The Holy Spirit gives us the graces of "childlike" humility and unconditional love!/Blessed Charles de Foucauld

Our schedule allowed us to share mass in St John the Evangelist across the street from Mayo at noon.  The mass has been moved from the chapel to the big church with social distance.  St Andrew with us as we are once again lifted up by our family at Mayo and our Church!

Jesus beckons in the Holy Sacrament Chapel - a place of many prayers over the years!

Gonda 8... our neurology station... at least once a year we visit our doctors here.  The bright sunshine on the buildings all around us feels like a warm hug.  I recall standing here alone gazing out as the tears rolled down my face and I called upon the Lord to help us!  

A quick smile before we officially heard the news that his scan looked good!  There continue to be lingering fears that the whole brain radiation could be affecting John's cognitively.  That will not show up on the MRI, so a cognitive test will be ordered - 3 hours of testing.   

The fact that his forgetfulness lead to his job loss lately makes us wonder what we will find.  His doctor is very interested and supportive and is not surprised that 11 years out that John might be noticing some effects from his whole brain radiation.  Once again all we can do is put it in the Lord's hands and trust in Him!  

Many questions about family history and health from top to bottom.  Looking out on our familiar sight from Gonda 8...

The gargoyle building is a friendly sight... now the healed new John 11 years later looking out the windows to take in this beautiful city scape!.

The years blend into one another... We now have a new doctor for the last few years, but our Dr Brian O'Neal is his mentor and he lets Brian know of John's life and good scans.  We miss our old friend, but are very comforted to know that he is keeping tabs on John and continues to be interested in his ongoing life now with wife and 2 babies!

Gathered in Gonda 11 years ago for a very pivotal meeting with John's doctor about what to do next with his regrowth of cancer through the chemo... whole brain radiation was what we faced!  "No!" I said, but John's response - "Mom, I want to live!"  The rest is history, but not really because we continue to deal with effects from this decision.  Yes, he is cancer free!

These two are now 12!  Therese will be the oldest of 7 this spring and David is the middle of 6!  The city scape has not changed in those 11 years, and John is healed from brain cancer with issues now with his eye and double vision from the whole brain radiation, and testing to see if any cognitive changes.  The cancer is no more and we are blessed with the new John, who found his faith through brain cancer and burns to share that with all he can reach and share it with!

I was so interested to see Mayo dealing with the pandemic!  Masks and keeping distance, yet still very busy as Mondays always are!  

The lobby still much the same and there are those that play the piano from time to time.  This place is so important to those that face huge crisis due to illness, and it is wonderful to see that it is still there in all its beauty and peace and wisdom for those in need from all over the world!

Aglow and welcoming as we remember it from 11 years ago, and each year since.  The words from Bishop LeVoir 11 years ago when we faced the regrowth and were terrified - "When in despair repeat these words; 'Jesus, we trust in you.' "  It is now a constant reminder of how we must put it into the hands of Jesus as he is in control in the midst of the storms of LIFE!

https://familysoulstory.blogspot.com/p/johns-cancer-stories.html

The end of our day passing this lounge where we spent many hours in comfort and peace and Trust!

Mass in the midst of our day was a special gift that we both could share as we are lifted up and given amazing graces with each new day in our Church!

Reading Brother Victor-Antione today was a beautiful teaching about how special this season of Advent is!  From speaking about how the Holy Spirit from the beginning of time's job was to put God in the womb of Mary..."Abundant graces" truly are deeply coming to us if only we humble ourselves and take the time to spend prayer time in our inner temples... how we long "to become a worthy manger for the Savior."

It is always a powerful day to know that Blessed Charles de Foucauld was martyred on this day!  He is a special saint to Hallel and she shares him as "the saint that accomplished nothing."  So humble as his goal was to live the life of Christ in the part of the world where he lived.

My dad underlined this quote of Blessed Charles... and this is what explains his life after his profound conversion and the words he left behind.  They reflect total poverty and humility!

This is a strong message today in the first reading from Isaiah 11 - the beautiful words describing the Holy Mountain of the Lord!

"Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb,
and the leopard shall lie down with the kid;
The calf and the young lion shall browse together,
with a little child to guide them.
The cow and the bear shall be neighbors,
together their young shall rest;
the lion shall eat hay like the ox.
The baby shall play by the cobra’s den,
and the child lay his hand on the adder’s lair.
There shall be no harm or ruin on all my holy mountain;
for the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the LORD,
as water covers the sea..."  Isaiah 11

Jesus in the Adoration chapel shines brightly and calls us to spend time thanking, adoring, asking, trusting in childlike wonder and humility as we give the control over to Him in the midst of this pandemic and world filled with darkness and worry.

So blessed to have this special place to spend time in prayer..."Jesus, we trust in you."

Jesus in the Gospel today calls us to be childlike!

Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said,
“I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for although you have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to the childlike. 
Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. 
All things have been handed over to me by my Father. 
No one knows who the Son is except the Father,
and who the Father is except the Son
and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.”  Luke 10

The big hard things we face... we quickly realize that we have no control over these huge times of illness or loss or struggles that come to us.  We need to trust and place it in the Lord's hands.  He is in control!

Jesus, we are yours and we long to humbly give all the control over to you.  If we try to take it into our own hands we are not allowing your Holy Spirit to work in us and for us and to us.  Childlike trust is our desire and wish.  Jesus, we trust in you.   Amen and Hallelujah

John's story continues with wife, Bobbi, and 2 babies!  It was a wonderful time as we traveled and prayed a rosary coming and going... also no lack of things to share and visit about.  So blessed by John and our shared love of Jesus, Mary and The Church!  Bless-bless, Barbara

John had a fun time talking to his doctor about babies as Dr has a one year old, too!  The bottom line is that John and Bobbi have wonderful happy healthy babies that are giving their parents a lot of rest and happiness!