Pasture adventure - mud and electric fence/Not of the world - 2 strangers at the airport/Psalm 100 with mom and dad

Joy and I walked down the muddy muddy path to the pasture behind our house to see the cows and calves out on grass. They were comfortable on the other side of the very full rushing creek full with all the rain we have been getting.  The look comfortable and content on a cool day in May.

Joy and I had a big adventure trying to get down the path filled with pools of muddy water and the electric fence on either side where we were trying to walk.  Grandma ended up falling backwards into the mud, and Joy got a shock on her shoulder from the electric fence - not the way to check if it was working.  After a few tears, and grandma saying from the mud over and over how sorry I was that she got a shock.   Joy sweetly said her mantra - "That's OK."  

The calves were mostly laying down peacefully in the pasture - reminding me of the words of the 100th Psalm today.

Know that the LORD is God;
            he made us, his we are;
            his people, the flock he tends.
R.        Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R.        Alleluia.  Psalm 100

Psalm 100 is the invitatory each day for morning prayer, and after years of saying it with my parents as we started the day with Morning Prayer of The Church, and also when dad lived with me for the last 6 months of his life on hospice here on the farm and we shared morning prayer... I would smile and say the words my mother had said - "the sheep of his pasture."   It was her version of this verse, and I kept it in her memory and with great JOY in my heart!  

One of my most beloved gifts was sharing my Faith with my parents after they brought the 13 into The Church 50 years ago!  Family Soul Story - Choose Life!: The amazing story of the 13 becoming Catholic! 

A sweet smile at the beginning of our "trail of tears."  Even with her hurts and tears, but time we got back to the house - she was once again cheerful and thinking that it was OK.  I don't think she would go with me today, however.

The clouds were quite something on a cold day after we reached almost 90 the day before - welcome to Minnesota.  How Pat and I prayed today for the weather to allow the farmers to get into the field and plant the crop now a month late.  Each year is all it's own, and prayer is what we can turn to, when we are depending upon the weather over which we have no control!

Nancy here on the farm 6 years ago with her newborn daughter, Josephine Frances!  She has since had George and now Regina is 5 months already!  

End of school craziness some years back - the weather was crumby outside so the wagon of corn was a blast anyways!  

On the rock pile about 6 years ago.  WE have yet to even get the crop planted, so picking rocks will be that much later.  They always have babies for next year!

Herbert and Augustine 9 years ago - he will be 11 next week!  

6 month old Bernadette 9 years ago while mom and dad were in Europe for a wedding.  She was the sweetest little girl for grandma!  She has since welcomed 4 more siblings and Nancy has had 3 losses in those years!  

How I asked the Lord that my girls not have to experience the loss that I had in my child bearing years!  I guess there must be some hereditary problems as Nancy has had 2 miscarriages and a 20 week in the womb stillbirth, Maximilian.  When we had his funeral in the infant loss section we than walked over to visit Nancy's 2 brothers, William and Robert, who I lost at 20 weeks in the womb after John.  Talk about the "trail of tears."

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

Spending time with this happy boy yesterday... Hubby can't get over how happy and content Tommy is!  

Praying with 7 Sisters for Fr Denny yesterday - I truly had the entire church peacefully and beautifully to myself!  It seems that I usually share it with others, and thought there might be a wedding rehearsal.  No one!  I did the stations with the 4th decade of my rosary as dad and I used to do on the porch each day at 3p on Tuesdays and Fridays - the sorrowful mysteries!  Dad would share 10 of the Stations before each "Hail Mary"

I was drawn to Our Lady of Perpetual Help - as I recalled a very sad hard situation that I am praying for.  Our Lady of Perpetual Help, come to their aide!

The Easter lilies are gone, but the white of Easter remains!  And Jesus continues to ask us to follow him by taking up our Cross!  The Words from Jesus today in the Gospel are pretty hard yet truth!  He tells us over and over that we are not of this world, and they cannot understand us at all!

I had almost the identical experience both going to Washington and coming home again with 2 women about my age.  Both shared that they are in their second marriage, and have children that are not open to LIFE.  The woman beside me going to Fort Lewis, was going to watch an only granddaughter perform at dance.  "My daughter decided that she didn't want another baby after her.  She is a big important lawyer." She shared that she is grandma to dogs, and one other little boy.  She looked at me in disbelief when I shared about our 22 grandchildren, and our nun.

Jesus to us today...  Jesus said to his disciples:
“If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first.
If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own;
but because you do not belong to the world,
and I have chosen you out of the world,
the world hates you..."  john 15: 18-21

Easter candle 2022 with the vigil light sharing with all that Jesus is in the tabernacle!  The custodian shared that he has been away from the Church for a long time.  "But I am learning about things."  The vigil light went out the other week and "it felt so dark and sad."  

Our Lady of Guadalupe with her special flowers on either side and at the foot of the Cross where Jesus gave her to us as our mother and we bring her into our home!!!  

Finally as I was waiting for a few hours for my flight home at the gate - I sat beside another woman much like the one on the trip there.  She shared that her husband of 23 years - "it was our second marriage" had died 2 years ago of a lung disease on hospice.  I shared my work with hospice and having my dad here with hospice for 6 months... unfortunately her experience was not good.  

The tabernacle- "It is the Lord!"  "My Lord and my God."

She also shared that she was going to the Cities to visit her son and his only son.  "I have 2 daughters that have decided that they don't want children and they live in London and in Australia.  I have 2 grandchildren."  Once again she was amazed by my 22, and I am sure could not even imagine what it must be like when we are all together.  LOUD and CRAZY amazing! 

A cute sidenote to our recent gathering with Hallel and Benedict and the 33!  They both thought that Fr Isaac was speaking super low and quiet at mass, then they realized that all the crazy noise of us together had caused them to be unable to hear his voice, which has not changed - their hearing had changed.  Hopefully, they have recovered now a week and a half later. 

I must say that having this both going and coming home really made me very sad deep down inside.  How did people seem to get so  into themselves and what they want to "be happy."  Since when are children a hardship and not the source of LIFE/LOVE/LIGHT!!!  

I went along to feed the 8 bottle calves with Rose and Joy last evening while Pat, Paul, Simon, David, and Luke were out putting in a new fence for pasture.

Here we go with Joy at the controls!

Our first stop - grandma fed two while they each fed one.

They down them quickly...

On the way to the next 4. Rose showed me this nest with such wonderful robins' egg blue eggs.

The robin flew away when we got close, and Rose said that she swooped at them when they first found the nest a few days ago.  "I could hear the wings by my ear."  That's close!

Our next 4 in the calving barn - we found out that this was their last feeding - now they are on feed and water.

True farm girls and an old grandma.  

Hard to get a picture when they drink so fast and grandma also has a bottle calf to manage.

The last bottle for these 4!  Thanks girls for all your hard work and how healthy they are!  

The momma cats, kittens and dog getting some milk replacer too!  Clean up the floor before grandpa gets back!  

Jesus, LIFE is the greatest of gifts!  May we cherish all life from conception to natural death.  End the horror of abortion and may your LIGHT shine on the Truth that we are called to die to self so that you may live, and move and touch the world through us.  Jesus, we trust in you.  Amen and Hallelujah

Not a new picture of Maggie - I am bugging Maria for one today.  It does show how quickly she is recovering!  Miraculous and so many prayers answered!  Bless-bless, Barbara and the 51... 34 here and 17 in heaven including our parents!  

Paul McCartney - Carpool Kareoke

Zach Williams