Home again after a hot TEC weekend/Rainy spell and the crops are happy/Memories flood with John the Baptist birth - +JMJ+

How I remember sitting at the bedside of John in Sioux Falls on the Feast of the birth of John the Baptist!  We had just celebrated Father's Day on the 21st that year, and had discovered that John's double vision and fatigue were due to his having brain cancer.  

We had just been told about a horrific brain surgery they were proposing to make a hole in the top of his skull and go between the two hemispheres of his brain.  NO way!!!  John and I prayed morning prayer asking the Lord to protect heal and guide us toa second opinion that we could live with and so could John!  We left there and headed to St Joseph's Hospital in the Cities with a renowned surgeon.  His answer - no surgery but wait and see what developed!

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

John's Spirit Juice Video continues now with wife and 3 children!  

Sharing the Together Encounter Christ weekend with grandson, David, as we shared the carrying of the Cross which we are all called to do by Our Lord, Jesus!  

Mass in our Adoration chapel as it was air conditioned on this hot weekend in Marshall!  So special to share this holy place with all those attending.  The same time that John and I share in this space also was shared from the last hour of Sunday to the first hour of Monday!  

The Spiritual team... Jesus and the stole that was the hem of his garment.  

So special to be in our Catholic School for our retreat!  Pat and his siblings, our 5 kids and now grandkids have gone here...  We currently have 7 grandkids attending Holy Redeemer Catholic School.  Such a wonderful space to have our weekend!  

Mass in St Mary's chapel with my most favorite statue of Mary!  47 years of marriage with her to fill me with Peace and happiness!  

Our prayer space was filled with LIGHT - we were able to share from our hearts!  

The Lamb shared his message of HOPE and Truth!  "Wounded, I will never cease to LOVE."  How I love to share my story and listen to that of others!  The bottom line is that Jesus loves and forgives us unconditionally and He has a plan for each one of us!  

John and Rose are in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory/Willy Wonka!    Here is John with his family after the show.  I get to watch it tonight!  I hear that it is a very good show!  

Rose Again is an Umpa Lumpa with her Uncle John!   Excited to see it tonight!  More pictures coming I am sure.  

Sweet Joy at mass with grandma and grandpa this morning!  She is true to her wish to have an extra mass each week since her First Communion in the beginning of May.  My prayer that she will always hunger and thirst for her Jesus in his Body and Blood!  

The next 2 days in our wonderful holy Catholic Church!  The Sacred heart and Immaculate Hearts!  

Rainy morning at mass - Joy with her raincoat at the top of the stairs to the Church.

Diocesan pilgrims with the image of Our Lady of the Prairie!  

Pope Leo in Rome with the Corpus Christi Procession of Jesus through the streets with thousands!  

Seminarian Matthew with Our Lady of the Prairie on the Feast of the birth of John the Baptist!  

The Church was full with pilgrims and Mary Morning Star nuns!  

So beautiful!  Our Lady pray for us!  

Tea party on the porch for lunch.

"Good Tea, grandma!"  

So fun to have it on the front page.  So nice that the weather has cooled down for them, and now rain too!  

LOVE this!!!  Jonathon Roumie - Jesus from the Chosen with Pope Leo- our American pope!  I can only imagine the conversation in fluent English!  

Pool time with Joy and Tom on the farm. 

Pope Leo blessing twins!  

Spending time with our special focus Missionary, Nolan, last evening.  I could tell that I had just come back from a TEC weekend.  I had to put lights on the porch railing and make placemats with PEACE, JOY, and LOVE on them!  

We shared some deep conversations about the lies that Satan has the world believing and following... like cohabitation is a step towards marriage to find if you are compatible.  Wrong!!  We are to save ourselves for marriage!

That the world is overpopulated and therefore you should have only one or two children.  Wrong!!  The world needs more lights and we are called to be open to LIFE and raise LIGHTS!  

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

 Our song for RB 289 - Don't Stop Praying! 

Don't Stop Praying - Matthew West

Nancy shared pancakes this morning with 3 Librande cousins sharing time with their cousins in Delano!  Pancakes will travel has been part of our traveling theme wherever we go!  

I sure am a fan of our new pope and the Truth he shares with us!  

Truth!  A small slice of heaven we are given each and every day in our amazing wonderful Catholic Church! 

"Grandma, that's God!"  Therese 

Big Feast Day tomorrow!  

St Josemaria Feast Day is today,,, - The Saint that is just me

Danielle Rose - the Saint that is just me

The granddaughters 6 years ago - we have added 4 more since!  

It is now over 2 inches!  

Me and Tommy after taking pictures in the corn field.

Over Tom's head and up to big sister, Joy's shoulders!  This rain is so wanted and needed.

Ruth's garden and house behind.

Joy and soft white kitten that will find a home in a few weeks!  

At Maria's new home - yellow frog!  

This was so true for me when John was facing his brain cancer, and grandson Patrick had a traumatic birth!  And each day of my journey called Faith/family/farm!  

Open to LIFE and raising LIGHTS/Saints who love and follow Jesus down the narrow path with Heaven forever as our goal!  

Father's Day 2021 Ruth was in the picture as she was pregnant with Tom!  

A beautiful bouquet picked around Maria's new yard in Shafer, MN!  So excited to have them just 4 hours away!  I should invite them down to John and Rose's play this weekend!  

Ruth's Hollyhocks by the pool.

So beautiful and special.  Ruth truly has a green thumb!  

Simon on his first day at ADM!  All the best in your new job, Simon!  

My heart is very full O Lord!  How I love and adore you now and forever.  May I die to self so that I may serve without counting the cost.  Always sharing with the world your Truth!  Jesus, we trust in you.  Amen and Hallelujah.  Bless-bless, Barbara and the 33 plus 13 in heaven.

 "Sanctity is not rigid like cardboard: 

it knows how to smile,

to give way to others and to hope.
It is life - a supernatural life." 

St Josemaría Escrivá

" ... Jesus hides in the Blessed Sacrament of the altar 
because He wants us to dare to approach Him.

He wants to nourish us so we 

become one single thing with Him.

When He said, Apart from Me you can do nothing,

He was not condemning Christians to 

ineffectiveness or obliging them to seek Him 

by a difficult and arduous route. 

On the contrary ... He has stayed with us, 
He is totally available to us."

St Josemaría Escrivá

Spain ~ 1902-1975

Priest, Founder of Opus Dei
Opus Dei - Finding God in daily life

 Feast Day - June 26
Painting above: Ariel Agemian

St Josemaria Escriva describes this experience

about himself as a young seminarian...

"Why am I becoming a priest? 

Our Lord wants something: what is it?  

And in Latin — not very elegant Latin — 

… I kept repeating 

Domine, ut videam! Ut sit! Ut sit!  -

 The thing that you want, and 

that I don’t know — make it happen!”
_________________________

Click here: josemariaescriva - YouTube (7 mins)

Click here: The Quotable Saint | Saint Josemaria Escriva Quotes

Click here: St. Josemaría Escrivá: Saint of Ordinary Life - Crisis Magazine

Click here: TOP 25 QUOTES BY JOSEMARIA ESCRIVA

___________________

"Don't say, 'That person bothers me.' 
Think: 'That person sanctifies me.'"

 St Josemaría Escrivá

St Josemaría Escrivá, pray for us!

_____

Goodness of God - TEC song a few ago

 

 

Father's Day 2025 - 16 years since John's cancer journey!/"turn your yoke into wings"/cows and calves out in the pasture - +JMJ+

Major Joseph with his 2 oldest a few days ago before they drove up to Minnesota for an extreme Faith camp that began today.  Saying goodbye to them as he will be leaving his family for 9 months in Poland.

A stoic one with the younger 5 in response to Father's Day picture request plus Maggie's face after having an after church doughnut.... this is not a surprise when we get it from Joseph!  

With my dad 5 years ago when he was living with me for the last 6 months of his life in my farm monastery.  Our nun, little sister Hallel, got to have a home visit and see her grandpa, Deacon Robert Cross, for the first time in 12 years!  

Family Soul Story - Choose Life!: Deacon Robert Cross - my dad on hospice in our Farm Monastery for 6 months - 4/16/20 thru 10/23/20   A page I devoted to the miraculous time of my dad living here with me on the same hospice I had worked for for 15 years as a nurse.  At breakfast we went around the table and I shared from my heart about what a gift it all was!  

Son in law, Bill, with his 6 lucky children in Delano!  Happy Father's Day!  

Our farm family - Paul with their 7!  How we appreciate each day all that they do to run our big wonderful family farm!  From Simon at 20 to Tom, who is 3!  

John's 3 getting ready to get into the jacuzzi at grandma's house.

Need 2 of those and love St Francis looking over their shoulders.

In the tub...

Hubby, farmer Pat with our 2 of the 5 children that live in Marshall - the 2 bookends - Ruth our oldest and John our youngest.  We have 5 here with us on earth and 7 in heaven praying for our journey!  

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

John's Father's Day pose with Lucy needing her nap...

Father's Day marks 16 years since we began our battle against brain cancer with John!  He is cancer free, married to Bobbi and they have 3 kids!  Such a healing and blessing! 

Pat with his 5 children brought together by John's brain cancer!  United in our Faith/Family/Farm!

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

John's Spirit Juice video tells his journey now continuing with wife and children!  

Fr Craig anointing him in St Mary's at Rochester! Susan arrived just at that moment!  The Holy Spirit was in charge and healed!  

Visiting my friend Marie today in the Nursing home - we shared mass with granddaughter, 8 year old Joy.  Marie shared that this is her First Communion rosary that she was given when she was 8!  That means that it is 86 years old as Marie is 94!  

86 year old Rosary and how many prayers were said over all those years!?!  Powerful!!!  

We took some of Ruth's beautiful peonies to Marie.  Joy looked so pretty and sweet!  She says that she likes to go to the nursing home Mass and visit with my friend, Marie and her sister, Margaret.  

How we need good strong men that are loving too!  God doesn't make mistakes we are made either a man or a woman!  

Our Lady surrounded by flowers as we love and honor her.  

Tommy's tractor we painted together!  He loved the mud that it was driving through.

Joy cuddling Neumann my cat.

I am so happy and excited by our new Pope Leo.  Here is his first address to America - Chicago!

My dear friends, it’s a pleasure for me to greet all of you gathered together at White Sox Park on this great celebration, as a community of faith in the Archdiocese of Chicago. Special greeting to Cardinal Cupich, to the auxiliary bishops, to all my friends who are gathered today, on this the feast of the Most Holy Trinity. 

And I begin with that because the Trinity is a model of God’s love for us. God, Father, Son, and Spirit, three Persons in one God, live united in the depth of love, in community, sharing that communion with all of us. So as you gather today in this great celebration, I want to both express my gratitude to you and also an encouragement to continue to build up community, friendship — as brothers and sisters — in your daily lives, in your families, in your parishes, in the archdiocese and throughout our world. 

I’d like to send a special word of greeting to all the young people, those of you gathered together today, and many of you who are perhaps watching this greeting through technological means on the internet. 

As you grew up together, you may realize, especially having lived through the time of the pandemic, times of isolation, of great difficulty — sometimes even difficulties in your families — in our world today, sometimes it may be that the context of your life has not given you the opportunity to live the faith, to live as participants in a faith community.

And I’d like to take this opportunity to invite each one of you to look into your own hearts, to recognize that God is present, and that perhaps in many different ways, God is reaching out to you, calling you, inviting you to know His Son, Jesus Christ, through the Scriptures, perhaps through a friend or a relative, a grandparent, who might be a person of faith — but to discover how important it is for each one of us to pay attention to the presence of God in our hearts —to that longing for love in our lives, for searching, a true searching for finding the ways that we may be able to do something with our own lives to serve others. And in that service to others, we may find the coming together in friendship, building up community, we too can find true meaning in our lives. 

Moments of anxiety, of loneliness, so many people who suffer from different experiences of depression or sadness, they can discover that the love of God is truly healing, that it brings hope, and that, actually, coming together as friends, as brothers and sisters, in community, in a parish, and in an experience of living our faith together, we can find that the Lord’s grace, that the love of God can truly heal us, can give us the strength that we need, can be the source of that hope that we all need in our lives. To share that message of hope with one another, in outreach, in service, and looking for ways to make our world a better place, gives true life to all of us, and is a sign of hope for the whole world.

To, once again, the young people who are gathered here, I’d like to say that you are the promise of hope for so many of us. 

The world looks to you, as you look around yourselves, and says, ‘We need you.’ We want you to come together, to share with us in this common mission as Church and in the society, of announcing a message of true hope, and of promoting peace, promoting harmony among all peoples. 

We have to look beyond our own, if you will, our own egotistical ways. We have to look for ways of coming together and promoting a message of hope. Saint Augustine says to us that if we want the world to be a better place, we have to begin with ourselves. 

We have to begin with our own lives, our own hearts. And so, in this sense, as you gather together as a faith community, as you celebrate in the Archdiocese of Chicago, as you offer your own experience of joy and of hope, you can find out, you can discover that you, too, are indeed beacons of hope, that light that perhaps on the horizon is not very easy to see, and yet, as we grow in our unity, as we come together in communion, we can discover that that light will grow brighter and brighter, that light which is indeed our faith in Jesus Christ. And we can become that message of hope to promote peace and unity throughout our world. 

We all live with many questions in our hearts. Saint Augustine speaks so often of our restless hearts, and says, ‘Our hearts are restless until they rest in you, oh God.’

That restlessness is not a bad thing, and we shouldn’t look for ways to put out the fire, to eliminate or even numb ourselves, to the tensions that we feel, the difficulties that we experience. 

We should, rather, get in touch with our own hearts and recognize that God can work in our lives, through our lives — and through us, reach out to other people. 

And so I’d like to conclude this brief message to all of you with an invitation to be, indeed, that light of hope. 

“Hope does not disappoint,” Saint Paul tells us in his letter to the Romans. 

When I see each and every one of you, when I see how people gather together to celebrate their faith, I discover myself how much hope there is in the world. 

In this Jubilee Year of Hope, Christ, Who is our hope, indeed calls all of us to come together, that we might be that true living example, the light of hope in the world today. 

So I would like to invite all of you to take a moment to open up your own hearts to God, to God’s love, to that peace which only the Lord can give us, to feel how deeply beautiful, how strong, how meaningful, the love of God is in our lives – and to recognize that while we do nothing to earn God’s love. God, in His own generosity, continues to pour out His love upon us. 

And as He gives us His love, He only asks us to be generous and to share what He has given us with others. 

May you indeed be blessed, as you gather together for this celebration, may the Lord’s love and peace come upon each and every one of you, on your families, and may God bless all of you, so that you might always be beacons of hope, sign of hope and peace throughout the world. 

And may the blessing of Almighty God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit come upon you and remain with you always. Amen. 

Sweet girl Joy gives me so much of that JOY!  She comes to Mass with her old grandparents!  LOVE to see her interest and hunger for Jesus in the Eucharist!

Out in the pasture behind our house with hubby to check on the cows and calves on a beautiful night.  The grass was long and lush!  

In their happy place.  When the kids were little we would put them in the back to the pick up to watch the beauty of the cows and calves on the green grass... our summer vacation a lot of years.  "They look so nice!"  Pat would say.

Getting a drink looks so refreshing and today I am sure they are in the water often - it is hot an humid out there!  

Lush belly deep grass...

Calf on the hill makes a special silhouette with the clouds behind.

Pat counting the calves - we had one out that we needed to get back in.  Thankfully it went back in! 

A new fire ring for this summer with nice times visiting by the fire - we even roasted hot dogs and marshmallows.  Good to get away from our screens!  

Joy praying by Our Mother of heaven and earth!  

Sunset over a corn field - not my picture, but our corn is now knee high and by the 4th should be waste high.  

The strawberry full moon by a light house on Lake Superior!  

When Maria left for the Poor Clares she left a note by the Crucifix in John's room - Most Cherished Cross.  

Lots to celebrate this month in our amazing wonderful Catholic Church!  So much!!!  

Yes!!!  

He is very much showing us how to embrace our Most Cherished Cross and follow Jesus!  Today in the Gospel from Matthew 5 is about turning the other cheek.  If we say "yes" to being called into service like Simon was on the way of the Cross - "we shall finally discover that his yoke is in reality the burden of love that turns the yoke into wings.  We shall discover that this saying is true: "My yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

Michigan has the most lighthouses.  In August we will be close to the Manistique lighthouse!  

Mackinaw bridge and the Northern lights.

We need their help!  

Setting strawberry moon under the Mackinaw bridge as you cross from the lower peninsula to the upper of Michigan.  

Lord and Lady, there are so many blessings all around us past, present and future.  Be with us this weekend at TEC retreat.  May all attending come closer to you.  Jesus, we trust in you.  Bless-bless, Barbara and the 33 plus 13 in heaven.  

Goodness of God

The Lord's prayer