Tearful call to dad's assisted living thanking Covid/Overwhelmed by the gifts of FAITH from my parents!

Hallel had just walked in the door as we arrived from Kansas City late in the evening.  Dad had not seen Hallel for 12 years since she left for France on Sept 11, 2008!  

Love to see the delight on their faces, and the wonderful memories we shared for the home visit which was a total surprise to all!  Dad spent a lot of time in prayer with Hallel and thoroughly loved when she would sing the Angelus for him.  

Dad and Hallel made possible by dad's prophecy coming true..."If mom dies ahead of me, I want to come and live with you, Barb."

I just called dad's assisted living - the Lodge of New Hope - to let them know that dad had died.  I was overjoyed to have Jane answer, who had been there for mom and dad, and had shed tears the day that I took dad there for a few things and then straight to my farm on April 16th.  They were unable to allow him back in his home there due to a new procedure which they did not have nursing staff to care for his needs.

Baby Birdie 4 months ago during Hallel's visit... the Lamb that Hallel received at her final vows in 2018 when "The mountain of 21 of us" went to be there for her wedding to the Lamb!  

Now that Hallel is in France for the year... I have so much more peace after having her home for that week and her time with dad and meeting Birdie for the first time.  She had days with all her nieces and nephews other than Maria's!

Sharing from the heart and in prayer in the porch in July.  Our weather was much more wonderful than the heat and humidity of Kansas.  Hallel enjoyed having windows open, and her sharing with dad in prayer and sharing her life with him, and his with her.  

I am so much overwhelmed by ALL that I am being given with each new day even yet... My parents loved the Lord and His Church so much, and we shared totally and with no reservations!  

My lap full of daily inspirations from both my parents!  Mom loved Pope Benedict XVI and for 10 years daily read his deep love and faith in The Church.  Dad loved "my man, Brother Victor Antione"... it seemed each time that I would visit dad would instruct me some of the pearls of wisdom he would gain from his daily faith journal!  Now I continue to sit at his feet by reading his two daily meditations daily and dad points out to me where he is touched and moved by the Holy Spirit and Truth!

Dad's well worn Bible is now blessing me, too!!!  I have decided to read the daily readings from this Bible with the inscription inside that it became his on April 17, 1986 - 10 years after he was ordained a Permanent Deacon!  It has obviously been well used for the last 34 years and is now giving me so much!

Titus 3 from the first reading today!  "heirs in hope of eternal LIFE."  How I am very much with my parents in their journey of Faith.  This month of November we are called upon to pray for our dead more than ever, and with dad's death just a little over 2 weeks away and mom's only 7 months ahead of dad... so fresh and so close and so important for me to keep them in prayer!

The one place with a special tag... Isaiah 55 had to be the place!!!  Yes, Lord, this made all 13 of us "COME" into the True Church 49 years ago!  I have no doubt that father marveled at the clear message of Truth that he received while reading this at an Ignatian Retreat at the Cenacle Convent... "Robert, you are to leave your ministry behind and come into My Church with your family!

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

From morning prayer this morning in dad's well worn prayer book of the Church!   Many mornings during and after our prayer together dad would sing some hymn or silly song from his past.  It spoke to me of his JOY!  

Also from morning prayer today!  Dad had a deep love for Isaiah!  Mom and dad together as heaven makes that possible... so many hopes and prayers!

I shared this with my brother, Dan. today.  It speaks to us after dad's words left behind for us...

Words – certain words – have gained great significance for me. Reading the scriptures, these words have leapt from the page; I have even taken to underlining every time I find them. They center my life. The first is NAME.

How many times the scriptures tell us to honor the Name. In the Old Testament when God reveals His Name to Moses, the very ground where it occurs is declared holy, and God’s holy name is so sacred that the Old Testament substitutes “Lord” for every occurrence of the NAME – YAHWEH. He is Our Father, ABBA.

In the New Covenant, the Name is JESUS. “There is no other Name under heaven by which we are to be saved.” JESUS! When God’s name is treated lightly, when used coarsely as in the exclamation, “O God!” it’s painful, as it is when I hear the Name of Jesus taken in vain.

I desire GLORY be given to the NAME. Glory is the way we praise GOD in the Highest. This is to enter the radiance, the magnificence, the awesome presence of the NAME. GLORY BE TO YOU, O LORD!

We are not to be shy or timid about our praise of the GLORY, we are to SHOUT WITH JOY TO THE LORD! If within our spirits we feel this exuberant shout when we contemplate the Holy Name, our spirits are lifted up and we are filled with joy, and the temptations that beset us fall apart like the walls of Jericho which came down at the SHOUT of the people of God. These words – when placed in the context of the Catholic Church of Jesus – become radiant with life and, in this context, I bequeath them to the next generation of this family and to those many others that I have loved in this life.

My special windchime that is a gift to remember my parents with the sweet tones over our wintry landscape!

Happy Day to my family.  We continue to hope and pray for our new little grandchild in the womb!  Jesus, we trust in you.  Bless-bless, Barb