bless archivist and all people who love paper!!
You are invited www.leadkindlylight.net Archival Special Collection/Journals and Binders!
Today is discerned to be the most propitious time to return to you! Accept as gift for it was gathered over the years, ordered and arranged; priceless treasures indeed for the way it was, and out of your time and place to put down on real paper your gratefulness, petitions and love expressed to your mother and father.
From heaven I believe they continue to see and know their children down through the generations and one day, I fervently pray, we can be reunited with them in The Light and “all will be made known in an instant.”
God of our ancestors, help us cling to You!
Vaya con Dios.
Lead, Kindly Light!
Anna Bernadette, Caretaker, Our Ancestral Home of Origin!
|
56) Tue, Oct 29, 2013 at 5:44 a.m. …Rest in Peace…
Alberta just called...Raymond Aloysius Hensgens died this morning at 1:00 a.m.; he was 81 in July. He couldn't completely recover from a bout of pneumonia hence congestive heart complications...he and Kitty are on the roster to be honored 15 November 2013 as an Acadia Parish couple, Leader in Philanthropy Award at the Cajundome Convention Center!
Sarah Ann, Kitty, Lula, Henry, and Marcy live...and Alberta Gertrude remaining among Uncle Ushie and Aunt Lizzie's children.
Constance and I recently visited Raymond in his home, Kitty sitting like a queen nearby in her wheel chair...CMD commented on how much she looked like Aunt Gertie Mae -profile, hair... Raymond looked at us telling us she should as they were first cousins!!! We couldn't believe it and kept stuttering and repeating what we had missed in the lineage as he laughed that wonderful, full-face, hearty laugh which ignited a smile across the beautiful face of Kitty who is on the other side of this realm with Alzheimer’s Disease. We sang the 'Benediction Song' prior to departing holding Kitty's hand and she again, faintly smiled. He loved her so...
Also, Lilly May Riquelmy died yesterday 28 October, age 99, daughter of Theodore Joseph Monlezun. Along with Anne Fautt we would visit her in the nursing home in Jennings as well as Aunt Gertie Mae, etc. Lilly May had a floor container with homemade 'cups' from folded newspaper every one filled with a wisp of a tomato plant. She would lean over from her rocker and spray water them throughout the day. They grew and grew as they were under a floor lamp forever on as was Lilly May. She was simply delightful. I requested a 'cup'.
Enez Monlezun-Marx, daughter of Joachim Ezador Monlezun, is the remaining first cousin of Daddy. I visit her in the nursing home in Crowley as she is across the hall from Ceil Zaunbrecher! She is as sharp as a tack at age 96! Both of them.
May their souls and all the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen! Getting crowded up there...what a reunion and Raymond doesn't have to weep anymore....Mom would say how tender-hearted all those boys were!
Lead, Kindly Light!