Our hidden hermit hospice life of prayer/trying to be constant no matter what we face/windy hot

 Our familiar spot where we can be found at 3p each day... A friend of dad's just called and labeled their life these days as that of "hermits."  Dad and I agree with that for us, too!  We love our hidden hermit hospice times of prayer throughout our days!

Last week we had 16 month old George sharing in our prayer along with my brother and his wife.  We love to have more voices joined with ours as we pray, but for the most part it is just the two of us quietly praying together in our home due to dad being basically home bound by hospice and all that it takes for him to go out.

 After breakfast we share morning prayer at his table after he finishes his meal, and again after supper we share evening prayer of The Church.

There have been times when due to pain or fatigue we have prayed with dad in his lift chair reclining, and reading seems to be becoming more of a challenge from time to time, and I am asked upon to read the Psalms or readings and prayers to him.  He usually responds "Yes, Lord!" to all that we receive each day - it is all glorious and beautiful and a total gift to me!  "Thanks, Barb, for helping me fulfill my obligation to pray each day."  "Dad, it is my total delight and gift!"

 Mary on fire for her Lord, and with us each day in prayer in our peaceful home hospice chapel in our inner souls!

Today's Gospel about praying in private and without a big show is certainly where we find ourselves on this journey we are sharing in my home now for 9 weeks!  Belching is often and part of dad's feeling better - he feels, so we take it as it comes.  How we love to be hermits for Christ!!!

 Our panoramic view as we pray each day - a cross in the sky this day was a special gift to us!

We both appreciate the similar view to that of being on a large body of water - we certainly have that in our family history with vacation homes on Lake Michigan as a girl growing up in Flint, MI and going there in the summers.  Then my parents built a vacation home and retirement home combination in Manistique, MI in the upper Peninsula for close to 20 years!  How I miss it and loved it.  Now we have the open prairie reminding us of how we can see all around us at the Lake!

 Another jet stream turned it into a "V" for Victory!  Armed with Jesus in Word and Sacrament and our Mother Mary of God we are victors over sin and death!

 I had to count the "Hail Mary's" on my fingers as George put it on and off while we prayed.

 Aunt Angela praying with us and was so sweet to our George!

 Evening prayer with George...

 The blanket and the fly swatter were shared back and forth.  It gives me tremendous JOY that my grandkids are having time to know my dad and he with them.  When you have 58 there are many that dad does not really know, nor has he seen them in person.  It was so special to see George lean back against him when they left and show that he realizes that this is a special man in his life - the king of our family of 140+!

 Here is #58!  My namesake, Birdie Barbara!  Her healthy tummy and round cheeks give us so much JOY to see her thriving and so content and good for her parents!

 Looking at great-grandpa on Sunday.  Dad has seen her many times in her 5 weeks of life! His first time out was to her Baptism 3 weeks ago!  That was such an honor to me... the have my Deacon father there, who had baptized all of my kids here in Marshall!

We are so blessed to have them close by, and in our lives here in our home fairly often.

 Love this from John and Bobbi - yesterday.  Only 13 months apart and both so good and healthy!

In the psalm today from mass - there is talk about how we are to be constant in our attempting to die to self so that He may live in us and use us each day.
R. Let your hearts take comfort, all who hope in the Lord.
Love the LORD, all you his faithful ones!
The LORD keeps those who are constant..."
Psalm 31

We take each day as it comes around here and keep to our prayers no matter where or how.  That gives us the strength to go forward as we stagger down the narrow path ahead of us as we carry/drag our Most Cherished Cross!  We are weak and sickly and lowly and poor and can only find this hidden hospice place where we find ourselves now.  

In a way that is a gift to not be called to go out and be active, but called to live in secret and hidden.

 Facing the wind on Sunday for 8a mass with George sharing his chair and push from Pat.  We do love to have him come to mass with us these last 3 weeks!

 A grandson, Phil, and friend, Kim, join us in prayer on the porch in the hot prairies winds!  LOVE to share our Catholic Faith!

 "Where two or three are gathered together - there am I in their midst!" Matthew 18:20  Yes! It is very windy and was 92 degrees while we prayed together.  Fresh air?  Kind of hot and muggy, but still good to be outside and joining in prayer!

Our Lady taking our petitions to Jesus!  Meditating on the Sorrowful Mysteries is very special with my dad.  On carrying the Cross #4 he does a station of the Cross for each one, and The Crucifixion #5 he has the 7 last words of Christ on the Cross!  We then do the chaplet together with special prayers on each decade for those sick or recently died, and now we pray for Nancy's Evangelization through her ministry.  We certainly make our prayers our own and quite powerful and personal.

https://catholicsprouts.com/  Nancy's daily podcast!

 Sharing our Faith as a family is my greatest JOY!  It was wonderful to meet Kim, who had a conversion experience in college, had a month Mission Trip with the Missionaries of Charity/St Mother Teresa of Calcutta's order, and was a Focus Missionary for 2 years!  LOVE to hear about her journey finding the True Church!

Dad at home here makes me happy and thankful that he is comfortable and giving the gift of his life of prayer and Trust in Jesus!  I am eternally grateful that 49 years ago he and mother brought our family of 13 into The Church - every day since has been a gift to me!

https://familysoulstory.blogspot.com/p/the-amazing-story-of-13-becoming.html

The new Catholics on "the farm" - a building site that my parents bought to get us out of the inner city of Minneapolis for the summers.  7 years later when I married my farmer and became a farm wife for 42 years now... I realized what a true farm is truly like, and that this was a hobby farm with a vegetable garden, no running water other than a outside pump, and a sun warmed shower on the barn.  Peaceful indeed!

Another most special time for me - my father and mother lived just 90 minutes from my door to theirs as they lived in Colman, SD and dad served as a Permanent Deacon/Administrator of the church there for 3 years!

Lord, how we love and adore you and all our hopes are in you as we come to you in prayer!  We are loving the time we take morning, afternoon and night together as we lift up the many needs in our family up to you, O Lord.  We are joined spiritually by mom, now praying for us with the perfect vision of her place in heaven with Jesus, Mary and ALL the Angels and Saints!  We are so aware of her joining us and we rejoice at her presence with us.  Jesus, we trust in you.  Amen and Hallelujah

Dad baptizing Alex in Colman Easter 1998




His school picture for this year - going into 2nd grade!  LOVE the scapulars and holy medals close to his heart!

There are fake plans for them to come this way for 2 weeks at the end of the summer with the help of grandpa Pat flying out there to drive them back here!

Helping us to be constant!
https://churchpop.com/2019/12/02/atheist-harvard-prof-says-supernatural-vision-of-our-lady-led-him-to-catholicism-she-was-indescribably-beautiful/?fbclid=IwAR10Zc1MPrNEw5TQ2nBw4Jhc637VInUrHTFe_YZgIpMnjqJ9rE0BG-6o03A
So good to listen to!

Danielle Rose - Small things with great love

Danielle Rose - If I touch him

Nothing compares to you - Danielle Rose