Jude is 3 today and joins George and Hector in the 3 club!/Holding LIFE/"be merciful to me a sinner.'"

Sweet Jude is 3 today joining his 2 other cousins, who have all turned 3 in the last month and a half- 6 weeks apart!  They all traveled to France in the wombs of their mothers for Hallel to take her final vows in August of 2018! They are definitely part of our total of 24! 

 LIFE is from conception on in our family! Prayers surround that new life from the moment we are aware of them being in the womb!

Grandpa Pat holding Jude on his first birthday after mass 2 years ago.  Tomorrow we will share mass with the 15 Marshall family, and then have a party for Jude!  Nancy with her 6 will come so that George and Jude can celebrate together - George was the first to turn 3 on Feb 13th!  It is so fun to see the boys starting to know each other and be cousin/friends!

I have been given permission to share this amazing picture of LIFE!  This is the Truth of LIFE of a 9 week old baby lost in miscarriage.  It is such a beautiful witness that this is a little loved baby boy - David Joseph.  He is all there and is so important for the world to see with eyes of Truth that LIFE is to be protected and cherished from Conception to natural death!  

The young mother and father were so moved by the sight of David's LIFE!  His mother, Laura, longs to share this with other mothers one on one - "Your baby has arms and legs and fingers and toes.  He is a LIFE!"  

She shared how her mother had always written letters to her children during her pregnancy with each of her 8 children, and that she had done that for David, too.  "I would write things like; 'today we went to the doctor...' "  "We buried him in my box from my wedding ring, and I put those letters in there with him and some flowers from my wedding bouquet.  Up on a hill on my parents land."  So much LOVE for LIFE, and honoring their son, David Joseph, who now awaits them and watches over them from heaven!  

A picture of Maria and Major Joseph taken 5 years ago - they have added Hector and Magdalene to their family.  Maria came up often with my sharing with Laura.  She too has experienced loss, and with her contact with the Aalfa Center in White Bear Lake before she was married.  She knew some things about herself, that might be the answers to my own many losses.  

How I prayed that my daughters would not have to experience the losses that I had.  Not only did Maria have 2 losses in a row, but I was with her both times!  As my oldest Ruth said; "Who better to be with her mom?"  Yes. I certainly know and share her questions, feelings, and pain.  

Family Soul Story - Choose Life!: Our marriage stories - "The world needs LIGHTS!"

The one from 5 years ago - they are famous for always having a silly one!

I now have an army to keep my eyes focused on heaven and getting there to meet all my 7 children and 6 grandchildren some day.  I must need many prayers to help me on this journey, and believe me when I say that I am very aware of those longing for me to stay on the narrow path!  

Major Joseph and Maria with their 7 a few weeks ago on the occasion of his promotion from Captain Joseph to Major Joseph.  I shared with Laura that their oldest son is 12 year old David Joseph.  

I also shared that our sharing the loss as a family has made us value LIFE and each other hugely!  We are open to LIFE and raising LIGHTS in our domestic Church/family!  We so value each other knowing of the many losses that we shared - no real answers now, but someday we will see His Plan, and know...

Our Lady of Fatima in St Peter's yesterday for the consecration of Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate heart of Mary!  So powerful and beautiful on this Feast of The Annunciation where we witness in the Gospel of the conception of God and man in the womb of Mary with her "Yes!"

So much beauty always makes my heart swell with LOVE!  So grateful for every day since my parents brought all 13 into The Church 50 years ago!  

Family Soul Story - Choose Life!: The amazing story of the 13 becoming Catholic!

Such a sight of humble sweet love to witness Pope Francis with Our Lady!

The prayer that we shared with him is so full of beauty and Truth!

Following is the full text of the prayer:

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O Mary, Mother of God and our Mother, in this time of trial we turn to you. As our Mother, you love us and know us: no concern of our hearts is hidden from you. Mother of mercy, how often we have experienced your watchful care and your peaceful presence! You never cease to guide us to Jesus, the Prince of Peace.

Yet we have strayed from that path of peace. We have forgotten the lesson learned from the tragedies of the last century, the sacrifice of the millions who fell in two world wars. We have disregarded the commitments we made as a community of nations. We have betrayed peoples’ dreams of peace and the hopes of the young. We grew sick with greed, we thought only of our own nations and their interests, we grew indifferent and caught up in our selfish needs and concerns. We chose to ignore God, to be satisfied with our illusions, to grow arrogant and aggressive, to suppress innocent lives and to stockpile weapons. We stopped being our neighbour’s keepers and stewards of our common home. We have ravaged the garden of the earth with war and by our sins we have broken the heart of our heavenly Father, who desires us to be brothers and sisters. We grew indifferent to everyone and everything except ourselves. Now with shame we cry out: Forgive us, Lord!

Holy Mother, amid the misery of our sinfulness, amid our struggles and weaknesses, amid the mystery of iniquity that is evil and war, you remind us that God never abandons us, but continues to look upon us with love, ever ready to forgive us and raise us up to new life. He has given you to us and made your Immaculate Heart a refuge for the Church and for all humanity. By God’s gracious will, you are ever with us; even in the most troubled moments of our history, you are there to guide us with tender love.

We now turn to you and knock at the door of your heart. We are your beloved children. In every age you make yourself known to us, calling us to conversion. At this dark hour, help us and grant us your comfort. Say to us once more: “Am I not here, I who am your Mother?” You are able to untie the knots of our hearts and of our times. In you we place our trust. We are confident that, especially in moments of trial, you will not be deaf to our supplication and will come to our aid.

That is what you did at Cana in Galilee, when you interceded with Jesus and he worked the first of his signs. To preserve the joy of the wedding feast, you said to him: “They have no wine” (Jn 2:3). Now, O Mother, repeat those words and that prayer, for in our own day we have run out of the wine of hope, joy has fled, fraternity has faded. We have forgotten our humanity and squandered the gift of peace. We opened our hearts to violence and destructiveness. How greatly we need your maternal help!

Therefore, O Mother, hear our prayer.

Star of the Sea, do not let us be shipwrecked in the tempest of war.

Ark of the New Covenant, inspire projects and paths of reconciliation.

Queen of Heaven, restore God’s peace to the world.

Eliminate hatred and the thirst for revenge, and teach us forgiveness.

Free us from war, protect our world from the menace of nuclear weapons.

Queen of the Rosary, make us realize our need to pray and to love.

Queen of the Human Family, show people the path of fraternity.

Queen of Peace, obtain peace for our world.

O Mother, may your sorrowful plea stir our hardened hearts. May the tears you shed for us make this valley parched by our hatred blossom anew. Amid the thunder of weapons, may your prayer turn our thoughts to peace. May your maternal touch soothe those who suffer and flee from the rain of bombs. May your motherly embrace comfort those forced to leave their homes and their native land. May your Sorrowful Heart move us to compassion and inspire us to open our doors and to care for our brothers and sisters who are injured and cast aside.

Holy Mother of God, as you stood beneath the cross, Jesus, seeing the disciple at your side, said: “Behold your son” (Jn 19:26.) In this way he entrusted each of us to you. To the disciple, and to each of us, he said: “Behold, your Mother” (v. 27). Mother Mary, we now desire to welcome you into our lives and our history. At this hour, a weary and distraught humanity stands with you beneath the cross, needing to entrust itself to you and, through you, to consecrate itself to Christ. The people of Ukraine and Russia, who venerate you with great love, now turn to you, even as your heart beats with compassion for them and for all those peoples decimated by war, hunger, injustice and poverty.

Therefore, Mother of God and our Mother, to your Immaculate Heart we solemnly entrust and consecrate ourselves, the Church and all humanity, especially Russia and Ukraine. Accept this act that we carry out with confidence and love. Grant that war may end and peace spread throughout the world. The “Fiat” that arose from your heart opened the doors of history to the Prince of Peace. We trust that, through your heart, peace will dawn once more. To you we consecrate the future of the whole human family, the needs and expectations of every people, the anxieties and hopes of the world.

Through your intercession, may God’s mercy be poured out on the earth and the gentle rhythm of peace return to mark our days. Our Lady of the “Fiat," on whom the Holy Spirit descended, restore among us the harmony that comes from God. May you, our “living fountain of hope,” water the dryness of our hearts. In your womb Jesus took flesh; help us to foster the growth of communion. You once trod the streets of our world; lead us now on the paths of peace.

Amen.

Hubby farmer Pat walked in the door just as we started the prayer and joined with me!  

Giving her roses with children.

His love was obvious and how we all yearn for her to come to our aide to bring peace!  

His gaze at her for her motherly love to come into the world at this time of need.  As St Mother Teresa says; "Mary, be a mother to me now."

So appropriate - 4th Station where Jesus meets his Mother on the Way of the Cross!

Thanks to my dad I am walking the way of the Cross - the Stations as I do the 4th Sorrowful mystery - Jesus carries the heavy Cross.  Praying for Fr Denny with 7 Sisters on Friday - I end with the rosary and the Sorrowful Mysteries!  

Last week I recalled that for those 6 months dad lived here on the farm with me on hospice that when we did the 4th Sorrowful Mystery - dad would say 10 of the stations - one for each of the 10 beads - "Hail Mary"

5th Station - Simon helps Jesus carry the cross.

6th Station - Veronica wipes the face of Jesus.  It was a wonderful deepening of this mystery to walk around the church recalling all that Jesus suffered for me!  It also made me aware of my father with me more closely.

The 10th Station - Jesus is stripped is the humility station and where my daughter would sit each morning while she was discerning a call to be a nun.  

Family Soul Story - Choose Life!: Susan Angela Agnes/Little Sister Hallel - the story of a Call

Jesus is nailed to the Cross

His Mother Mary under the Cross with the disciple Jesus loved, St John!  "This is your mother." Yes!  And we are forever blessed to have her with us on our journey of LIFE/LOVE/LIGHT and we bring her into our home!

Such a windy day yesterday - we picked up the girls after they got off the bus and walked up the driveway!  Next week Joy will be 5 on the 31st of March, and Rose is soon to be 10 in May!  

8 year old Luke held onto the car to help him walk against the wind after grandpa scared him by honking the horn.

Such a favorite for Pat and I!  St JPII became Pope just 2 months after we were married and was our hero for Family and LIFE for the next 27 years!  Now he is at work in heaven beside St Mother Teresa of Calcutta working to protect ALL LIFE from conception to natural death!  No doubt!  

Today in the Gospel from Luke 18 the pharisee and the tax collector - I have to smile and think of Grandson, Luke, on the way to his First Confession with grandma - he shared this Gospel parable with me in his own sweet words.  I was convicted to recall that I too had pride to confess, and I felt the Holy Spirit using this sweet boy to bring grandma to see with eyes of Faith!  May we be with the humble tax collector and say these words and mean them - But the tax collector stood off at a distance
and would not even raise his eyes to heaven
but beat his breast and prayed,
‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’
I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former;
for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled,
and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”  Luke 18

So powerful and beautiful!  Such an example of The Spiritual and the LIGHT at work in this world of sin and darkness!  

Oh, my heart!!!

Lent is 40 days of getting rid of those things that come between us and our Lord! 

LOVE to learn at the feet of Pope Benedict XVI with the help of my mom... she read this daily meditation 10 years in a row and left it behind for me!  God wishes Mary to become his temple, a living temple... she developes her inner being to become entirely compatible with him.

Jesus, we are so overwhelmed by your unconditional love and forgiveness for us.  May we return that to all those we encounter, most especially those the closest to us in our domestic Church/family.  May we die to self so that we may be your hands and feet, and voice of Truth.  May we give without counting the cost.  Jesus, may ALL LIFE be protected and cherished from conception to natural death.  Jesus, we trust in you.  Amen

To return the unconditional LOVE and forgiveness we have been given!

Yes, I turn to her throughout my day!  As soon as I take up my beads the peace and JOY fill me!  This has gotten me through the hard times - knowing the Mother Mary understands my pain and Jesus is in control! 

Family Soul Story - Choose Life!: John's cancer stories 

Family Soul Story - Choose Life!: The story of little Lamb - grandson Patrick 

Family Soul Story - Choose Life!: The story of my sister, Mary.

John Spirit Juice Video - finding Faith through brain cancer - now 13 years later the story continues with wife and children!

Open the eyes of my heart, Lord - Michael W Smith

Cat Stevens - Morning has broken

Danielle Rose - Wonderfully made - Psalm 139

Danny Gokey