Saturday, June 29, 2024

St Peter and Paul/Back to the real world after retreat shared with 2 grandkids/Our nun coming in a few days! - +JMJ+

Hallel praying in her chapel in KCK about 14 years ago.  I had gone to say goodbye to her as she was going back to France after coming to help us fight the battle with John against brain cancer.  John won the battle and is now 15 years free of Cancer and the New John!  
John last night in the band No Vacancy in the School of Rock!  He is the comic relief in many roles, but it was fun to see him with hair once again!  
John shared the stage with granddaughter, Rose Again!  She was a back up singer with the School of Rock band and they lit up the stage!  
Kansas 12 years ago - Dave was just about 2 years old and getting to wear the little sister blue apron to help with the dishes.
Hallel, David and the row houses across the street from Lumen Christi Monastery in the heart of the poor in KCK.  
5 year old Mary blowing out the candle in front of Our Lady of Guadalupe altar in their chapel.  This is where Hallel told us she was entering The Community of the Lamb in 2008.  She is now fully professed in France in 2018.  
Godson Simon, whose Feast Day it is today - St Peter and Paul!  He shares it with his dad, Paul.  He is under the scapular of his Aunt Hallel... a safe place to be indeed for a little guy with autism.  
Mary helping with dished in her blue apron 14 years ago with Aunt Hallel. Prayer and dishes is how they describe their lives.

I am getting very excited as our nun and 3 other little sisters along with 3 little brothers that are hitch hiking  - they will all arrive her on Wednesday for supper and stay through the 4th of July and then leave for Sleepy Eye on Friday morning!  2 days with 7 from The Community here sharing our life on the farm.   The Brothers will stay with John and the Sisters with me!  Lots of big meals, prayers and mass shared.
Now Michigan 11 years ago with baby Bernadette, who will be 12 in November.  I am so excited as we finally have a trip to Michigan planned with 2 car loads of kids and grandkids in July.  How I have longed to go back to Manistique area where we had our cabin for almost 20 years!  
The path of sugar sand that led up to our cabin in Michigan years ago.  
Our 2 weeks in Michigan were always over the 4th of July!  Maria and little Therese with the 4th of July cake we have a family tradition of making.  We will have to make it for the Little sisters and little brothers when they are here for the 4th of July - "We want to watch the fireworks!"  Yes!!
Michigan 10 years ago!  All the memories are coming around as this would be our time at the cabin.  My parents lived down in their basement apartment, and the upstairs were for us kids to come for our weeks.  Such amazing times shared with my parents and our family.  

The grandkids have begged me to go back over the years.  7 years old Joy has never been there and is so excited to finally go and water color on the beach!

Pat would get away from the baling and come for some days with the family.  He won't be joining us this time however.  Just me and my girls and some of the grandkids!  
My 3 girls minus Hallel about 10 years ago.  That would be baby Dominic in Nancy's arms just weeks old!  
Sugar sand path towards the Big Lake Michigan!  
Maria with her 3 oldest 10 years ago.  
Sand castle built by Mary, Simon and David, and Gus looking it over 10 years ago... Gus just turned 13 on the 25th of May and David will be 16 on the day we are to go  to Michigan - July 16th!  His golden birthday and how he wants to join us! 
Shell Lake, WI this week - Nancy brought her kids for some beach time in Wisconsin with the 3 oldest Librande cousins.  Therese just back from Extreme Faith Camp and then TEC over the weekend!  Now Nancy and Bill and their 6 are on the way to Pennsylvania for the week with Bill's Family!  Summer is here!  
Out on the diving raft at Shell Lake, WI this past week. 
Pat with the 3 youngest granddaughters 5 years ago - they are now all 7 with JoJo just turning 8.  They are no longer the youngest granddaughters as we now have Birdie Barbara, Regina, Magdalene, and Lucy.  
Our table name at our retreat last weekend.  I came up tired and lifted up in many ways as well as in deep prayer for some issues that presented themselves.  I was very touched by the deep faith of the 8 young people that made this retreat for the first time!  They included 2 of my grandchildren with the other 6 young people, who all very much love and adore Jesus in the Sacrament of the Eucharist!  
The cows up from the pasture to eat the grass around the barn in our yard.  Pat and Tom giving them some water on this beautiful day!  

I have been struggling to share a bit here with the slow internet we have here on the farm.  The pulling of weeds on this cool day are on my mind, so I need to call this to an end for today.  I need to take advantage of this wonderful weather today and not get stuck here for much longer.  I will be praying while pulling weeds.... much on my heart, mind and soul these days.  Jesus, I trust in you.  Bless-bless, Barb and the 33





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