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!
"The Kingdom of God is at hand for you." Luke 10 the Gospel for St Timothy and St Titus
Nancy with a fair calf years ago...
The program I use to upload all my precious thousands of pictures does two things on its own that intrigue me... it makes moving pictures when I take many of the same subject and it will put about 1000 pictures together every now and then under the heading of my blog - familysoulstory. When I give myself the journey of clicking on these places - I find so many wonderful memories flooding me through pictures. It mystifies me to discover so many old pictures that I have scanned over the years to use on my blog that are now all together in this format. I just traveled through one, thinking that it would contain many from John's early cancer battle and found none there. Instead I found some wonderful pictures that I have long forgotten about. The thought of The Kingdom of God is at hand was repeating through me as I looked through them... lets see what I make of all these.
Most cherished time when I was taking Susan/Hallel's graduation pictures at Camden... I joined her in one!
What does it mean that the Kingdom of God is at hand for me? It just seems to be kind of hard to get our heads around. For me it means that if our homes/domestic Church is centered on Christ and His Bride, The Church, that the fruits of that home will be all those of the Spirit no matter what we face!
It was very powerfully hard yet amazing to have Maria enter the Poor Clares for 5 months and discern a vocation/call she heard while studying in Rome for a year and reading Story of a Soul by St Therese. She discerned out, and now has her eldest child named Therese. She says that name many times each day and her sweet soon to be 7 year old is a wonderful girl filled with great JOY, Love for her parents and siblings as well as a true heart for the poor... being raised as a LIGHT!
Maria is a farmgirl at her roots, and it is good to have had her here sharing our LIFE for the last month.
Missing Little Sister Hallel has taken an actual form here. John wanted to have her at Nancy's wedding so we made a paper Hallel to have her there with us, as she truly was in Spirit. She stood in our home for a few years until Hallel was home for her home visit almost 2 years ago, and she personally carried her out to the burn barrel. Now I just add her to pictures time to time to make the picture complete in my eyes as well as in my heart!
The 5 together at Maria's wedding... makes my heart sing with such JOY to see the 5 I am blessed with here on earth sharing such a day of celebration. WE are always aware of the 7 praying for us in Heaven that we will meet some day. My treasure in Heaven that keep our eyes toward heaven. Being open to LIFE didn't turn out as we thought it would, yet we have total peace knowing all our family has been given LIFE no matter how short.
Two others that keep our eyes on The Kingdom of God for which we strive - Heaven - my sister, Mary, who died of cancer in 1986 at 28 years old, and Pat's brother, Don, who died in 1993 at 35 years old. We pray for their souls daily, and any way we lift our eyes to Jesus is giving our all to HIM!
Mary on her wedding day... 2 years later she died leaving a 20 month old daughter, Audrey and her dairy farmer husband, Gerry. The mysteries of life and death have no answers until we are with them in heaven will be understand.
Maria and Joseph on their wedding day - waiting for marriage and open to LIFE.. the Church asks this of those entering into marriage. What is the reason for the dogmas and teachings of the Church? To get us to Heaven and so that we may enter the Kingdom of God... if we follow the Truths of The Church in our lives we can find that Kingdom of God here on earth as The Church helps us down the narrow path to Heaven!
A cute one of Nancy and Bill on their wedding day 4 years ago - they now have 3 children and share their Faith with great JOY in their domestic Church/family!
A cute clothesline picture of my wonderful husband, Patrick, that I came across today. He is my champion of LIFE - when I asked him at our engagement weekend if we were being selfish to want a large family when all the other couples were having at most 2 children - "The World needs LIGHTS." he said and our marriage and that of our children is based upon this rock! Being open to LIFE and raising them as LIGHTS to the world! http://familysoulstory.blogspot.com/p/my-most-cherished-cross-patrick-gerard.html The page I devoted to much more of the details, if you are interested.
Pat and I chuckle about how we are the Most Cherished Cross one for the other... ever since Hallel wrote a letter to her sister, Nancy, on the occasion of her engagement.
"Nancy, Look I am writing you a letter... aren't you impressed? Well, you better be because both you and I know how often this happens. I am writing to tell you now extremely excited I am about your engagement to Bill. I have to admit, when I got the news I wasn't really shocked but that night as it sunk in during adoration and the next day during mass I was so happy. My heart overflowed with joy for you. How beautiful to know that you have found your... most cherished cross. While I have never had the experience of being married, from what I hear is that he will truly be your cross. But not your cross as human eyes look at it, as a thing to run away from, as a thing of torture but rather as that which is truly the tree of life. It is only when clinging to the cross that one can truly live, it is the source of all life and of all love. Your marriage to Bill will be this, not something to run away from when it gets hard and when it hurts, but something to hold tight to, especially when it hurts because it is in this that you will find life and love. Know that it is through your marriage that Jesus wants to show you his great love for you and also that the best example that you can give to the world of Christ's love is a marriage lived in truth. So, in other words, know that I am so happy for you and that I love you a whole lot. Know that you are in my prayers during this crazy time of wedding planning; that you may not go crazy but rather learn to love each other better and that you may both have great joy and great peace. Remember to pray for me too! God Bless, Your little Sister Hallel "
The entire family dropping Maria off at the Poor Clares on The Solemnity of Mary- Jan 1, 2004. So powerful to have her behind the enclosure. It is understandable that they need to protect themselves from the distractions and evil influences of the world, and pray for the needs. What would the world be like without all the prayers of those cloistered and devoting their lives to prayer for our needs?
For years Mary has had her special pet, Snowball. This year Snowball will be having her 4th calf and Mary will be here to share in her joy! She thinks that it is normal for a 8 year old girl to have a pet cow. Mary has become the carer for their chickens and her bunny, and this summer they will show pigs and beef for 4H. It is so much fun to see Ruth and Paul pass on their love for Farm and LIFE to their children. Faith/Family/Farm is a beautiful gift that we share now with 4 living generations starting with Pat's mom still with us and involved at 95!
Paper Hallel made our family complete at Nancy's wedding!
Out with dad and the cows...
By Simon's favorite bouncy seat tractor.
A black and white grainbin picture of the grandkids a few years back... almost 5 years ago. So precious to me to see that we have grown now from 5 to 12 and our love has not been stretched more thin but has grown more and more with each one!
John in the sunlight and the LIGHTS of the sweet nieces and nephews!
A look of love and adoration as her loving grandpa walked in the door years back. How the little ones love Pat as he is so loving and caring and involved in their lives. How he loves to share the farm life with them, too!
Mary and her little Lamb! Now we have the Community of the Lamb in our family bringing us more and more into the Kingdom of God at hand!
A selfie taken with a random calf years back. It was always powerful and wonderful to experience LIFE and yes...death on the farm. So close to God and his amazing creation that we are placed to care for and feed the world as farmers!
Yes, had to add Hallel to make wedding picture complete. It is a sacrifice for us, but the blessings abound with her Community making our family larger by hundreds!
Mary loved animals always and now she cares for real ones!
Had to have a clothesline picture. Hanging clothes is a lot of work, but a time for meditating of our blessings and lifting up needs in prayer... starting when I was this young by the clothesline in Grand Blanc, MI! There is something very close to God there for me!
A selfie with Roger and David back when I had the joy of watching just David while mom worked a couple days a week.
The two 2 year olds are now each 6, and close. They just shared a month together and we are so grateful for the time to share our Faith/Family/Farm!
Back at the beginning of a city girl come to the farm - 36 years ago...
Learning at the feet of Pat's parents... the family working together is one of the best times of all!
Pat with our first precious baby Ruth!
I guess we took turns taking pictures of each other with our sweet baby girl, and so thankful that we did now!
Bringing Ruth home from the hospital on a cold January day... she looks warm and loved by her daddy, my champion of LIFE! He never said stop after many losses, and now we have all our family here and in heaven. Talk about keeping your eyes on your treasure in Heaven!
I found these little ones in our shoes pictures - it speaks to me of love for their parents and...
grandparents... Simon in John's tennis shoes.
David in grandpa's shoes
Barefeet boys - John and his cousin, Brad! The adventures we shared around the farm are now cherished memories and now new adventures lie ahead.
Me and the two oldest sharing time with dad on the farm...
The pictures have finally come to an end. Why so many? It just seemed like they spoke of The Kingdom of God here in the midst of Faith/Family/Farm shared one with the other. If we truly place Jesus in the center of our lives and follow the Truth we are given through The Catholic Church we are being helped on our narrow path towards heaven. We can then experience a small slice of heaven here in the midst of our domestic Church/family. Jesus, we trust in YOU. Amen and Hallelujah
John and Pat out working together this beautiful morning.
Bless-bless, Barbara Luke
A grand Hallel Psalm from mass today - the Feast of St Timothy and St Titus! Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all you lands. Sing to the Lord, bless his name. Proclaim God's marvelous deeds to all the nations.
Announce his salvation, day after day. Tell his glory among the nations; among all peoples, his wondrous deeds. Proclaim God's marvelous deeds to all the nations.
Give to the Lord, you families of nations, give to the Lord glory and praise; give to the Lord the glory due his name! Proclaim God's marvelous deeds to all the nations.
This pretty much is what I tried to do today through pictures and sharing... Give him the praise!
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