The Pat and Barb Verly family and their 5 children, in laws and grandkids along with many prayer warriors have been drawn together by John's cancer... sharing daily for 8 months started this blog- Family Soul Story - Our faith, family, farm and now our cancer journey called HEALING have colored and deepened our world. WE continue to share and depend on the support of our prayer warrior community, that has lowered us into the Lord's presence for His healing!
Thanksgiving 2020/Thankful for so very much - Faith/Family/Farm! The cattle are lowing the baby awakes...
Little Birdie with her sock and her thumb falling asleep by her dad. Outside the cows in the pasture are a special sight as we celebrated Thanksgiving on the farm with only our local families and Fr Denny. We were 15 counting the babies, so still a fun family gathering. Pictures are slim as I just wasn't wanting to go there much this year.
With Advent just a few days away.. the Christmas Carol... The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes came to mind as Birdie slept by John with the cows in the pasture. After two big snows, it is nice to see the open pastures now and the sunny semi warm Thanksgiving day.
Birdie asleep and Mary hanging out with her Uncle John talking about their favorite topic... Speech team!
The kids table was small this year with only 8 of the 19 grandkids here close by! I know that is still very lucky on our part and we do so appreciate our farm families/Marshall families with whom we worship each week and then share the meal after - our beloved Sunday brunch!
Mary and her beautiful plate, which is only partially shared here. Pictures did not do all the hard work by many hands to make our feast!
Hollow leg Simon, had a dozen crescent rolls with his food! Ruth used many of her grandmother, Anna's dishes including her potato dish filled with mashed potatoes!
The first two at the table - Soon there were two high chairs... one for Jude and one for little sister Birdie.
Jude is patient for his food! Such a good boy that grandma has enjoyed spending time with as the fill in grandma between jobs!
The serving line and the table awaits for lots of visiting and sharing and wonderful food! We shared after our meal during pie the things that we are thankful for from the youngest Birdie to the oldest Fr Denny... I was just ahead of him!
I looked up to see Fr Denny sitting across from me..."I am eating an Agape Meal with Fr Denny!" burst from my lips! Then looking over at 16 year old Simon and 14 year old Mary next to me..."Someday you will understand." Then we all went back to our eating... none the wiser!
It is a crazy time with second TEC retreat that Ruth and Paul were going to work for Simon to make it... now cancelled! We have cancelled both the next two retreats with no plans for the next until this world figures out what to do about this virus - like a vaccine!
Thanksgiving 1996 with my brother and his family! It was a crazy snowy one!
A year ago at Dan and Angela's home in The Cities - St Paul! Mom and dad came over from their Assisted Living to join them! Mom and dad look so wonderful! It is so impossible to think that they are both now gone!
What am I thankful for? That mom only suffered a few hours before she was gone quickly in a day. And that dad followed her 7 months later... 6 of which were spent here on the farm with me, and he was sharp to the end, and died a peaceful death with no pain! Most of all that they were both in a very good place with the Lord and His Church! Yes, I pray for their journey to be with Jesus, Mary, and the Saints and Angels without ceasing. And I know of their prayers for me!
My thing... pie baking! I have really backed off on baking, since Pat and I don't need it. It did make me emotional for dad as I recalled that shortly after he arrived the rhubarb was ready and I baked him some rhubarb pies which he really enjoyed.
When I went to get my spices for the pumpkin pies, I found mom's spices in my spice drawer to add to my emotions.
Angela shared her table set for her and Dan. Many of us felt deep inside the love we have for our families - absence makes the heart grow stronger and more on fire with love!
Moving day for the piano from Ruth's to John's home - why not play Christmas music through all the busy parking lots? So fun!
They swung by John's, but have a few more times in the next few days to share the JOY before actually dropping it off for John!
Having fun on Thanksgiving eve. Making people smile is a good thing on this off year.
Pat and Birdie watching out the window - Pat watching a video that Bobbi made to share with the family.
Dad here for Thanksgiving 1997 while he lived just 90 miles from my door to their door in Colman, SD. A kitten friend makes it special! We had kittens galore around yesterday, too. Some things never change!
Sledding down our pasture hill in the crazy deep snow of 1996. Mom and dad lived in Colman that year, too, but the snow must have kept them away.
Angela and our horse, Smokey, in 1996, and the snow! Thankful for happy memories over the years of sharing our Faith/Family/Farm!
R. (Rev. 21:3b) Here God lives among his people. My soul yearns and pines for the courts of the LORD. My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. R. Here God lives among his people. Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest in which she puts her young– Your altars, O LORD of hosts, my king and my God! R. Here God lives among his people. Blessed they who dwell in your house! continually they praise you. Blessed the men whose strength you are! They go from strength to strength. R. Here God lives among his people.
This from mass today speaks of how the Lord dwells in our midst and how our families need to know that and cling to that! We are all damaged and we bring that to our marriage, and our domestic Church/families! The Lord unconditionally loves and forgives us, and we in turn are called upon to share that with each other! Jesus also is there to heal us in the Confessional as we pour out our sins that result from those wounds to Him and hear Him speak these words of forgiveness to us through the priest..."Go, your sins are forgiven." Yes, Lord! The great Physician is here to call sinners and the sick!
A special time with Ruth recently as she found some of the special mementos from her wedding 17 years ago last weekend!
The prayer card they shared with all that attended their wedding on a holy card blessed by St Pope John Paul II. It really is a beautiful prayer that I am now saying for our marriage and those of my 5 children and on into our extended family and friends! Marriage is not easy - our spouse is our Most Cherished Cross that brings to us LIFE/LOVE/LIHGT! "Singleness of heart" is such a needed and good reminder for us! Come Lord Jesus and fill the hearts of your Faithful and you shall renew the face of our earth/domestic Church/family!
The Holy Family - when I pray one of my decades each day I pray the 3rd Joyful/the Birth of Jesus and the beginning of the Holy Family! My prayer is that the Holy Family may show us how to be like them in our domestic Church/family!
Thanksgiving a year ago in KC with Hallel and The Community of the Lamb! So very glad that we took advantage of her being there, and having a special Thanksgiving with our daughter and our family of the Lamb! So much beautiful prayer shared!
Sue's familiar googly eyed smile! She now is in France for the year, so our time with her is most precious - how we rejoice that the was home for her home visit shortly before she left for the year! She was able to meet her new niece, Birdie Barbara and pray and visit with my dad for the first time in 12 years!
My pie among the others last year!
Carving the turkey crew!
ls Pauline and the turkey of great joy and beauty!
Little Brother Francis processed it around the hall for all to admire! A picture perfect one indeed, and for many having their first Thanksgiving in the U.S. - it was a symbol of this holiday they have observed from France and other places in Europe.
A play of the pilgrims and the...
Indians - friends came from the streets and the hungry neighbors from the neighborhood. They live among the poor because they are the poor and as St Dominic, their founder, they beg for their food from the poor!
The sharing of all we have with others... we are richly blessed in return!
I am so excited to know that this amazing blind young man is now a Little Brother David! I love his beautiful words about his love for Mary and how she brought him to his vocation as a little brother! I hope you can see this it is so great to hear his own words about how he chose his new name, David. "Mary is super important to why I am here... I wanted a name that is very Marian. I learned that the name David means Beloved. David danced before the ark and Mary is the new Ark and it is my JOY to dance in front them... I have been loved for free, and I want to love for free. That is my love and my call!"
What JOY to know that Hallel is there with him in France to celebrate with him in this huge step in his journey! LOVE!
Pat aglow surrounded by our Community and friends of the Lamb a year ago! We have fake plans to get down there with our canning for them in the next few weeks! My farmer hubby knows this is his window to see the world between harvest and calving. Our destination is family and that leads us South to KC and West to Tacoma!
Jesus, we are so thankful for your unconditional LOVE and forgiveness! May we return that to all those around us that are suffering and hurt us. "Wounded, I will never cease to LOVE!" The motto of The Lamb and our Family of the Lamb! May we die to self so that you may live in us! Jesus, we trust in you. Amen and Hallelujah and Thanks to you now and forever!
Soon to go on their tree in their first home! LOVE their humble pitch fork love and how it grows from year to year!
The other side of each one! For this year she put Birdie smiling on her baptism day in the arms of my father, who baptized her daddy 31 years ago! How happy am I that he got to know my family so well, and watch Birdie grow her first 5 months and share in her coming into The Church! The Church he brought our family of 13 into 49 years ago! Each day since has been a gift! The tears were rivers when her dad, our son, John, thanked my father for bringing me into The Church and how much that has meant to our family! This was just a hour before he peacefully passed from this world into the next! So powerful and True! Bless-bless, Barbara
I am now 69! 22 years ago with my two sisters, Martha and Paula... We met half way in Gaylord. So thankful for my large wonderful family! Now mom and dad are praying for us more perfectly from heaven. That means a lot in this crazy messed up world we are living in these days. Jesus, we trust in you. Has all the meaning! We now number 130+... Pat and I are praying daily for our new granddaughter in the womb. Prayer is our job and mission.
A good reminder that fasting brings prayer to a new deeper and powerful level!
Today we honor Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!
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