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!
"Try to put in the hearts of your children a love for home." St Mother Teresa/First rose for Maggie/The LIGHT of the Gospel/44years today!
The weekend before I met Pat, or should I say that I noticed him for the first time... 44 years ago today I came to the wedding of my best friend from college - it was hot and I came on the bus and was dropped off on Main Street with no idea of how to find her farm. I went to the pay phone and called Verlys and found Joe Verly at home. Of course, Margie's family would be at the grooms supper! They suggested I try the Chalet Club and sure enough that was where they were. Marge sent her brother, Don, to pick me up!
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This picture is such a gift.. it is literally the first time I saw Pat as I walked into the groom's dinner that night!
I was kind of dense and invited myself to stay at the farm during the wedding. With their large family, it was pretty bold of me! I guess I made an impression on my future mother-in-law though with my rosary beside my bed - she noticed this and pointed out to Pat that would be the kind of girl to look for. I guess that I got Pat's interest too,when I sunbathed in my two piece swimsuit in the back yard saying my rosary - swimsuit and rosary make a knock out combination! Pat struck me as a very easy person to talk to - much like one of my brothers would be. I sprained my ankle very badly at the wedding dance, and he found me some crutches and cared for me so sweetly - I was smitten!
A few weeks after the wedding 44 years ago. It was a hot day on the 10th - in the 90s like today, but it looks like the rain was good too! We are so much praying for rain here as we are getting so dry in this heat wave.50 years ago when I first met Pat's sister at the U of M... we met at Welcome Week and stayed friends - that summer we hitch-hiked out West and got as far as Boulder, CO. I was prayed over to stop the pack of cigarette habit I had taken up my first year of college and haven't smoked since, my first night out there.
I went Catholic from my time there and Marge/RaTerra went New Age... kind of hard to figure. We are now sister-in-laws and I pray for without ceasing that she may find Jesus and His Bride, The Church!
Knowing that today was special for me... When I went to a daily devotion by St Mother Teresa this spoke so powerfully to me! I have to smile at the young woman, Barbara Cross, and how I loved to live at home with my huge wonderful family! I lived at home and commuted to college in St Paul - St Catherine's! I graduated college and became a nurse and worked 6 months in Little Sisters of the Poor Nursing Home to get my experience and lived at home. I got my job at HCMC as a neuro nurse and lived at home! Finally my mother suggested that I might like to get my own place as I was about 22 and helping my washing the bathrooms 2 times a week for our family of 13! So, I got the message and found a 3rd floor apartment one block away! That is called loving my home!
And I see something very similar with Pat - he moved into a house with 2 guys just a mile down the road from his parent's home on the farm... the same house which became our home when we married and where we had our 4 girls. It only lasted a few months and when I noticed him at Margie's wedding 44 years ago - he was living at home. When we had our first date and talked about each of us wanting to have a large family like we grew up with... our love of our homes was huge in that shared desire!
A picture of Maggie Rose yesterday on her 4 week birthday in her wonderful swing where you can find her between feedings and being held by one sibling or another! So peaceful but mom says that she is awake more, but still wonderful at night! That means so much with her hubby deployed for at least another month! Thanks Maggie Rose for being such a sweet wonderful baby girl for your family.
Her grandpa, Pat, keeps saying that he wants to get out there and meet grandchild #20 for the first time. Even more crazy to think that her own dad has yet to hold his baby girl!
3 years ago - a visit from Maria and family - Joy and Eve are just 1 year old... Joy is expecting a new baby brother around Thanksgiving, and Eve has 2 siblings since - 2 year old Hector, and 4 week old Magdalene Rose! Open to LIFE and raising LIGHTS - how we love our homes and our domestic Church/family!
A lot of days I share from my dad's Office with my bother Dan! It is such a gift to find my dad's teachings and to ponder them with my brother with whom I totally see eye to eye on All the the Church gives to us! As Dan says - "interesting that he connects these concepts with these verses from Psalm 81." Yes! I love to get inside his head and his heart as he was a man led by the Holy Spirit. He obviously felt very strongly about LOVE from these and also The Church truly is the Honey from the rock!
The prayer is great! Thanks Dad! How I love you and miss here praying with me each day in our farm monastery! I am glad that we did not have this brutal heat to deal with on our porch time each day!
The first reading is wonderful once again as St Paul speaks to us about how we are allowed to see the Truth in the LIGHT of the Holy Spirit - as my dad did for Dan and I today!
Therefore, since we have this ministry through the mercy shown us, we are not discouraged. And even though our Gospel is veiled, it is veiled for those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, so that they may not see the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not preach ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your slaves for the sake of Jesus. For God who said, Let light shine out of darkness, has shone in our hearts to bring to light the knowledge of the glory of God on the face of Jesus Christ. 2 Cor:4
YES LORD! There are so many in our lives that are unable to see the Truth of LIFE/LOVE/LIGHT/Jesus, who is longing for us to come to Him - die to self so that He might live in us and His Holy Spirit may guide us down the narrow path as we stagger down with our eyes on heaven forever with you, Mary and all the Saints!
I mentioned numerous times - My Most Cherished Cross - as we are called to embrace our Cross and follow Jesus as we carry it down that narrow path! It is no secret that our spouse is that cross for us as we need to deny our own selfishness and put them ahead of our own needs in order to have a happy marriage. So hard to do of course, and we must have Jesus and Mary to help us die a little bit each day!
Where this beautiful truth came to us - was from my nun daughter, Little Sister Hallel, on the occasion of her sister, Nancy's engagement in 2010...
Nancy, Look I am writing you a letter... aren't you impressed? Well, you better be because both you and I know how often this happens. I am writing to tell you now extremely excited I am about your engagement to Bill. I have to admit, when I got the news I wasn't really shocked but that night as it sunk in during adoration and the next day during mass I was so happy. My heart overflowed with joy for you. How beautiful to know that you have found your... most cherished cross. While I have never had the experience of being married, from what I hear is that he will truly be your cross. But not your cross as human eyes look at it, as a thing to run away from, as a thing of torture but rather as that which is truly the tree of life. It is only when clinging to the cross that one can truly live, it is the source of all life and of all love. Your marriage to Bill will be this, not something to run away from when it gets hard and when it hurts, but something to hold tight to, especially when it hurts because it is in this that you will find life and love. Know that it is through your marriage that Jesus wants to show you his great love for you and also that the best example that you can give to the world of Christ's love is a marriage lived in truth. So, in other words, know that I am so happy for you and that I love you a whole lot. Know that you are in my prayers during this crazy time of wedding planning; that you may not go crazy but rather learn to love each other better and that you may both have great joy and great peace. Remember to pray for me too! God Bless, Your little Sister Hallel
A rose for my two Roses - Rose Again Lanoue who just turned 9 and Maggie Rose Librande, who was 4 weeks yesterday. Rose is for Our Lady - and her Rosary! LOVE!
I am needing to end this jump around sharing while hubby has been in out of the heat distracting me as part of my confusion. "All you want me around for is sex." He points out and that is not too far from the mark, as I find that to be the "joy" of marriage! His loud conversations on the phone, his listening to news on his phone loudly and just time on his phone, then looking for parts on line... sigh! I know, I need to put him ahead of myself, and that is hard to do when my ears are accosted by his noise, and all I yearn to do is share here. It seems that my day is not complete if I am not able to pour out the love I have in my heart for Jesus, Mary, the Saints and all The Church has for us each day. As a result this gets to be long winded and bounces around a lot, right?
Mystery in the chicken house - 2 chickens out of the pen with every door closed! . Mystery solved..
Yes! Asking for his plan for each one of us! He has a plan for us! I discerned religious life until the Sister, who was directing me shared that she was leaving her call to get married almost 50 years ago. I was so shocked by the news that as the Lord had planned all along my vocation turned out to be embracing my Most Cherished Cross, Patrick Verly, and giving life to 12 children - 5 here and 7 in heaven. His plans are mysterious and hard to accept sometimes, but always right and just! LOVE my home and my domestic Church/family! Bless-bless, Barbara
“In 1969, when black citizens in the United States were not permitted to swim in community pools along side white people, Fred Rogers brought a black police officer to his television show and invited him to cool his feet with him in a small, plastic wading pool. Mr. Rogers then helped Officer Clemmons to dry his feet.
Remind you of anything? "After dinner, Jesus poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him." (John 13:4-5).
Mr. Rogers never openly preached on his show, despite being an ordained Presbyterian minister. Yet he preached volumes in this simple act of love. In a world seemingly filled with hatred, where you can be anything, be a Mr. Rogers.
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