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!
Fake plans fill me with hope and gratitude for being free to be there when needed/"May we be good tenants of God's vineyard" Fr Denny
Maria with her youngest on Labor day. Hector is just days away from joining George at 2 years old - the middle of the 3 boys in 6 weeks! Hector only has 3 more months of being the youngest as he will welcome a baby sister in mid May!
Pat and I have gotten to know how sweet and peaceful Hector is as he was here in January for Verly Christmas Camp, and then we went out there a few weeks later to visit them on base in Fort Lewis.
Maria with her 6 soon to be 7. There were some fake plans that they would be living here possibly for the arrival of the new baby, or living with us for some months. Maria called last night to inform me of the newest fake plans. There is talk of them staying in Tacoma for a year more, Joe being deployed over the time of the baby's arrival and Maria's voice saying to me; "Mom, I will need you."
Patrick is now 8 and sitting in the front center! He is healthy and doing well in every way!
I had been considering that I would be out there at the arrival of our 20th grandchild, so to hear this was not a surprise to either of us. It does take me back 8 years to when Maria needed me - Joseph was deployed to Afghanistan, so I arrived a few days before Patrick was due to arrive - we waited for him for two weeks, and finally when he was induced... she ruptured and both were in danger of not making it!
Patrick was born dead and brought to back to life, Maria survived and I had to leave her to be with Patrick as he was taken by ambulance to Divine Providence hospital downtown El Paso and just a couple blocks from St Patrick's Cathedral! I baptized him in the middle of NICU in the middle of the night shortly after we arrived with my grandson, Patrick, the sickest baby in NICU!
Maria with her oldest, Therese, who will be 13 on March 18th! Therese is the best big sister ever! She loves to help with the babies and probably has changed more diapers for Hector and his older sister, Evangeline than Maria. Maria homeschools as they are military, so "T" is there at their beck and call.
Yes, Therese is amazing and so much good help for the family, but I do see that it would not be good for her to have too much to care for her younger siblings. I see that at least for the first week or so that grandma should be there to help with meals and day to day needs for Maria and her 7 children.
I am so grateful to know that I have the freedom to be there for my kids when they need me! As a result of having 4 daughters...3 with large families, and my nun - I have had some very special times with them and their newborns. How I love to have this special time with them!
I could write a book about my times with my girls including when they have had losses, and I pretty much have! How I prayed that my girls would not have to experience the losses that I had in my childbearing years! Not only did Maria have two miscarriages, but I was with her both times! Then with this pregnancy it was looking scary with bleeding, and how we all prayed, especially her big sister, Therese! Maria got some progesterone and all of the issues stopped and the ultrasound showed a healthy baby since! Wonderful!
Yet, it causes me to see that maybe if I had gone through my many losses with the knowledge that is out there today with the pro-life groups that I might not have lost so many. Maria knew on her wedding day that she was poly cystic and got a shot of Progesterone! It is likely that this was also true for me! Yet, I was reminded that those lives are now in heaven waiting for me, praying for me, and this world is a difficult place to live, so they are better off.
Joy and Ruth took me out to see Mary's goats, who are due to have their kids soon!
Joy is comfortable with them and they with her. These are smaller and more gentle than cows and calves - we will have 170 of them coming fast and furious soon! Calving is due to begin in about a week.
Ruth has her favorites... Baby girl is her name!
"This one looks you right in the eyes, and begs to be petted . I can see why Mary loves her goats so much." Baby Girl is so sweet and loving!
Joy petting the pet goat, Baby Girl.
Same hair color with the fur color. Two redheads or at last partial redheads!
When I shared with Ruth about being gone for some of May- her first response was "what about getting your garden planted?" Ruth is my gardener, and kindly helps me plant and take out in the fall. She is already getting excited about her garden with there are still snowbanks here and there. "Maybe you will just have a few tomato plants and not much else this year." True!
I have discovered a wonderful source of pictures of my friend, Fr Denny, and the ability to listen to his words of wisdom when he says mass. I go to the website and the recorded masses - I can take pictures of the screen, and re listen to his homily.
It is very special to share mass with him on these Fridays when I have been there since 6a praying with 7 Sisters for him for that hour before mass! I go with Pat and while he is at This Man is You... I start with the church all to myself and in the silence I share the Office of Readings and Morning prayer on my phone - ibreviary! It makes me smile to sit there reading The Office on my phone as I recall the first time that I was in the Adoration chapel when Fr Denny came to our parish. He came in to pray while I was there, and got out his phone to do his morning prayer! I feel joyful to share with him in Morning prayer in this way!
A picture of the screen while he was blessing the Body and Blood during mass.
The rest of my hour of prayer for Fr Denny includes the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, which is very special for me as Fr ministered to my father living with me for the last 6 months of his life on hospice! Fr came a week before he died, and heard his confession and anointed him with the Sacrament of the sick! He also came and prayed over my dad after he peacefully passed away in my home on October 23rd. For this reason the Chaplet is a very special prayer that I can pray for Fr Denny as he ministers to those that are sick and dying.
"Take this all of you and eat of it, for this is my Body, which will be given up for you."
Finally I join with the rosary that is prayed each day before mass... so powerful to pray the sorrowful mysteries today for Fr Denny, as we all have our Cross to bear/drag and follow after Jesus!
"Take this all of you, and drink from it, for this is the chalice of my Blood, The Blood of the new and eternal covenant, which will be poured out for you and for many for their forgiveness of sins. Do this in memory of me."
Yes, Lord!
Pictures from the screen of mass... Thank you for the ability to revisit mass and for those that are still not coming back to be there in person. Come!
A Lenten book from Nancy's parish last year... my dad read it after he came here to live shortly after Easter Sunday, April 12th, 2020. He arrived on April 16th, and went on hospice the next day!
Today's was too good not to share here! I loved the part of Mary's 9 months after the angel's annunciation... She experienced how much God thirsted to love us and to receive our love. For the nine months during which she carried the Eternal Word within her, she came to know as no other human creature the depth of God's thirst to be with us...
One of our favorite episodes of The Chosen was the wedding feast at Cana - this takes it so much more powerful and special!
That final line is what I am envisioning to be on our headstone - Jesus on the Cross with May standing under it - Jesus and Mary!
From my dad today in his prayer book for Lent! Dad loved The Church and knows that coming into The Church 50 years ago - "I have found The True Church"/set us apart from all the peoples of the earth for our inheritance!
Lord, how we love you and your Bride, The Church! May we be the good tenants and bring forth fruit for the harvest! WE love you and adore you, Jesus. Bless-bless, Barbara
Brother Victor today has a lot of help to give us for Lent!
Including the music to take us to that place of the "lenten spirit"...
Vivaldi - Stabat Mater
Alone in the church with Jesus in the tabernacle is very deep and personal - LOVE!
Warm weathers and mud - rubber boots and puppy that stays outside and not in the house if at all can be helped!
Matthews Passion by JS Bach John's Passion by JS Bach
No comments:
Post a Comment