Making plans for the Big Day/4a resting in the Lord/Mother with us

 A picture taken of Mother just 2 weeks before she died.  It was Leap Year day - Feb 29, and we had just attended a funeral for a young family member, Mike Gaustad.

We stopped in with some food and flowers from the funeral and my mother was looking and acting so well!  Pat and I both commented on how wonderful my mother was as she visited and enjoyed our visit must like old times over the 42 years of our marriage.

 Dad and I love this of mom sitting in her chair, which is there behind dad in my home.  It is like getting a hug from her to sit in it.  "Mother was very comfortable in that chair.  She slept in it during the day and spent much of her day there reading, resting, or watching Dr Pol on TV."

 Mom with a bouquet I picked from my gardens, and her icon made on bar wood, and the Mother and Child Jesus icon from her home.

I made this large special picture to be with us at the funeral mass in 2 days.  It will be by a arrangement of flowers that dad requested to be on the altar to honor her.  She glows with heavenly warm light and gives us her most sweet and loving look!

 Dad and I doing evening prayer last night after supper with mom joining us.  Dad as a permanent deacon and mother have prayed morning and evening prayer together for 44 years since his ordination as a Permanent Deacon in The Church.

I am honored to be able to share in that discipline and am so filled with wonder and awe at the beautiful prayers and psalms and hymns and canticles that are brought together and prayed throughout the world by priests, brothers, sisters convents, monasteries, lay people, deacons with their wives and in our case his oldest daughter.  That's power and giving God, Jesus and The Holy Spirit all praise and glory to the highest heavens!

 Sorry mom, but the flowers were for the Mother that is better than you and that we both share so much love for... Mary the Mother of God!  I know that you agree with me, mom!

 Thank you, Mary, for with your "yes" sin was crushed and we are given newness of LIFE through your Son, Jesus Christ!

 The flowers from a week ago were dead and dried... so nice to give her some fresh signs of our honor and thanksgiving for her joining us on our journey and bringing our needs to her Son!

 Pat says that it looks like all I do is take pictures for my hour with Jesus.  Yes, a few minutes I do, but I prayed for our families - doing the litany adding for the first time a newly engaged young woman to our over 250+ with both Pat and my families.

It took me 30 minutes of my hour to put each member by name in the monstrance with Jesus.  I sit on that chair in the shade as the lights overhead are very  bright at 4a in the morning.  "Jesus and Mary, I love you.  Save souls!"

 So many graces and blessing flow from Mary in my life - I find such peace and comfort when life gets crazy and that is quite often with all that is sandwiching me... my father on one side, Pat standing with me in the middle, but he is gone most of the time on the farm, and then the other 28... kids, their spouses, their Community of the Lamb, and their 19 children.  It is a wonderful place to be, but I need Our Lady to give me help to live a good life for Jesus!

Her example of humility and patience and giving without counting the cost - I look to and pray to become more and more those virtues!

 My perspective in the shade in the middle of the night... "Jesus, I trust in you."

 Dad and I doing morning prayer with mother.  Today marks 4 months since she died and 3 months/13 weeks today, that dad came to live with me. 

We commented that 4 months is still very fresh and new for losing mother.  Yes, due to the virus we are only just having her family funeral mass at 4 months, and we are deep in prayer for family unity and healing and comfort for our hearts missing her.

 Mom is often mentioned in our time of prayer as the office of the prayer of the Church has prayers and petitions for our dearly departed that have gone before us and are united with their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  How we all long for that and have it as our goals as we stagger down the narrow path carrying/dragging our Most Cherished Cross to follow Jesus to heaven forever!

The Gospel today is encouraging for us weak, lowly, sick and sinful with our faults and weaknesses... that is when we turn to Jesus!
Jesus said:
“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am meek and humble of heart;
and you will find rest for yourselves.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”
Matthew 11:28-30

 95 year old Deacon Robert Cross continues to grow and learn in his Faith!  A book arrived in the mail from his Bishop DeGood...Inner Peace

6 years ago in Missouri with Therese and her Little Sister Habit for herself and her dolly, Anna!  Hallel is her Godmother, and as dad and I were sharing yesterday - "I want all of my grandkids to consider religious life as a wonderful option for them."

 Over at the farm with lunch for Pat... watched the kitties following the cat food to the barn.

 Cat parade!

 New tires on the front of the tractors... David is helping grandpa get the pressure right.  Good to see the kids learning how to help on the farm.  How we appreciate having the young willing family living on the farm.

 Joy loves to watch her "grandpa" at work in the shop.

 A built in seat while he fills the tire.  Thanks, Dave!

 The hay so far.. probably 3-4 times this much by the end of the summer!  Haying all summer long!

 Pat's clothes on Ruth's new clothesline.

 Rose again and Luke helping in the garden - found an albino fuzzy bear caterpillar while they pulled out lettuce.

 Farmlife is filled with lots of lessons on nature and life in general.  No place better to raise a family!  It gives me so much JOY to see Ruth having the life she grew up with and happy to have it again now as a wonderful mother and farmer herself!

 So much lettuce that some will go to the cows now.  Her wonderful garden!

 keeping the kids on task is hard when there is a wooly bear to ooh and aah over!

 At the end of their driveway... with their 4 of the 6 going to HRS last year... I think they are speaking of them all.  They are good and kind kids across the board!

 Ruth's kids are the 4th generation going to Holy Redeemer.  Even Pat's mom went there years ago, Pat and sibs, Ruth and sibs, and now Ruth's 6 and coming up John's kids!

 Big Dave over doing my weed eating while I and my father prayed our chaplet and our rosary.  Yesterday we added "Donald" to our chaplet - Donald Trump!  How our country and he needs our prayers!

 Fun picking my flowers for Mary from my gardens. 

 Mary and Jesus, we love you.  Save souls!

 My first cherry tomatoes join the display... mom loved tomatoes!  We already had fake plans for me to bring her some tomatoes this summer.  I guess I will enjoy them for her.  Dad not so much, although when I mentioned BLTs he got a bit excited!

My two mothers fill me with heavenly peace and JOY!

Jesus, how we are getting excited for the big family occasion of sharing mom's funeral mass with her family!  Give us safety and peace and joy and love - all the fruits of your Holy Spirit may be with us and in us.   Mom is with us and seeing our many hearts with "Resurrection eyes" so that she is knowing better how to pray for us from heaven with Mother Mary, Queen of heaven and earth.  Jesus, we trust in you.  Amen and Hallelujah

Mom and dad at my wedding in Basilica of St Mary in Minneapolis on August 3, 1978!  Jesus in the tabernacle in their midst!  How we need to share our marriage with Jesus and His Bride, The Church!  Bless-bless, Barbara

Danielle Rose - Mamastery
Being a mom with Jesus and Mary and The Church!

Danielle Rose - The saint that is just me

Danielle Rose - Nothing compares to you

Danielle Roses - Pursue me