"Come to me all you who" are irritated, angry, annoyed, frustrated, tired, yanked around, "and i will give you rest."

Love this!  Borrowed from Maria's blog... Father-Daughter Dance for Father's Day on base. 

Therese's beautiful hair for the occasion!  I love to do girl's hair after having 4 girls in a row, but this is a something out of my expertise.  I did love doing the girl's hair while they lived with us!

Maria has learned that I need to be able to see pictures to fill in the gaps of having them so far away!  I am sure Therese and Joseph will treasure this memory for always!

Amidst the storm yesterday the kitten and the dog sought comfort under a towel together... too  cute to pass up.  "All those pictures"... I hear that often and it humbles me a bit. Yes, it seems that I want to capture it all and record all the good and precious moments along the way of a day. 


You would think that all is rosy and filled with sunshine and lollypops in my world, but it is not really so.  My faith is what gets me through and gives me hope and peace in the midst of the storms of life that seem to roll over me wave after wave.  It does help me to stay upbeat and happy in the face of strangers and those not very close to me, but with those closest to me... I am sullen and crabby and fight a lot of negative feelings flooding me! 


"Give it up, give it up."  came to me today in the midst of the litany of negative feelings I was battling..."irritated, annoyed, frustrated, angry, tired, and feeling generally pulled this way and that/yanked around!"  Guess what, Barb?  Your life is not your own.

Waiting out the rain, soaking wet, after praying hard that we would get some much needed moisture in the tractor.  We got close to an inch and a half, for that we are most grateful today.  Prayers of thanksgiving today. 


In my state of mind... I know that it does no good to find fault and to become annoyed and angry... I need to go forward and do the tasks at hand and try try try again to do them with a pleasant and smiling attitude.  On my own this is not possible and I will probably fail, but I understand that it is not about me, but loving and serving each other as we have undeservedly been loved by Jesus.  He asks us to lay our burdens at his feet and find comfort.

I walked past this in the grove at the farm yesterday.. the stations of the Cross that Maria made for me when she discerned out of the monastery in Sauk Rapids... the 4th Station where Jesus meets his Mother, Mary!  LOVE it!  The peace floods me whenever I take up my rosary beads and begin to walk the way with my wonderful loving Mother Mary.  Jesus through Mary is a powerful real answer for me to find a better place in the midst of my selfish feeling sorry for myself.  I am a great one for saying "poor me!"  All I need do is look to Mary's example of saying "yes" in the face of impossible odds and finding The Way, the Truth and the LIFE/Jesus!

All the new little ones in our family is a source of great JOY for us!  Joy is her name and that is her job in the family of Ruth and Paul..."the 6th child is a delight!"  Such a good and easy baby for very busy mom, Ruth Ida!  I sure learn at the feet of my daughter, with her easy going calm and Life-giving attitude towards her marriage and her family.  It doesn't get much better when you learn from your kids and they take you deeper in your Faith journey!
 
We sure miss this little sweet heart too!  She was here with us for over 4 months in our home and we miss her and her family a lot!  I am filled with lots of excitement to think that in the next year we can hopefully once again get the 3 new girls together!  I know not when, but those fake plans fill me with a lot of comfort.

9 year old big sister, Therese, with her almost 9 month old sister, Evangeline. 


Jesus stresses that in order to find that comfort and rest in the midst of our struggles and burdens/yoke/cross that we need to follow him in humility and meekness.  He is there with us and his "yoke is easy and his burden is light."


 Really!  When you really think about what is getting to you... it is pretty minor when you look at those that truly have life of death struggles with illness or violence due to weather or what is going on in your country or neighborhood.  Having Breno here from Brazil and realizing the danger due to poverty and those desperate to find food or other necessities - "The security is a big problem in our country."  A challenge we cannot really see or understand here in the prairie, yet mother nature had some violence we could do nothing about with neighbors being hit by a mini tornado yesterday. 


Lord, I am longing to give all control to you and not cling to my selfish self-centered ways... to find comfort and rest in the midst of the ups and downs of life as we hope to serve without counting the cost!  Jesus, we trust in you.  Easy and Light I can handle and you promise me that.  Bless-bless, Barb

The three boys are filled with energy and lots of imagination in their play helped by Oma's costumes!  We had twice as many grandsons as granddaughters, which is very different for us.  But with the 3 new granddaughters in less than a year, we are just one away from being even.  Love them all!!! And always room for more!

From Nancy's blog... we will see them in a few days, but it is fun to see them growing up... Josephine is now walking!

14 months and walking!

Visiting Our Lady and grandma at work for the church in Pennsylvania.

Proof positive we have a new walker in the family!




Loving the daddy - daughter pictures today... As John prays with thanksgiving each morning for the wonderful husbands and fathers his sisters have found!

I am getting carried away, but you know me and pictures!

Nancy's wonderful sharing today...
"If you ever feel distressed during your day, call upon our Lady. Just say this simple prayer: 'Mary, Mother of Jesus, please be a mother to be now.' This prayer has never failed me."
St. Mother Teresa