Courting and mating per Farmer Pat/Josephine Francis is 7 today/"I am the vine, you are the branches" - +JMJ+

So often I am recalling the wonderful times I was given with my dad living here with me 3 years ago .  We just celebrated Bridie's arrival during that time yesterday, and a few weeks later we were able to share her Baptism with my dad.    She is my first namesake as she is Birdie Barbara!  How we love to share St Barbara, and the Church.  Nothing more wonderful than to share our Faith as a Family!  

Bernadette 10 years ago - looks like plenty of much needed rain during planting.  We are already praying for rain and missing the spotty showers that are coming through the area.  

Today is her younger sister's birthday - Josephine Francis is 7 today! 

In front of her very long Birthday sign - everyone helps decorate the letters with markers for their special day.

With her new wheels for her birthday - I forsee a long wonderful summer with lots of bike rides on her hot pink bike.  Maybe even bringing it down to the farm!  Yes, they live at the foot of the watertower, and they have their personal park just a short ways away - their backyard lies against it.
 

On Friday - grandma came up for May crowning and Grandparent's Day at St Maximilian Catholic School in Delano.  JoJo had sent out some great invitations to the two sets of grandparents, so we have her to thank for getting us there for this very special time.  

The other grandma lives in Uniontown, PA, and she visited the classes on face time.  

Getting on the road at 5a with hubby to take 3 fat cows to be butchered in Buffalo Lake.  Hubby taked about how the birds are singing their courting songs even at 5a, "and then they will be mating and after that they will be quiet again."  

Loading in the dark.  WE took along breakfast, and our Catechism and listened to 3 with Fr Mike to enrich our travel. 

I asked hubby if last night we had the mating - "Yes, and today is the courting."  He made sure that I understood that when we share time together in the midst of all the busy times we have this time of year or anytime... we share time visiting and praying - "this is courting." 

Courting is important and special.  There was much that I hadn't shared with Pat about conversations with Nancy, John and prayer needs that we shared while we had Morning Prayer from the Magnificat after the sun came up a bit.  How I love when Grandpa-Farmer Pat prays for each of our 23 grandkids by name.  When you are traveling for an hour and a half - you have the time to pray long and hard!  

Breakfast and praying and listening to Fr Mike - Catechism in a year - The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) - YouTube  

I had to hoot when he read John 15 today - "I am the vine and you are the branches" as part of his sharing on The Church.  It is kind of mind blowing when we had just shared that after praying together..."I am the vine, you are the branches.
Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit...If you remain in me and my words remain in you,
ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you.
By this is my Father glorified,
that you bear much fruit and become my disciples."  John 15

So pretty with the green grass and the black freshly planted fields.  Yes, it was early when the alarm went off at 4:30a, but it was special "courting time" with my Most Cherished Cross.  I embrace him to find LIFE/LOVE/LIGHT!  

Funny and cute and Truth that talking about the birds spring singing applies to us and our marriage.  Courting and Mating!  Both are so important and the glue that keeps us together now into our 44 1/2 years of marriage.  Neither of us is perfect, and we must include Jesus, Mary and the Saints to get all the help we can get.  Today is St John of Avila, pray for us.  

Farmer Pat showing grandson, Luke Paul, how to handle a baby chick some years back.  Pat loves LIFE and all things farming.  He is now a chicken, goat and mostly Beef farmer along with 2000 acres of crops!  He set the motto that our domestic Church/family lives by - "open to LIFE and raising LIGHTS!"  

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

With the 2 youngest farm kids, 6 year old Joy and 1 1/2 Tom and a baby kitten...My heart goes pitty pat with love when I see how much he loves the little ones!  He never said to stop with all the losses we had in my childbearing years - 5 here with us and 7 in heaven keeping our eyes on getting to heaven someday.  

The wax museum today at our Catholic School - Rose was Jim Henson the creator of our beloved muppets and Sesame Street.  My kids were raised on Sesame Street!  We even realized later that I have a Susan, Maria and John John!  

John and the kids walked over with me - it is fun to share traditions that they will also have in some years ahead.  

Good job Rose!  We love our Catholic School!  Lucy fell asleep on the trip.  
 

A beautiful time with my dad when he lived here with me 3 years ago.  The Baptism of Birdie Barbara with the Minnesota grands.  My father baptized our 5 children as a Permanent Deacon in The Church.  He celebrated his 44th Anniversary from his ordination while he was here living with me for his last 6 months of his life.  Such a very special gift tome to share in his religious life with morning and evening prayer, and chaplet and rosary on the porch at 3p each day. 

Dad and mom brought us into The Church 51 years ago - each day since has been the greatest of gifts to me!

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

The sweetest - coming through the waters of rebirth in Baptism!  LOVE the morning prayer today in the Magnificat!  It was all about the "living waters."  We rejoiced to find the verse my dad was reading when the Holy Spirit told him to come into The Catholic Church - Isaiah 55:1 - "All you who are thirsty, come to the water!  You who have no money, come, receive grain and eat;  Come, without paying and without cost, drink wine and milk."  

So Eucharistic!  Such a wonderful Truth lived out in The Church - Jesus, Bridegroom and Bride!  

Social distancing with baby Birdie and her sweet mom, Bobbi!  She is truly a Verly girl in so many ways!  Looks and in truth - our first Verly girl! Now she is joined by her baby sister, Lucy Marie, who will be 4 months tomorrow.  

Jesus, how we love and adore you.  Time spent with my husband - courting and mating is the glue that gives us the strength to go forward down the narrow path as we carry/drag our Most Cherished Cross with our goal to be in heaven forever.  I know that mom and dad are praying for me and my domestic Chruch/family!  Jesus, we trust in you.  Amen and Hallelujah

Mom and dad modeled for me being open to life - they had 8 children and then adopted 4, whose parents were killed in a car crash!  We went from 8 to 12!  Bless-bless, Barbara and the 34 with many Little Sisters and Little Brothers!

"How lovely it was, that first kiss of Jesus in my heart —

it was truly a kiss of love." - St Thérèse of Lisieux

 

 

St. Thérèse of Lisieux tells of the experience of her First Holy Communion...

 

"I would not tell you everything, even if I could, for there are certain things which lose their fragrance in the open air, certain thoughts so intimate that they cannot be translated into earthly language without losing at once their deep and heavenly meaning. How lovely it was, that first kiss of Jesus in my heart — it was truly a kiss of love. I knew that I was loved and said, “I love You, and I give myself to You forever.”

 

Jesus asked for nothing, He claimed no sacrifice. Long before that, He and little Thérèse had seen and understood one another well, but on that day it was more than a meeting — it was a complete fusion. We were no longer two, for Thérèse had disappeared like a drop of water lost in the mighty ocean. Jesus alone remained — the Master and the King. Had she not asked Him to take away her liberty, the liberty she feared? She felt so weak and frail that she wanted to unite herself forever to His Divine Strength. And her joy became so vast, so deep, that now it overflowed. Soon she was weeping, to the astonishment of her companions, who said to one another later on: “Why did she cry? Was there something on her conscience? Perhaps it was because her mother was not there, or the Carmelite sister she loves so much.”

 

It was beyond them that all the joy of Heaven had entered one small, exiled heart, and that it was too frail and weak to bear it without tears. As if the absence of my mother could make me unhappy on the day of my First Communion!  As all Heaven entered my soul when I received Jesus, my mother came to me as well. Nor could I cry because you were not there, we were closer than ever before. It was joy alone, deep ineffable joy that filled my heart."

 

Excerpt from St. Thérèse’s autobiography, The Story of a Soul

St Thérèse of Lisieux

France ~ 1873-1897

Carmelite, Doctor of the Church

 

First Holy Communion date: May 8, 1884

 

Painting above: Ecce Agnus Dei - Albert Chevallier Tayler
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A day in HISTORY:  Today, May 8, is not only the Anniversary of St Therese's First Holy Communion, but also the Birthday Anniversary of both St John Vianney and Ven Fulton J Sheen, and the Anniversary of my First Holy Communion - oh-so-many years ago. Earlier in that week I had contracted the measles and so was home convalescing, but I remember the day vividly!

 

Everything was made ready:  Two tiny beeswax candles were lit from the Crucifix Sick Call set.  A silver spoon lay ready next to a glass of water in case I needed assistance. 

When Fr.Kern brought the Blessed Sacrament into our home a sweet, holy hush blanketed the living room. The relatives that had gathered to celebrate my private First Holy Communion, reverently bowed very low.  I listened, I watched and I pondered all - fittingly dressed in my white dress and veil.  My polka-dotted face held a beaming grin and my heart nearly burst! - Janette

 

Translation of Holy card: "The things of earth seem of little account when one possesses the highest good."

 

Oh, happy, holy day!

Do you remember/can you figure out

your First Holy Communion date?

 

Do HEARTILY celebrate it!

Danielle Rose