St Rose!!! Rose Ida and Ruth Ida Rose..."beautiful like a rose"

I am spending the day with Rose, thanks to her mom working overnight.  It is the feast day of her patron Saint - St Rose of Lima, who got her name as she was "beautiful like a rose." 

Rose humored grandma with allowing me to do a photo shoot around the yard this lush green cool August morning.  We picked some cone flowers, which we shared with Our Lady with a gentle smile.  Rose is now the same height as Mary.  This soft loving look was a delight to record and share here!  It is as if Rose senses the love and care for Mary, the Mother of God, we all know in our hearts on this journey after Jesus gave her to us at the foot of the Cross to bring into our homes.

Rose is a familiar name in the family since Ruth chose St Rose as her patron saint when she was confirmed 20 years ago.  It was a good fit for Ruth Ida Rose, as we discovered that Rose would do needle work to support her poor family, and Ruth learned how to crochet from her grandma Ann as well as has done ornate needlework - especially stockings for each of her now 6 kids!  When Ruth had her second daughter, she was then Rose Ida, and it seems that she resembles her mom a lot and reminds me of my girls in looks.  Rose also works beside her mom a lot and is truly a doer.

Did I say that after all this rain our landscape is lush green?  And that Rose was a wonderful willing subject for my pictures today?  And this is our amazing cottonwood tree that is stunningly amazing to use as a backdrop?  LOVE!


Each day as I sit here... I have to ponder from all that many pieces of each day in The Church and ponder just what I want to focus on.  There are many interruptions and praying with Pat and John and looking at all things Catholic on FB, and pondering the sharing of so many, which point to The Truth and The richness and The wonder of all we are given. 


Today I have been asked to pray for a woman, who is at this time going through delivering her 5 month baby, who was without a heartbeat when she went in for her 20 week ultrasound.  I had this happen twice - innocently just going in for my checkup and there was no heartbeat.  Devastating!  So my heart and mind are there with her and her husband going through this tough time!  They have 6 at home, and I had 5... the sharing of this loss was very hard and some said that we should have kept it from them, but we have discovered that because of sharing this pain/this cross we have so much love and respect for one another and for all LIFE!
http://familysoulstory.blogspot.com/p/my-most-cherished-cross-patrick-gerard.html

There was something so very gentle and sweet about Rose today... grandpa said that she was running around in the shop last night wearing her backpack full of her stuff for kindergarten starting in a couple weeks!  She is very excited to start school!  She has a week long trip out to see her cousins in Washington state first. 

The sign on the barn is for our two Davids who had their first Communions just a few weeks apart here in our church!  Out of the blue today, Big Dave asked; "Is First Communion a big deal?"  We all quickly answered..."YES!"  Jesus sharing in your LIFE and becoming part of you, as we die to self so that the Jesus/The Holy Spirit dwells within us and we become his hands and feet! 


That's important in our journey into The Kingdom of God!  Jesus reminds us today in the parable of the landowner, who hired laborers to work in his vineyard throughout the day, and starting with those hired last paid them all a day's wage.  His love and mercy is generous! 

How I long to be forever in heaven with Jesus and my 7 losses keep my eyes directed there along with my sister, Mary, who died at 28 from cancer.  I also pray daily for those that don't know Jesus or are far from him, and I hope and pray that even last minute they may come to him.  I am sad that they have gone through so much of their lives adrift, and I pray that the Lord use me to minister to them and help them to find the Truth!  My prayer is that it will never be too late for them...even an hour before they leave this world or at the point of death that they recognize LOVE and say "Yes." 

So beautiful!!  She makes my days filled with JOY and Peace and HOPE... Our Lady, pray for us...


Litany of Mary the Mother of The Church
 Holy Mary,
Holy Mother of God,
Holy Virgin of virgins, .
Mother of Christ, .
Mother of divine grace,
Mother most pure,
Mother most chaste,
Mother inviolate,
Mother undefiled,
Mother most amiable,
Mother most admirable,
Mother of good counsel,
Mother of our Creator,
Mother of our Savior,
Mother of the Church,
Virgin most prudent,
Virgin most venerable,
Virgin most renowned,
Virgin most powerful,
Virgin most merciful,
Virgin most faithful,
Mirror of justice,
Seat of wisdom,
Cause of our joy,
Spiritual vessel,
Vessel of honor,
Singular vessel of devotion,
Mystical rose,
Tower of David, .
Tower of ivory,
House of gold,
Ark of the covenant,
Gate of Heaven,
Morning star,
Health of the sick,
Refuge of sinners,
Comforter of the afflicted,
Help of Christians, pray for us.
Queen of angels,
Queen of patriarchs,
Queen of prophets,
Queen of apostles,
Queen of martyrs,
Queen of confessors,
Queen of virgins,
Queen of all saints,
Queen conceived without
Original Sin,
Queen assumed into Heaven,
Queen of the holy Rosary,
Queen of families,
Queen of peace,

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,

Pray fo us, O holy Mother of God,
after each one, we say "pray for us."

This reminds me of her mother so much.  Ruth would feed the chickens and even had a small red chicken for a pet that she fed and carried around under her arm when she was about Rose's age. 

I had a lot of fun doing Rose's hair today... Bernadette/French braids for her special feast day today!

Rose and the chickens...

Petting a hen, who seems to be trying to lay an egg.


Lord with your Mother, Our Queen of heaven and earth... this day is so full of all that comes at us and calls us to prayer and worship and work and play and photo shoots and cleaning up messes and taking care of sick kids and praying for someone in need and saying their final goodbyes on this earth as they look to heaven with sadness knowing that life and death is a mystery yet trusting that we will come to you at the end of this earthly journey as we labor for you in the midst of all the distractions and all that makes up our day to day lives!  It is truly kind of crazy, yet we look to you!  Jesus, we trust in you.  Bless-bless, Barb

"You are a thought of God, you are a heartbeat of God. To say this is like saying that you are value which in a sense is infinite. That you matter to God in your completely unique individuality."
-JPII
http://www.crisismagazine.com/2017/oh-no-want-nun

Fr Craig shared this article today after witnessing sisters taking vows this morning.

Canning this year is different for us... we only have one pail a time and get only about 25 quarts rather than our usual 100+.  I am getting nervous because Pat and I are leaving with all Ruth's helpers - the older 4 grandkids in a week... right when all the tomatoes are ready.  Bad timing!  This was our small batch (?) of spaghetti sauce yesterday - a 4 hour job rather than 12 hours.  Ruth had some for supper and said that it was good... fresh basil from the garden makes it super wonderful and fresh.  The basil was growing just a few minutes before it was chopped and put into our full canner - to the top!!!

Too much fun with my rosebud this day!!! 


I am in grandma heaven right now... all 3 grandkids are taking an afternoon nap, and that old feeling of JOY at having me time to say my rosary and probably dose off a bit too is such a gift and was when I had 4 girls that all had blankets and sucked their thumbs.  They loved nap time!!!  No, none of them needed braces and none of them suck their thumb yet!

Love the dappled lighting under the cottonwood tree this morning!

The grace from Our Lady interceding for us with her Son, our Savior Jesus Christ!

Chris Tomlin - Home