The Pat and Barb Verly family and their 5 children, in laws and grandkids along with many prayer warriors have been drawn together by John's cancer... sharing daily for 8 months started this blog- Family Soul Story - Our faith, family, farm and now our cancer journey called HEALING have colored and deepened our world. WE continue to share and depend on the support of our prayer warrior community, that has lowered us into the Lord's presence for His healing!
Two weeks ago my father voted! He was very much occupied with getting his ballot in the mail and getting himself registered to vote in his new "home" on the farm in Marshall, MN! "Am I here for the duration?" he would ask me. We always said "yes" but could not really know the Lord's plan - it is now laid out before us with quite a short 5 days from when he collapsed a week ago Sunday and died on Friday!
Two weeks ago today Fr Denny came and heard dad's confession and anointed him! So powerful to have him ready for the journey! The Holy Spirit once again led us to ask our friend to come to our home and give him two of the most amazing Sacraments of The Church!
Eucharist - we shared a host!
A week ago today the hospital bed arrived!
My sister, Paula arrived just in time to put him in his bed and get him comfortable - eating a popsicle that he loved his last weeks... I must go and watch my two youngest grandchildren.. new commitments since I am no longer caring for my father!
The public face of my father from CCC/Cross Christmas Camp 2018! It will be with the obituary that we are soon going to have in Marshall and Minneapolis and St Croix Falls papers!
I am still very much in shock when I see supplies arrive from Veterans today when he is no longer in need of them, the chocolate ensure that he had every day is in great supply still in my fridge, and the hospital bed is still in our bedroom... reminding me that it has only been 3 short days!
Starting my new job each day of watching John's 2 little ones while he works at the Catholic School and we wait for their mother to come home from her job. A couple hours with my two youngest grandchildren.
Special times with Jude and Birdie tonight! Birdie is so good and sweet!
13 months apart and getting to be good friends.
Thumb sucker like her aunties! All 4 of my girls sucked their thumbs, and it sure makes for a good baby.
It is getting late for today... one more day to get used to not having dad here. Pat and I did morning prayer and the rosary on the road coming and going to town with Pat and going to watch the kids. Life is full of family and that is a gift! Jesus, we trust in you. Bless-bless, Barbara
My amazing father about 2 years ago at our wonderful Cross Christmas Camp 2018. He is wearing his wonderful Christmas tie and looking very dapper indeed. He took meticulous care of himself, and I observed that here for these last 6+months. I did shave him a couple times these last weeks, but he did that himself up until just lately.
Strong emotions flowing all around me today at mass! Last Sunday dad gave us a sign that we were on the last stretch by scaring us with a faint and unresponsive episode until he came around enough to sing 3 lines from Joy to the World to our hospice nurse kneeling beside him!
Watching mass on EWTN and getting Eucharist from son-in-law, Paul last week after shaken greatly by my father having a brush with death, and being there this Sunday with our dear friend, Fr Denny on the altar and dad now no longer with me 24/7! As my sister pointed out "You don't have to do the hard things any more, but you also don't get to do the wonderful daily prayers and sharing ALL that the Church gives us and asks of us!" I am a have a very muddled feeling in my heart!
Yes, winter jackets and hats as we have more snow today! So wonderful to be at mass with my family around me and then a sweet gathering at Ruth and Paul's for our family breakfast!
Sister, Paula, with hubby, her 3 kids and 2 grandchildren came in snow to surround dad with visible love and care! The moment they arrived he moved into his hospital bed and how they loved to make him comfortable!
I marvel at the wonderful final week that father had! He gave us all a scare a week ago on Sunday, but also a clear message that his time was coming to an end! Family came to be with him and how he rose to greet them with smiles and love, and yes, a popsicle, too!
The week previous brother, Al, came with his wife and 4 grandchildren! How they cherish their time with dad to say "Goodbye"
It was becoming very real to all of us that this was probably a final "goodbye!"
My Godson, David and my sister, Cheryl. Last Sunday when dad came back after our big scare - they made the trip and dad smiled and shared his love to them and they to him. The day he died my sister called in tears of happiness that they had this window of time with dad! LOVE!
Fr Denny came to pray over him after he died. My sister, Carol, and brother, Jim, traveled to be here with me!
It was on Friday and what struck me the most was when Fr read the Gospel from Luke 23 - the death of Jesus... these words from Christ on the Cross - "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit." He said this and died." Luke 23:46 Was very powerful to me personally as every Tuesday and Friday when we did the Rosary/sorrowful mysteries... dad would do extra work. He would do 10 stations of the cross before each Hail Mary on Jesus carries he heavy cross, and he would do the 7 last "words" of Christ on the Cross for the last decade - the Crucifixion including this very verse!
My deacon father sharing his religious life with me for these last 6 1/2 months has enriched and deepened my prayer life and Faith in Jesus, and his Bride, The Church!
Dad's prayer book and rosary he used each day! The prayer book is a treasured gift I will cherish always. I will start using it rather than my phone app.
John and Birdie came to share in the prayer and prayed powerfully for dad! So blessed by John's deepened faith through his battle with brain cancer!
How we LOVE the Church and all that we are given for our journey! I am eternally grateful that Fr Denny came to administer Reconciliation and the Anointing of the Sick the week before he died!
Also hospice was a blessing for us to have there for every new challenge that came along. Dad and I loved all that hospice did for him! He would smile and share how one of his nurses would cut his hair each month and the other would do a marvelous job on his finger nails and toe nails. He was very loved by the staff and very spoiled as he deserved to be!
Confused message - fall or winter?
Pretty but...
Very pretty, Ruth and Paul's farmhouse in the snow as we gather for a family celebration after mass shared!
The cutest kitten and Mary!
He will be looking for a home soon!
Poor cows!
Joy; "Birdie is my new friend. " Yes, at 5 1/2months she is so sweet and quite new!
Sunday morning sweetness - so much comfort sharing Faith/Family/Farm and able to share that with my wonderful father over these months! I am the lucky one! Bless-bless, Barbara
When mom died quickly in a day on March 16th... dad said that he would not be far behind. When he did not die last Sunday- he wondered why. Now we see that he was giving his family a chance to come and call and send their loving goodbyes for the life he gave us all! Yes! 12 children can thank him!
I wept a lot when John called him and thanked him for bringing his mother/me into The Church 49 years ago! Yes! As I wept at his passing - "I could never thank you enough for that gift I am given each day since, dad!"
My bookend - I am the oldest and Carol is the youngest - 13 years between us and 12 kids! She is snuggled in dad's robe and sitting in mother's chair and reminding us of the Truth that mom and dad are watching over us and praying more perfectly in heaven for their huge family! Jesus, we trust in you. Amen and Hallelujah
Evangeline Mary has her feast day today as St John Paul II is celebrated today and he asks of us to go out into the world/earth and evangelize our Faith in Jesus and His amazing Bride, The Church!
I had to have Ruth and Joy come over this morning to help me with my dad. Pat had to leave before we could get him up in the chair, so Ruth came to help me position him for breakfast. Things are challenging here with dad getting his days and nights mixed up, so keeping him awake for breakfast was challenging too!
I talked with my hospice nurse about putting him in the hospice house so that he could get dressed and out for meals with their help. But when she pointed out how limited we would be to see him or have family visit... I knew that even though he is limited here with what I can help him with... it still is better that we can pray together throughout the day and family can freely come and visit him. At the Hospice house - I could only be there once a day and family up to 4 could visit twice a week. No, with a family the size of dad's I am not willing to limit it to that point!
Joy is admiring my sunflowers and said that mom had them in her garden this summer too! Joy is always beside her mother on the farm and in the garden. I see just as Ruth now has the life she grew up with and doing a much better job of it all... that Joy is turning into a cheerful willing farm girl like her mom.
Ruth described how this morning she was crabby and Ruth just let her be. "She got her self dressed and said with a smile -'I am happy now.' " So amazing when she can work her way out of a bad mood and change herself into a happy girl once again! She smiles and great-grandpa agreed that JOY suits her as a perfect name!
This girl is 3 with Joy just for one more week! On Nov 1st/All Saints Day she will be 4! The sign is her name spelled out and the G is for Feast Day Girl!
I am sure that there will be goodies and lots of special things to make this a day above other days for Evie and her ST JPII!
Evangeline is a very powerful personality with wonderful oldest sister, Therese, to show her how to live and faith filled life, and then her 3 older and one younger brothers to show her how to be rough and tough! As the Gospel tells us today about our call as we follow Jesus to...
Jesus said to his disciples: “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing! There is a baptism with which I must be baptized, and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished!.." Luke 12
8 years ago Maria was in NICU with a miracle boy, Patrick! Smiling at mother and nursing for the first time with no tubes after being the sickest baby in NICU 2 weeks earlier! How we prayed to Jesus, Mary and all the Saints including St JPII!
At Adoration at 4a this morning - doing the litany of our families of 250+ takes me a good part of my hour! Adding a new little one in the womb that we just became aware of in the Cross Clan! Always such a JOY to begin the prayer for that LIFE, which we cherish and protect with prayer from conception to natural death.
I was also reminded that St JPII was huge for us with our battle against brain cancer with son, John, 11 years ago! He has been my hero for LIFE and family since our marriage 42 years ago - he became pope just a few months after we married in 1978, and died on Nancy's birthday in 2005! That is 27 years he walked with us down the narrow path helping us stagger dragging our Most Cherished Cross and following Jesus with the help of The Wise and Wonderful Church!
John's story continues now with wonderful wife, Bobbi, who waited and prayed for him for 10+ years, and now their gifts from above, Jude and Birdie Barbara!
Unable to help dad to the bathroom... I depend on Pat and Ruth to help me do his cares and get him at least in the chair!
How are we called to Evangelize the Truth - fearlessly and without fail! "Set the earth on fire, and how we wish it were already blazing!!!" How does he say that will happen - by his death for us on the Cross and allowing us to escape from our prison of personal sins and weaknesses, which prevent us from bravely proclaiming the Truth!
I use facebook to share Catholic and LIFE and nothing but the Truth as we have no reservations in how we follow every single value held out to us by The Church!
How can this be October 22nd? Out to do the chickens in the white blanket of snow...
The chickens found my boots interesting and pecked at them - probably the snow... Boots already!?!?
Trudging through snow in October!
I have been attacked for proclaiming the Truth without reservation. It is mostly very hard to see good friends so misled and it makes me very sad. The rest of the Gospel comes to truth also when Jesus speaks about the division that he has come to cause with his stand on the Way, the Truth and the LIFE! The LIFE issue is the most heartbreaking to me! How can those innocent lives in the womb be killed and disrespected as the LIFE from God that they truly are? How did it ever become acceptable or even promoted that those lives can be taken into any human hands?
Staggering down the narrow path with no regrets for myself, but only for those misled and lied to by Satan!
10 eggs from the cold and in shock chickens huddling together for warmth in this crazy weather! Good old Minnesota!
Enough already!
Lord, may we share only the Truth without hesitation and find the words when needed to enlighten the darkness and culture of death that is trying to take over our government and world! Please, be with this election and allow the Truth and the LIGHT to reign! May we set the earth on fire with your LOVE from the Cross which sets us free from the chains of sin and death! Jesus, we trust in you. Amen and Hallelujah
The LIGHT filling my heart with the confidence to Evangelize the Truth without fear and hesitation! WE are filled with LIFE/LOVE/LIGHT as Jesus comes to us in Word, Body and Blood! Bless-bless, Barbara!
My dad continues to eat my soup with great JOY! How he loves it! So glad Ruth and I did the work of making about 250 jars of tomato soup this year!
Soup good on a snowy day... also our homemade applesauce is a daily dish!
It should be fall!!! A fall arrangement in the house with snow laden pine trees!
Pretty... hard to take this early!
Help us from heaven St JPII! Also work to end the taking of innocent life in abortion - you and St Mother Teresa are at work I know!
Happy Feast Day Pope Saint John Paul ll 1920 - 2005 Feast day October 22 Saint John Paul II, born Karol Józef Wojtyła, was the head of the Catholic Church from October 16 1978 to his death in 2005. He was the second longest-serving pope in history and the first non-Italian since Pope Adrian Vl, who died in 1523. https://www.portraitsofsaints.com/.../all-images-st-john...
Starting my new job each day of watching John's 2 little ones while he works at the Catholic School and we wait for their mother to come home from her job. A couple hours with my two youngest grandchildren.
