You are with this picture able to see with my eyes... the first time that I "saw" Pat Verly! After meeting his sister, Margie Rose, at college at the U of M in 1970-71... we became fast friends even though we never had a class together and she lived in the dorm and I lived at home... we met at Welcome week camp, and I am always amazed at how we became forever close... other than to know that it was meant for me to meet her brother 6 years later at her wedding... WE spent one crazy year together at the U of M and then "hitch hiked out West" that summer... we each got very different life changing results from that trip... and then went our separate ways... Marge was much better at keeping in touch and looking me up from time to time and then came the invitation to her wedding on June 10, 1977! I traveled to Marshall on the bus, and was embraced by her beautiful wonderful farm family. I was especially taken with her brother, Pat. I wondered where this mysterious older brother had been hiding when I came with her to visit her home during our one year of college together... I soon found out that he was actually 3 years younger than me and had been there, but at that time we took no notice of each other! The age difference never bothered him, so it became a non issue for me in short order also! I acquired this picture that his sister, Mary, took that day in devious ways and still have it framed beside me bed to this day! I remember looking at it endlessly and sighing deep sighs!
WE might have been engaged here or just dating... Living 3 hours apart and Pat a farmer... our dating was long distance and lots of late night phone calls to make up for actual dates... Pat tried to educate me about the farm, but I was pretty naive - when he talked about "walking beans"... a bean plant on a leash came to mind. There is so much to farming... that there is much I still continue to learn - much like my Catholic faith! On our first date we shared about what we valued in our life.... faith, family and farm! Our Catholic faith was what clinched it for Pat... He had told his sisters that he wouldn't marry anyone that wasn't Catholic..... I was sure glad in more ways than one that my whole family had converted to the Catholic Church 5 years before. Pat had heard of our amazing families' conversion story through Marge! 
Dancing together at his sister, Ida's, wedding a few years after we were married. I have such powerful wonderful memories of Pat fullfilling all my girlish wishes and coming over to ask me to dance at his sister, Marge's wedding. I was so attracted to him and thought that there was no chance that he even gave me a thought! Then I noticed him dancing with another girl with long dark hair and I was heartsick to think that... of course a guy like that would have a girlfriend! Then I was surprised as I saw him looking at me and coming over to ask me to dance! I had my heart in my throat as he took me in his strong arms... I, Barbara Luke Cross, who had been a wallflower of all wallflowers and never gone on a date in high school other than an awkward senior prom with someone I barely knew... At that moment... all my romantic dreams came true! I then got monopolized by a friend of Marges and his friend that came with him... I was doing the butterfly with the two of them when I sprained my ankle very badly and had to leave in pain... yet releived to get away from them! The next morning - I can't beleive that I had the nerve to stay with the Verlys for Marge's wedding- Pat brought me a pair of crutches and then showed me some family albums and told me about them... I was smitten, but still was surprised when he finally got ahold of me after a week at "the farm' recouperating from my badly sprained anke... it prevented me from working as a nurse at Hennipen County Medical Center... The rest is history! I have also joyfully discovered that June 10th is the vigil of the feast day of The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus! That gives new and powerful meaning to this anniversary of the first day of the rest of my life!
"The Sacred Heart of Christ crucified and risen as the source of saving love from which flow the blood and water, images of the Church's sacramental life centered in baptism and Eucharist." (see http://www.magnificat.com/ ) This is very amazing for me to discover that 33 years ago when I "met" Pat that it was the vigil of this powerful feast day. Our entire marriage is a result of the Church and it's amazing sacraments... Pat and I both took our baptisms into the Church very seriously as we have those of each of our children! We promised that we would rasie them in the faith and as a result we became a "domestic Church" in which we celebrated our faith as a family and when we had deep pain and suffering - loss of pregnancies, still births, loss of my sister and his brother... we looked to our faith to get us through and to make sense of these deep mysteries of life! We carried that over in this last year of cancer with our son, John... we continue to take our baptism into the Church as a life giving source of water to give us "life" and the Eucharist as life giving bread to feed us and allow us to carry Christ forth! This has been a wonderful day for our 33rd anniversary of our first noticing the "light of Christ" in each other! Yes, the attraction was there too...I admit it! Loving Lord and Savior... so many times I have tried to understand in a more personal way the devotion to your Most Sacred Heart... I think that today there has been a breakthrough for me! I thank and praise you for the beautiful gift special day! It is so true that as we go forward from one day to the next in our marriages and families.. we are fed and nourished and given graces to continue on in your LOVE through your sacraments and wisdom of your Church! Once again I am so touched by the depth and beauty of all that there is to learn and grow each and every day as we embrace our "most Cherished Cross" - Our spouce and our family. Such powerful words in the Gospel today reminding us of the need to forgive our "brother". Mt 5:20-26 Give us the strength to forgive and go forward in love and joy! To those that we live and are closest to... it seems to be the hardest! Come to the sacraments often... and first of all forgive..."go first and be reconciled with your brother..." Give us the strength and healing! Jesus we trust in you! Amen and Halleluia! Bless-bless, Barb
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