My Mother - "Peculiarly His own"! 2nd Anniversary of her death/News of Hallel from France!/First American Little Brother David!

My sweet granddaughter, Magdalene Rose, with her beautiful mommy, Maria, my 3rd daughter.  I was in the midst of sharing with her and her younger sister, Little Sister Hallel, at the same time yesterday.  LOVE the waves of family that wash over me unexpectedly.  

Actually I was texting with the mother of the only American Little Brother, David, and she was sharing with me how much her mother and brother loved the time they spent with Hallel while they were there visiting for 2 weeks!  "They said that they love Hallel so much they want to take her home with them."

Oh, Maggie, you are a bright sweet light!  

I am sure that having an American young woman there to show them around and make them feel welcomed and speaking English to show them their life.  You see, Little Brother David is blind, so he was not really able to show his family around himself.  The fact that he can do this life including living in rustic Saint Pierre in the foothills of The Pyrenees Mountains in Southern France is totally mind blowing amazing!  

Oh, my sweet girl!!!  She will be one in May and will have a big surgery then.  Her skull font closed in about 24 years too early and needs to be released when she is one.  She will have to have an incision from ear to ear and grandma has fake plans to be there for her.  I want mom to be free to go and be with her baby girl for the whole time!  

Sweetness - such a wonderful girl she is!  Pat said that she was wonderful on their travels to and from Fort Lewis 2 months ago for our family Christmas gathering on the farm in January!

How I would love to have them bring my Hallel home!  She is sorely missed around here.  Currently I am hoping and praying as a mother can do - for her to come here for Holy Week and Easter!  A mother is allowed to HOPE, but then there comes with that disappointment and realizing that it was not in the Lord's plan after all.  Sometimes my crazy dreams and prayers do work!!!

A new picture thanks to Jennifer of Hallel with her mother, Susan.  It makes me smile because that is Hallel's birth name! 

 

Little Brother David with a baby chick - I am sure that this is Hallel's chicken coop that they built.  I would say that the mother hen sat on the clutch of eggs and hatched out the chicks.  It looks like his Uncle Marty, David's Godfather has a baby chick too!

Today is ringing all kinds of bells for me as it is the 2nd Anniversary of my mother, Nancy Cross, death in a day.  I called dad first thing in the morning just out of the blue and he told me that mom had come out for breakfast at their Assisted living and fallen.  The ambulance came and took her in great pain away.  Dad was hopeful that all was going to be well.  

I called my sister, Paula, who is an RN and was with mom.  She told me that mom had broken her hip, her BP was poor and things were not looking good for her.  I jumped in the car and prayed all the way there!

Little Brother David and his grandmother, Susan, at Lourdes last week.  The bathes are closed for the winter due to the cold- still a place of miracles and PRAYER to Our Lady.  As John says; "mom, there is a better mom than you." Yes!!!

My parents about 30 years ago at my Goddaughter's wedding.  

I asked dad to speak to me of mom today in his prayer book left behind for me.  He has marked it up so I thought I would catch a special message from him...

Yes,  This!!!  So true of my mother or anyone, who answers "yes" to the call of our Lord for a personal relationship with Jesus and Mary and through them entering into The Church!  How peculiar was my mother's call?  She was a Protestant ministers wife!  She loved our Lady as a Protestant!  So when dad was led into The Church, my mother's hopes and prayers were answered much to her great JOY and surprise!  We love being Peculiarly His Own!!!!

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

Now from dad today - Psalm 77 "This is what causes my grief..."  losing mom in a day 2 years ago, after 70 1/2 years of marriage they were only apart 7 months!  Dad came and was on hospice here in my home on the farm for 6 months, and modeled a "natural death" for his family.  He was so ready to join mom!  I miss them sorely but have peace knowing of how they are surely with our Lord and Lady and the Saints in heaven forever!  

Mom in heaven - she loved the Big Lake Michigan!

3 months before they were separated by mother's death in a day.  I wrote this...

It was a big day today for our family. It started with my mother falling this morning on her way to the chair. A broken hip, taken by ambulance to the hospital, anointed by the priest, and a very peaceful death. My parents have been together in marriage for 70 1/2 years! My dad sat beside her, praying and loving to her peaceful end. Jesus we trust in you. Bless bless

The Afters - Well done 

For both mom and dad this is truth!

I went from my chapel on wheels to the farm and Tommy and grandma are hanging out with the rosary filling our time!  

Here grandma take up your sword against Satan and your prayer of Mary to Jesus!!!

Learning to hold onto things today-  the rosary is the best!

Each one a gift to old grandma!!!

So many prayers for each of my 22 grandchildren that they may LOVE Jesus, Mary and The Church with their all!!!

Tommy and I are listening to Well Done for his great grandmother and Great- grandfather... they brought us into The Church 50 years ago little Thomas Robert and each day since has been a gift and total blessing filled with many graces!  

Oh my!!!!  Talk about LIGHT in his eyes and smile!  Each new little one adds to our LOVE!

A gift of New LIFE to his family!  His two oldest siblings are his Godparents!  Together they will share Faith/Family/Farm!  

I was given permission to share these precious pictures of Little Brother David, the first American Little Brother!  A baby goat!  

Such a picture of the shepherd carrying the lost kid on his shoulders!  I have been so blessed to have met David over the last few years in KC and now to see him in his Little Brother Habit and happy in France!  He is such a powerful example of answering "yes" to the call of the Lord!  Seeing his LIGHT shine forth!

Dad and 7 of the 10 gathered around mom in the cemetery - covid had hit so we had to bid our farewells in the cemetery on the hill overlooking the St Croix River

With brothers Phil and Dan with mom...

Hubby taking advantage of the nice weather and walking with our rosaries after supper just as the sun was setting.  

Hubby with his beads and our kitty Ignatius heading in with the setting sun- perfect timing to say our rosary from start to finish together as we walk on our gravel road.

Fr John came to the cemetery to give mom and blessing.  Dad spending time with his beloved wife!  "I saw the same sweet lips that kissed me on the dance floor on our first date, take their last breath at her side."  Talk about tear jerking!!!

Jesus, I thank you for the gift of my parents and their "yes" to LIFE and to your call into The Church!  I know that they are praying more perfectly for our family now from heaven.  Jesus, we trust in you.  Amen

Even with covid closing things down they allowed our family to gather around mother for her last few hours on earth!  I put the word out to my siblings that mom was dying and they called to say their goodbyes!  Our oldest Ruth called and reminded my mother; "Grandma, you have said the rosary words - 'Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death."  thousands of times - well the time has come, and she is with you bringing you to her Son, Jesus!"  So powerful! Bless-bless, Barbara and the 50 - 33 here and 17 in heaven including our parents! 

Cat Stevens - Morning has broken 

We sang this at the cemetery for mom!  She chose this to be used in her funeral mass.  We celebrated that on July 18th the day after her 91st birthday!  Dad drove 4 hours to be there from our farm and back again the next day!

O God beyond all Praising - the other hymn mom asked for!  This last one is from St Michaels in Stillwater where mom and dad went to mass each Sunday for a few years - from St Croix Falls to Stillwater - just long enough to say the rosary from their door to mass!