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!
Much healing water today - quenching His Thirst for our love!/Mom using the 1 year anniversary of her death to evangelize!
Yesterday I felt the excitement building for what I would face today... the first Anniversary of my mother's quick passing in a day. I found myself preparing a "shrine" and only appropriate as it would be in front of my "family wall" in my kitchen!
Holding her up and supporting her needed to be those beautiful statues that came with my father and have remained to grace me with their beauty and message of how The Church is at the foundation of our family for the last 50 years! Also the relic of Blessed Solanus Casey is gracing her shrine as he has been so important to us for the last 12 years since they came rushing to the 8a mass where Father anointed and prayed over our son, John, as he battled brain cancer!
In John's own words... His half-hearted prayer for faith/brain cancer... now his love for Jesus and His Bride, The Church. Prayers answered with wife and 2 babies!
Mom surrounded by our family! Dad and mom have 140+ in our family as I am the oldest of 12 kids! My family alone will reach 31 in a few months, and the sister 14 months younger has an even larger family, so it is easy to see that mom and dad started something big!
Not only that but it was known among the family that dad prayed for his 34 grandchildren, and 58 great-grandchildren first and middle names each Monday! Dad lived here with me for the last 6 months of his life, and each Monday we did "the work" of praying for his family, and it was much appreciated and depended upon.
My wall grew and so did the need to explain this day of remembrance... St Therese was gifted to me by my sister just as my parents were moving into Assisted living in October of 2019. When dad walked around the circle here to get some exercise... he would reach out and touch her.
St Ignatius was moved out of the bedroom for this occasion as he was instrumental in bringing the 13 into The Church. The painted picture frame of our farm years back with my 5 on Little Sister Hallel's, our nun's home visit 8 years ago. That farm now has our oldest daughter's family of 8 living there! We rejoice to have a young family on the farm!
Love this picture of my 5 with the tabernacle in between them in Holy Redeemer Church where they were all baptized, first Communion, Confirmed and Ruth was married! I had gifted this to my mother, and now it has returned to me.
My Mother-in-law, Ann, surrounded by her 9 surviving children a few months before she died approaching 5 years ago. It was so right to have her join as she is the Farm woman, who taught this city girl all that I know about being one myself. I continue to be quite poor at it, and have a lot to improve on and to learn! Also the saying that was such a wonderful gift from Maria's mother-in-law years ago... We may not Have it all Together, but Together we Have it all!
The most recent picture of our family from our VCC - Verly Christmas Camp in January in the back of our Catholic Church after sharing 8a mass as a family! As a friend said in this time of limited going to mass - "Your family fills up the Church!" How I love to see that Truth! We share our Faith as a family - all of us! That is my greatest JOY!
I added the only one that was unable to be with us... Little Sister Hallel our nun in France for the year! She was with us in spirit no doubt and we are always united in The Eucharist!
Danielle Rose - see you in The Eucharist
The cherished picture of Grandma Ann and her 9 kids together at a granddaughter's wedding in August of 2016. We surprised them with bringing her 4 hours to attend last minute. "Mom do you want to go?" "Yes, I do!" That was her... she went to France with us in 2011 when she was 92 to attend Hallel's first vows in Saint Pierre! She never said "no" to anything in life!
The plate came with my father and is from the Baptist church in Antrim, NH where my dad first was a minister. I was 2 when we moved there and we added 3 more siblings there. A special remembrance of our Faith Journey!
Note Hallel helping us fill up The Church!
I made quite a few of these in my early Catholic days at The Farm. My time of romance in The Church has never truly faded or dulled! I continue to LOVE, love, love The Church and each day is a gift to me!
A few years ago I made a painting of my losses - my 7 children and now I have 6 grandchildren... this is already outdated as Nancy has had 2 losses since.
I have been overwhelmed by the response to our conversion story! I said to mom; "You certainly are using the one year anniversary of your passing into heaven to evangelize!" So fitting with the readings for today of water!!! The reading from Ez 47 about the water flowing from the temple, and than the healing of the man ill for 38 years laying by the pool in John 5 - "rise, take up your mat and walk." He was thirsting for his love, and was quenched. What strikes me is how this is in line with the Lord telling us to take up our cross, and walk down the narrow path! We do that work whether we are on the Sabbath or not!
Our wedding picture - August 3,1978 - 45 years this year! Our nun - paper Hallel which I made for our family Christmas so that we could "see" her with us! An icon that came from Rome in 2003 when we visited our daughter, Maria, as she studied in Rome for the year with Catholic Studies! She then entered the Poor Clares for 5 months to discern a call to contemplative religious life!
Our son, John with wife, Bobbi, and their 2 little ones ... their story is amazing as John is the new John since brain cancer 12 years ago and finding his Faith through his brush with death. Bobbi waited and prayed for John for 10 years since they were classmates in school and the Holy Spirit told her that she would marry John Verly! She waited and prayed through brain cancer, seminary for a year, and ups and downs! Talk about faith and prayer!
Ruth and our farm family now live on the farm! Dad's funeral on Halloween - he got all 10 of his kids together in the midst of the shutdown! A gift from John, Our Lady of Medjugore
Pat and I with our nun and my father when Hallel came home for her once every 3 year home visit to the farm! My dad hadn't seen her for 12 years since she left to join her Community of the Lamb in 2008!
Our military family in Fort Lewis, WA! Maria just called to tell me that they new daughter - #7 child will be born on May 12th and that she needs me to come as her lawyer husband, Captain Joseph will be deployed then.
Hallel's home visit 4 years ago with the girls, who will all be 4 in a week! Love our groups of cousins and how much they love each other and spending time on the farm!
Nancy and Bill with their family - they have an amazing ministry... Catholic Sprouts and now their Domestic Church Project
Pat and I with our 5 babies in a shadow box. After sharing the loss of 7 during our childbearing years and sharing the loss.... we love ALL LIFE from conception to natural death, and are so close as a family and value each other so much knowing that we are the few allowed to share this journey with all the others in heaven for us praying. We need a lot of prayers!
Blessed Solanus with the only purple for Lent - statis from both of my parents funeral bouquets. Our Lady stepping on the serpent behind her. How my mother loved Mary and her coming into our homes from the foot of the Cross.
My mother's painting that expresses our conversion into The Church with the votive candles.
Jesus, we are so overwhelmed by your thirsting for our LOVE and modeling for us how to take up that Cross and follow you. Jesus, we trust in you. Amen
From my dad's prayer book this morning - praying for his wife and his journey to be at the feet of Jesus with the help of Mary!
My painting inspired from a greeting card I found in a thrift store. The woman had 3 daughters around her - I added daughter #4 and our son. I have my losses in the cemetery behind us. A picture of my nest years... Bless-bless, Barb
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