John's 10 year brithday/Stem Cell Transplant/Time with mom and dad/John travel companion

 I walked in a little before 9a to surprise my parents with a visit.  It was almost a surprise to me, too, as John called me last evening to ask if I would like to travel with him for a conference close to the Cities and visit my parents from 9a to 4p... a nice window to share.

As I was reading the readings last night before bed... I was struck by the Gospel and through it I was reminded of this being John's 10th birthday - the day that his stem cells were replaced after dropping the bomb and wiping out all of his white blood cells... The cancer was gone and so they replaced his stem cells they had collected... the seeds were planted on the day of the Gospel reading of the sower and the seed!

 John on Sunday with Mary and Bobbi after a big weekend in speech for Mary - taking second.

 It was special time traveling with John today on this landmark day of his starting afresh with the planting of his seeds!  We prayed a decade of the rosary and decided to include 5 saints in our daily prayer for John's continued health... St Augustine (John's patron saint), St Rita, St Jude, St John Paul II, and St Therese.  A true of those looking out for John as he struggles down the narrow path.

"A tender moment" dad shared with me.  " I have started giving Our Lady a kiss and repeating a 'Hail Holy Queen', when I turn up the heat in the morning."  How we love Our Lady!  Dad was saying that she is getting more kisses than our mother.  Maybe that will come next.

Mary in her spot made by brother, Dan, in their bookcase after they moved away from Manistique, MI to St Croix Falls, WI about 9 years ago.  The statues of Mary and Joseph were a gift from the church that dad had served as Deacon.

It makes their home recognized as Catholic to the core! And that is truly the case.  Dad was sharing that one of the ladies here comes to say the rosary with them after lunch.  It looks liike I have that to look forward to today.

Soon we will be sharing lunch...They told me to lay down and rest while they grabbed their morning naps, but I decided to share a bit here...

"...Those sown among thorns are another sort.
They are the people who hear the word,
but worldly anxiety, the lure of riches,
and the craving for other things intrude and choke the word,
and it bears no fruit.
But those sown on rich soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it
and bear fruit thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.”
Mark 4

John and I shared some things that are causing anxiety for us... we decided to take it to prayer and to not allow it to choke the word out... Lord, how we long to have fertile soil and bear much fruit!  Jesus, we trust in you.  Bless-bless, Barb


Each life is a gift and our love grows bigger not stretched more thin when we add a new little one to our families!

Danielle Rose - The Saint that is just me

Tauren Wells - Hills and Valleys

Peter Mayer - Holy Now

"There is no room for doubting

that Our Lord is in the Holy Eucharist.

One knows well that He is there. 

One feels it.

In receiving Holy Communion 

one feels something extraordinary,

a sense of well-being which pervades his whole body.

What is this sense of well-being? 

It is Our Lord who communicates Himself

to all parts of our bodies, and makes them thrill with joy.

We are compelled to cry out with St John:

'It is the Lord.' "

St John Vianney

 Mom loves her gardening and has had beautiful flowers over the years!

Still dreaming about gardens - LOVE!  It has skipped a generation as now my Ruth has an amazing garden and puts me to shame