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!
VCC a week ago and highly praised!/St Francis de Sales and Archangel Raphael/Jesus... brought LIFE to LIGHT through the Gospel
Blessed Virgin Mary (Therese) with baby Jesus (Thomas) and angels all around them - Evangeline and Bernadette. I love to receive this and others today from Maria and Bill. I am such a prolific photo taker as though I want to capture every minute and I come close, but it is special to have other's capturing from their perspective. LOVE!
Two shepherds, Little Dave and Augustine, that love to encounter baby Jesus with Mary and Joseph in a humble stable laying in a manger and led there by the angels!
Wise man- king Romeo... aglow with love for his new born King, Jesus Christ.
A shepherd and his sheep adoring the Lord!
The 22 all in the LIVE Nativity a week ago Sunday morning after sharing mass and brunch complete with Belgian Waffles with whip cream and fruit! Jude had been a shepherd, but found a nerf gun more exciting.
On the road for 2 days coming and going... they say that it was all worth it and was a wonderful family gathering! All positive other than wanting to be at the farm day and night, so farmer Pat's wheels are turning in how to make a sleeping area in the heated shop next year. How he loves to have his family together to the point of driving both ways to help the family of 9 to get here!
Maggie was a wonderful traveler, and she was the sweetest to spend a week with and get to know just how special and sweet she is!
5 baby goats to feed a bottle to 4 times a day! Farmer Pat keeps saying that they have the perfect place in the warm shop and with hot water for mixing and washing their bottles and a fridge to keep their left over milk in.
It was super special for them to be right there for the kids... they made it in numerous pictures too.
7 year old Romeo and 5 year old Evangeline - they aren't too heavy!
Gentle Romeo is so sweet with them
Kissing
A fun addition this year to our VCC!
Grandma and Maggie with our topknots and chubby smiles together. She was so loving towards her two grandparents that she really had not seen since she was a newborn.
Oldest of our 3 new little ones - she is so sweet!
Today is the feast day of St Francis de Sales (1622). He is a doctor of The Church and noted for his writings teaching us about living the Devout Life. Don't we need help with that!
"During the course of the day, recall as often as possible thatyou are
in God's presence. Consider what God does and what you are doing. You will see His eyes turned toward you and constantly fixed on you with incomparable love." - St Francis de Sales
"As mountain hares become white in winter
because they neither see nor eat anything but snow,
so by adoring and feeding on beauty, purity and goodness itself in the Eucharist you will become altogether
beautiful, pure, and good."
St Francis de Sales
Bishop and Doctor of the Church France ~ 16 August 1567 ~ 28 December 1622 Author of Introduction to the Devout Life (MUST-READ!) and A Treatise on the Love of God Co-Founder of Sisters of the Visitation Patron of authors, writers, deaf persons a.k.a. the "Gentleman Saint" (due to his patience and gentleness) Feast Day: January 24
"After having conferred Holy Orders on a pious young man,
St Francis de Sales noticed that the newly ordained priest
hesitated before a door as if to let someone pass before him. 'Why do you pause?' asked the saint. 'God favors me with the
sight of my guardian angel, ' replied the priest. 'Before I was ordained to
the holy priesthood, my angel always remained at my right and preceded me.
Now he walks at the left and refuses to go before me.'
Such is the great veneration which the angelic spirits
show even God's ministers because
of their reverence for the Blessed Sacrament."
~ From The Guardian Angels: Our Heavenly Companions
_______________________
"Great occasions for serving God come seldom,
but little ones surround us daily."
St Francis De Sales
3 little boys inside the bouncy house this year! Grandma doesn't get in there so this was a fun perspective!
A new highlight and hopeful tradition on Sunday of VCC - tubing at Garvin Tubing hill weather permittting. Something to pray for now - snow and not too cold, O Lord! We love to look forward to traditions each year, and always room for others!
From The Introduction to the Devout Life, by Saint Francis de Sales, bishop (Pars 1, cap 3)
Devotion must be practiced in different ways
When God the Creator made all things, he commanded the plants to bring forth fruit each according to its own kind; he has likewise commanded Christians, who are the living plants of his Church, to bring forth the fruits of devotion, each one in accord with his character, his station and his calling.
I say that devotion must be practiced in different ways by the nobleman and by the working man, by the servant and by the prince, by the widow, by the unmarried girl and by the married woman. But even this distinction is not sufficient; for the practice of devotion must be adapted to the strength, to the occupation and to the duties of each one in particular.
Tell me, please, my Philothea, whether it is proper for a bishop to want to lead a solitary life like a Carthusian; or for married people to be no more concerned than a Capuchin about increasing their income; or for a working man to spend his whole day in church like a religious; or on the other hand for a religious to be constantly exposed like a bishop to all the events and circumstances that bear on the needs of our neighbor. Is not this sort of devotion ridiculous, unorganized and intolerable? Yet this absurd error occurs very frequently, but in no way does true devotion, my Philothea, destroy anything at all. On the contrary, it perfects and fulfills all things. In fact if it ever works against, or is inimical to, anyone’s legitimate station and calling, then it is very definitely false devotion.
The bee collects honey from flowers in such a way as to do the least damage or destruction to them, and he leaves them whole, undamaged and fresh, just as he found them. True devotion does still better. Not only does it not injure any sort of calling or occupation, it even embellishes and enhances it.
Moreover, just as every sort of gem, cast in honey, becomes brighter and more sparkling, each according to its color, so each person becomes more acceptable and fitting in his own vocation when he sets his vocation in the context of devotion. Through devotion your family cares become more peaceful, mutual love between husband and wife becomes more sincere, the service we owe to the prince becomes more faithful, and our work, no matter what it is, becomes more pleasant and agreeable.
It is therefore an error and even a heresy to wish to exclude the exercise of devotion from military divisions, from the artisans’ shops, from the courts of princes, from family households. I acknowledge, my dear Philothea, that the type of devotion which is purely contemplative, monastic and religious can certainly not be exercised in these sorts of stations and occupations, but besides this threefold type of devotion, there are many others fit for perfecting those who live in a secular state.
Therefore, in whatever situations we happen to be, we can and we must aspire to the life of perfection.
From Office of Readings today for St Francis de Sales. Dad had underlined some of his words today. How I love for him to take me deeper and share the Prayer of The Church with me daily!
Nancy and Bill and a finger on the tubing hill. Nancy has history here of breaking her ankle in 2002 as she came down on the outside of a big bunch of tubes and her foot hit a post. No injuries this year! Lots of prayers for that!
9 year old Rose and Patrick went down over and over for hours!
Bobbi picks saints for each family each year - 2022 is so special for Pat and I! In a month we have plans to be in KC with the Little Sisters for a parents weekend the weekend of Feb 19th! St Raphael, the Archangel, we pray to you for safe travels!
Dad and his man, Brother Victor, today. Brother Victor lives in New York state, so his weather is comparible to ours.
Yes! Brother Victor, so true! As the Hallelujah before the Gospel today taken from 2 Tim 1:10
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Our Savior Jesus Christ has destroyed death and brought life to light through the Gospel. R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Jesus continues to lead us through The Gospels to this day and each day forward!
Maggie happy to be home, and smiling for us!
Adorable hedge hog Maggie Rose.
In the wonderful warming house at Garvin with one month old Regina Maria. When little ones look you in the eyes like that... it is a very special moment of connection, but I also think they are wondering; "Where is my pretty pretty mommy?"
Yes, I made her eyes cross...
The winners of the gingerbread competition for 2022 along with dad, Bill!
Grandkids 20, 21, and 22. Yes, we are blessed! At this moment 2 month old Thomas is going to his first bull sale with his mom and dad and grandpa Pat. Pat is very blessed to have a very involved farm family and 2 farmers to take over his operation down the road - Ruth and Paul!
2 1/2 year old George, who will be the first to turn 3 on Feb 13th! An adorable model of our VCC shirts for our Christmas Camp 2021 - yes, we celebrated it a few weeks later in 2022, but we did all the activities and celebrated Jesus, Mary, The Church and love in our domestic Church/family!
5 year old Josephine getting her gift from Santa with Aunt little Sister Hallel looking over her shoulder! We know that Hallel is with us in spirit and Truth!
10 year old Augustine with Santa and Hallel
The youngest in our family - one month old Regina Maria!
This was our 2nd year of our VCC - Verly Christmas Camp! Up until then we would gather at my family Christmas CCC - Cross Christmas Camp which started back when my sister, Mary, was fighting cancer in 1985. So that means that this year was our 36th year, - not quite true as we did not have camp last year due to covid. So really like my dad coming here to live for his last 6 months on hospice - our family has covid to thank for our beginning this wonderful tradition! Not only that but this year we had an extra day due to covid and a blizzard!
The official 2021 shirt picture. I didn't get Hallel in this one.
Th
I did get her in the one we take after 8a mass! All our family!! Maggie has her head turned to the side, but we can see her there.
We tried to gather for a few hours for our family Christmas over the years, but to spend days together and making wonderful traditions is all we could have ever hoped for and is a definite answer to prayers! Attending mass as a family and "filling up the Church" is the highlight of our time along with shared prayer and family rosary! Faith/Family/Farm!
There was some discussion of going to a camp ground like Shetek, but with the farmers needing to be there for snow and chores, and our wonderful shop being such a special place to even have our boucy house in there and many nerf wars. Ruth and Paul's house is just steps away and they are wonderful hosts in every way! At least for now - the farm is where we want to be!
Lord, we are so blessed by sharing this precious time with all of our family - even Hallel is with us in her prayers and calls of love. May we continue to witness to your LIFE brought to LIGHT by the Gospel in each new day! St Raphael and St Francis de Sales, pray for us. Jesus, we trust in you. Bless-bless, Barbara and the 46 - 33 here and 13 in heaven
Be alright - the Whole world in his hands
Sweet Therese made these pots for her aunts and grandma with plants that she started for us! All the way from Washington! What a sweet thoughtful girl she is!
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