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!
Ruth asked me if I canned when she was Rose and Luke's age... short answer - Yes! I have canned my entire marriage as I got a canner for a wedding gift from Pat's brothers and sisters. We have definitely expanded since then but tomato soup every summer for the last 37 years as well as applesauce. I am sure Ruth was up there with her spoon stirring from 1 1/2 on, and every year since. For 35 years now for her.
Today's job was making 4 pails of tomatoes into spaghetti sauce. "How many quarts do you think mom?" "I think about 60 quarts." The grand total? It was an inch short of 60 quarts! It is interesting to see how close I get from time to time. Ruth and John waited for me to predict and I was right on! I guess I am good at some things after all.
I guess I didn't take pictures of my own little ones helping with canning until they were older... that is pretty much how we remember these days, and there will be no doubt that each one of Ruth's helped out.
Canning applesauce back about 20 years ago now... Hallel called yesterday from France and reminded Ruth that in just a few weeks she will be turning 30, and she is my baby girl!
We know now that this big square container from the auction at Holy Redeemer is 40 quarts - we filled it to the top plus another canner of juice! The large pot in this picture plus the large rectangular pan and a couple more canners we use on these big days are all from the Catholic school and reveal to us just how much our canning has grown to these huge days and hundreds of quarts of tomatoes when you put them all together. It gives us a good feeling to know that the history that means so much to 4 generations of our family at the Catholic school is now part of our big canning days of putting up food for 6 families! These containers are 70- 90 years old, and continue to be put to good use! Our days would be much slower and longer without them!
Luke taste testing the juice with onions and garlic - "yum. yum,yum..." One of my favorite things to tell the kids... those tomatoes were growing in the garden just a few hours ago - that's fresh and you can just watch all that goodness go throughout your little healthy body, and on your body! After lunch Luke and Rose found themselves in the bathtub!
Morning prayer and doing the readings together with Pat seems long away, and it was about 6 hours ago now... but it was good to find that we are in Luke 4 today and see Jesus revealing that he is The Christ come as it was predicted over and over in the OT. Pat made a good observation this morning about how we are looking for the second coming as St Paul mentions today in I Thessalonians 4, while the Jewish people are still awaiting the Messiah as they do not recognize Jesus as that. Talk about looking at the Spiritual world differently! All of this is reminding me of a wonderful post Nancy just wrote on her blog about the OT and the NT as she has learned through the eyes of little boys... http://www.dosmallthingswithlove.com/2015/08/the-theology-of-little-boys.html
Most of the 60 quarts but we have started processing.
Jesus, may we always be awake and be ready for you at work in our lives! May we always hold onto the Truth that today just as 2,000 years ago when you walked the earth on your feet... you use our hands and feet to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord. Isaiah and Luke 4 May we be always sharing your LIGHT/LOVE/LIFE/Jesus in Gospel and Sacrament. May the Mercy we have been given be returned to those in our lives - most especially those in our domestic Church/family. Jesus, we trust in you. Amen and Hallelujah
Another great day together with Ruth and John and her two youngest making 6 batches of spaghetti sauce - I think we have done about 125 quarts of spaghetti sauce this year. Ruth makes it every week so that is where a lot of it goes. Bless-bless, Barbara Luke
Hoping to find some apples this year for our next big job - maybe later this week...
Oh, those saints are so helpful to see The Truth!
How I long for this to be my truth!
All the way for us!
Your love has born much fruit! We are approaching 110 strong... maybe we have reached it, for sure we are well over 100 now!
Our first reading in mass today from Deuteronomy 4 really speaks of what we have found in our amazing Catholic Church - led there by my parents 44 years ago! All 13 of us! http://familysoulstory.blogspot.com/p/the-amazing-story-of-13-becoming.html ... this is the entire story if you haven't already.
what great nation is there that has gods so close to is as the Lord, our God, is to us whenever we call upon him? Or what great nation has statutes and decrees that are as just as this whole law which I am setting before you today? Deut 4
My parents home has always been one of LIGHT and LIFE and LOVE! It has born witness to the world of their Faith first and foremost in their 66 years of marriage. I would think that many have looked at their witness of LIFE/LOVE/LIGHT to the world and wondered where that has come from. From embracing Christ and His amazing Bride, The Church!
In my almost daily sharing here... How I long to hope that some will see The Church for the wise and intelligent guide to Heaven that she is!
Father presented the plans for the Catholic School remodel. We are very interested and excited about it as we have our 5 grandchildren there, and how much it has touched our children and Pat and his siblings! A great legacy of Faith!
Simon has climbed the stairs to 5th grade this year and Mary is in 4th and David in First, so they are all very interested in it!
Breakfast after mass with Pat's mom and sisters... A call from Hallel in the midst!
David works in the kitchen cutting up a bowl of peaches for breakfast.
Pat's mom gets to talk to Susan/Hallel - she is in Saint Pierre but heads back to Rome on Wednesday. It looks like she will be there again this year. She told me about our friend, Maggie, from Kansas City. She is now Little Sister Amaya! "Amaya means beloved and she was the niece of St Clare. Amaya's family were all here and I just went to Lourdes for 2 days with them. It was wonderful. I have been doing a lot with the food for our big gathering, and now I am staying in the mountain community so that I can get some rest after all that work. "
Mary loves her great-grandmother!
Bless-bless
Gathered to share the Eucharist...
beautiful smiles of love shared.
Jesus, we love you and your Church! Go forward into the world through the LIGHT that we share! Bless my parents on this their 66th anniversary. Jesus, we trust in you. Amen and Hallelujah
Bless-bless, Barb
Heading out to the pasture that is about 10 miles away... with the creep feeder behind we had to drive slow so we had time to share morning prayer on this passion of St John the Baptist.
Rose asked..."Where Rose?" "You weren't born yet then."
Luke likes grandpa's hat - off and
on!
Snowball is a familiar face and easy to recognize!
"Hi Snowball!"
Her calf is easy to spot and is in getting creep feed at the feeder...
A bit too close for comfort
Grandpa will keep you safe!
One of our pets in the herd.
Snowball we will remember you til next time. Bless-bless, Barb
Happy, Amazing, Loving, Glorious, on and on and on Anniversary #5 to you, Nancy and Bill!
Yes, St Augustine is big around here and huge in The Catholic Church today! Our personal involvement began over 9 years ago when John's sisters encouraged him to take St Augustine as his confirmation saint. If nothing else... John listens to his sisters and takes what they have to say to heart. I think they noticed that he was luke warm in his faithlife, so they thought this man, who through his mother's prayers and the personal call from God over and over in his life... finally left a life of sin to become the Doctor of Grace, would be a good one for John. St Augustine did accompany John through his ups and downs and we celebrate his 9 years as John's patron Saint today!
Today we also wish our Augustine William his 4th feastday! Hope you can celebrate with your family, Gus!
The Gospel today of the 10 virgins with their lamps...St Augustine shares that the oil in the flask is a gift from God... we cannot create the olives from which the oil comes from. "See, I have oil; but did you create the oil? It is the gift of God. You have oil. Carry it with you. What is 'carry it with you'? Have it within; there please God." The oil for our lamps needs to be always within us and with us! We must be vigilant..."Therefore stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour." Matthew 25 May we never say no to a gift from God, but always carry it with us and be ready for we know not when!!!!
The kittens have moved over to Ruth's with their mom... It is hard to let them go, and trust that they will be OK, but there was no good answer for keeping them here.
I love this study of Nancy's 3!
Jesus, it takes oil to keep our lamps burning and the LIGHT to shine forth in our lives. May we always cherish the gift of that LIGHT-giving oil you have given us. What would that be in our lives? Oil for the lamps would be spending time each of our days coming to You in your Word and Sacraments and allowing your Saints to intercede for us and The Queen of the Saints - Mary your Mother most Holy! The Oil is also the ways that we share your LIFE/LOVE/LIGHT with those around us - most especially with those in our domestic Church/family! Why is it the hardest to be loving, kind and patient with those the closest to us? Help me, Lord, to carry forth that healing and light-giving oil towards those I am called to love and serve. Jesus, I trust in you. Amen and Hallelujah
Sweet little 11 month old Romeo will join grandpa Pat for their birthdays in just a little over 2 weeks! Bless-bless, Barbara Luke
Borrowing wonderful pictures from my girls today... it is fun to have them pass me up! You must all be thinking this is impossible. One sure proof that miracles do happen!
A great picture of JOY and cousin-love-growing up together is the best from Nancy's beautiful camera at the county fair!
