Anniversary 41 calls for us to be apart by 4 hours - My dad needs me, the farm needs Pat!/The earth has yielded its fruits/farmwife 41 years!

 These two helped grandma pack her bag getting ready to go and be with my parents, when a health crisis reared up suddenly.  Ruth's youngest 2 year old Joy, and John's new son, Jude, who is our youngest grandchild at around 4 months.  It was a fun morning with them while the farm family pulled together to pick up 100 bales and cover them.

My trip to be with my parents was filled with so much prayer and knowing of the many praying with me from family and friends/prayer warriors filled me with hope for my dad to get some more time with us!  As my sister, Paula, and I agree..."Dad is so good!"  Yes, he is such a shining and bright wonderful LIGHT for our family and all those he comes in contact with... how we rely and find comfort in his prayers and Faith wisdom shared with us!

 My mother described my dad as looking angelic and so he does with his crown/halo which is holding in place his oxygen monitor on his forehead.  I drove straight to the hospital and we shared supper together.  He says that there is talk of hospice... as a hospice nurse for over 20 years that is not a surprise or upsetting to me.  "Dad at 94 we know that the end is coming at some point, and hospice is a wonderful way to go into the sunset of our lives!"

My sister and I are meeting with the doctor this afternoon and fake plans are flying around here. Mom feels a big need to be making "fake plans" but we can only take one day at a time...

A sweet and special banner that my sister-in-law, Angela made for my mother's 90th birthday a couple weeks ago... it was to be at the party tomorrow, but it has now been canceled and hopefully our family will gather at a later date!

This was us 41 years ago today!!! Our wedding day in Basilica of St Mary in Minneapolis!  Yes, today we are apart and spending time together on the cell phone (although the reception here is very poor... I must sit out on the porch to have any reception with my farmer.)

Today we are 29 members with 3 new grandsons since February!  Our best gift for this anniversary is sharing our Faith as a Family and of course, the LIFE we have on the Farm!

Our 18 grandchildren together in late June!  Sharing family time is all that I yearn for in this world!  Yes, it is crazy but the love we share on the farm is without price!  The pearl of great price!

Today the Psalm speaks of my life as a farmwife for these 41 years!
The earth has yielded its fruits;
God, our God, has blessed us.
May God bless us,
and may all the ends of the earth fear him!
R.  O God, let all the nations praise you!
Psalm 67

Yes, each of those 41 years on the farm has been unique and so many prayers and hard work go into the farm life.  But we have truly been blessed and our family has been filled with so much wonderful fruit - 5 sharing our Faith/Family/Farm with us and 7 in heaven!  We now add 5 grandchildren to them!
https://familysoulstory.blogspot.com/p/my-most-cherished-cross-patrick-gerard.html

Pat and I with our kids - only missing Hallel in France - and grandkids a month ago!  "God, our God, has blessed us" in picture form!  

Now with the spouses - Joe was in Washington and Nancy's Bill was at work in the Cities... Each one of the spouses is a gift to our family!  Thank you Lord for good marriages!

 France a year ago with all the kids and kids in law!!! 3 new boys were there in the womb.  My sweet sister-in-law, Angela, who came to share in Hallel's vows is sweetly making me and mom a special meal tonight to celebrate our anniversary!

Thank you, Lord, for all you many blessings.  Be with my parents, who at the end of this month were to celebrate their 70th anniversary!  May they be allowed to reach that together in another good stretch of health together.  Jesus, we trust in you.  Bless-bless, Barb