Ruth and David on the way to Mary and Joseph...our family of Faith!

Ruth with her dad on Father's day and her youngest little Joy.  "Ruth" and "David" rang like a bell in the midst of the genealogy from Abraham to Jesus!

Usually reading the genealogy of Christ - those 42 generations with the strange names that would be stumbled over to pronounce out loud make your eyes roll when you see that is the Gospel for today... today I was like 7 year old Rose Again, who heard her name in the Creed when she was about 3 years old at the Easter Vigil.  But today reading those two familiar family names, Ruth and David, brought me into the Truth that we are the continuation of that story of Jesus coming into the world and bringing us our Church and our Salvation!

 The farmhouse where Ruth spent from 8 years old to 18 is now a showplace with a stunning porch and new main floor... Since yesterday the upstairs is being totally redone!  Ruth has a vision and does the work required, too!

Aglow in LIGHT of the moon and lit for Advent/Christmas!

Ruth holding John's baby, Jude...

The story of Ruth is very sweet and short and filled with romance and Faith!  Ruth loses her husband and comes with her mother-in-law to the promised land where Faith in the One true God is held by the Jewish people - she was a foreigner and embraced the True God, she met a  good man, who married her and cared for her, and she bore Obed, who was the father of Jesse, who was the father of David!

I fell in love with the name Ruth after having a good friend, who was a nurse I worked with before coming to the farm and becoming a farmwife.  Ruth is also a family name as my mother had an Aunt Ruth, who was very good to her.  It is a lovely name and short and sweet!  It very much describes Ruth with her loyal and hard working ways and openness to family and raising LIGHTS!
https://familysoulstory.blogspot.com/p/my-most-cherished-cross-patrick-gerard.html
https://familysoulstory.blogspot.com/p/now-stories-of-johns-4-sistersruth.html

 First Sunday of Advent family farm gathering after sharing mass... Sunday feasting together is a sure celebration of the JOY we share in Christ and His Bride, The Church!

 Two are needed to be sure that we get the best one!  With 8 to include that usually is a picture of LIFE, which is reminding us that life is not perfect, but still is a gift and by embracing our Most Cherished Cross we find LIFE/LOVE/LIGHT!

 Ruth and her dad demolishing the upstairs as the remodel has begun!

 Pat says they were impressed that the house had been insulated very well with the old type insulation.. now for the blow in urethane to keep it nice and warm for the kids!

Mary's room and Simon's room down to the bones... those widows used to be that big, but the new porch made them half the size now.

 A lot of dust and work!

Big David with Jude after mass.   Many Sundays David serves the priest and most of the times it is with his older brother and sister.  Simon and Mary also lead the singing from time to time, and their dad, Paul, is a lector.  Paul, Pat and John are all Eucharistic ministers a lot of Sundays.  Powerful to have family involved in the mass.

Even little Rose, Joy and Luke finding their names in the liturgy tells of their listening and finding meaning in the mass!

A sweet smile from Little David in Washington!

These are the words from their mom about this gift giving...

T and D really enjoyed purchasing gifts for kids on the church's "Giving Tree" this year.

We spent an afternoon this week wrapping up their gifts.

So proud of these kids and the joy they find in bringing joy to others.

Little David snuggling his baby brother, Hector, who is now 9 1/2 months old!  

Yes, we have 2 grandsons named David that are a year and a half apart!  Ruth's Big David, and Maria's little David.  It doesn't work to call them by Dave with the initial from their last names, because they both are "L"!  So it is little and big so far, and also they use their middle names to keep them alerted of whom we are speaking to...

Little David Joseph and baby brother Hector Joseph!  Each of the boys has Joseph for their middle names, and the girls have Marie or Mary!

The thing about the 42 generations leading including our Ruth and David names... they all lead up to Mary and Joseph!  Those names have been hugely honored and are beloved in our family lineage!  When we were naming our girls we really wanted to have a "Mary", so we went with Maria as both Pat and I had sisters named Mary and aunts named, Mary.  Now we are blessed to have a granddaughter named Mary after Paul's grandmother, Mary Lanoue, and Our Lady, Queen of heaven and earth.  

St Nicholas gifts a few days back... they are homeschooled and have very limited screen time, so books are a huge hit for them.

 Big David loves babies just like his grandpas!

 Big Dave and Gus have always enjoyed each others company... how I love to go down the litany of our family at the end of completing a rosary.  So many powerful names from the Genealogy of Christ and the Saints gathered in heaven interceding for us!

Patrick Gerard Joseph, Barbara Lynn Luke, Ruth Ida Rose, Paul Ernest Paul, Simon Patrick, Mary Angela, David Lawrence, Rose Ida, Luke Paul, Joy Jean, Nancy Anna Joan of Arc, Willian Andrew Willian, Augustine William, Bernadette Anna, Dominic Patrick, Josephine Francis, George Blaise, Peter, Maximilian, Catherine, Maria Theresa Clare, Joseph David Elijah, Therese Marie, David Joseph, Patrick Joseph, Romeo Joseph, Evangeline Mary, Hector Joseph, Elijah and Mary, Little Sister Hallel/Susan Angela Agnes, John Patrick Augustine, Bobbi Marie Therese, Jude Dale, Barbara Gerard, Christopher, Thomas, Joseph, Paul, William, Robert and Mary.... Pray for us all you holy men and women!  My litany to end my rosary fills me with so much HOPE and JOY and PEACE and LOVE!

 Thanks to Ruth and Paul I have this wonderful home that they remodeled for us to have so much wonderful family times as it fills up with family - wave after wave of JOY!

Driving home in the setting sun...

Another cute one to share from Maria's bunch!  Hector Joseph and Patrick Joseph sharing snuggles and smiles!  Nothing can replace The Family!  Who cares about stuff?  Family is so much more wonderful for us to share in!

Jesus, Your name reminds us of the great gift we receive from you with each new day!  So many powerful reminders of your Saints, Mother Mary Most Holy, and family down the generations and how they all surround us with your blessings and graces as they intercede for us as we carry/drag our Most Cherished Cross and stagger down the narrow path to find LIFE everlasting with you at the end of our journey!  How we long to die more with each new day so that you may live in us and we may share with those around us that unconditional love and forgiveness we have been given!  Most especially to those the closest to us in our domestic Church/family that we treat the worst from time to time.  Lord, bless all marriages as they are definitely challenging and hard- where we are truly called to die to self and give without counting the cost!  Jesus, we trust in you.  Amen and Hallelujah

Maria's manger willing up with good deeds - so soft and warm for baby Jesus in a week from tomorrow already!  

Keeping Hector and the other 3 contained - they are all crawling and pulling themselves to their feet and "very mobile."

How I wished to get the family together for CCC this year, but not to happen.  A grandma with fake plans sometimes is disappointed along the journey of FAITH/FAMILY/FARM.  Bless-bless, Barb

Lord, let your blessing come upon us as we light two purple advent candles and the third (pink) of this wreath.
May the wreath and its light be a sign of Christ's promise of salvation.
May He come quickly and not delay.
We ask this in His holy name. Amen. 

Powerful reflection by Nancy...

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He’s 10 months already, but he’s still the best little present under our tree this year. George Blaise is our miracle baby, and I’ve promised myself not to forget that.

The years of pregnancy and babies are full of so much, and nearly all of it is completely out of our control. Surprise pregnancies when you were hoping for a bit more space, little lives that slip through your fingers with miscarriage, precious little ones that are born still. We’ve done it all, and each story change us. They left a wound, but also allowed us to glimpse the awesomeness of God just a bit more clearly.

We have 3 saints waiting for us in heaven. We saw Peter’s strong little heart beating away before God called him home at 8 weeks. Max moved and kicked inside of me for 20 weeks before we was born to heaven. Our prefect little boy that we held and buried two years ago now. And we found out about little Catherine hours before our pilgrimage to Fatima. She visited all the places with us in that trip, and flew to heaven a week after we got home.

After those losses a big part of me wanted to just be done. No more pregnancies=no more losses. The fear of more pain was so real.

But God had a better plan, and praise be to Him, we have this little wonderful boy this Christmas. He’s a terrible sleeper and has been sick all week with a nasty cold, but he is the best best best gift.

Prayers for you, my dear friends, if this season is a season of loss. I have been there, and will likely be there again.

You are in my heart this Christmas.

Amy Grant - Breath of heaven/Mary's song

I drove Mary home from swim practice and on the way home this came on... she sang along so beautifully and it was a special time shared with her!

Jordon Smith - Mary did you know?

Yes!!!!