France Anniversary for Hallel and John/1300 miles to see our 2 girls and families with 25 pails of apples/Queenship of Mary - +JMJ+

The 19 with 3 in the womb = 22 who came to France 8 years ago to witness and celebrate our nun's taking of her final vows - "I promise unto death."  It happened close to the anniversary of her taking her habit in 2009 and changing her name from Susan Angela to little sister Hallel!  That anniversary was the past 2 days on the Vigil of the Queenship of Mary!  

In the Amsterdam airport with John in the midst of his brain cancer battle!  He has just finished his second chemo for his Primary Central Nervous System Lymphoma, and got better!  We could go to France last minute!  

Glowing in her habit the color of the sky and the shape of the Cross!  Now she is little sister Hallel which is the first part of Hallelujah!  "Whenever anyone says my name they are giving God all the praise!"  

John, Nancy and Hallel with Fr Craig - such a glorious occasion in Saint Pierre France in the foothills of the Pyrenees Mountains!  

The following day we went to Lourdes and John bathed in the miraculous waters which Bernadette's digging in the earth brought forth.  He is now cancer free for 17 years and fell in love with Mary the Mother of God there and her Church!  If you love Mary there is no where else to be than the Catholic Church! 

John's Spirit Juice Video - now he has a wife and 3 miracle children!  

Ruth helping John to walk after his brain biopsy left him with ataxia on the left side!

The Queenship of Mary is huge for us!  How we love her!  "You can't love her more than her Son, Jesus, does."  St Maximilian Kolbe

Hallel in France doing dishes - she describes her life as prayer and dishes!  

John on his Cross called  brain cancer - walking with a sister on each side.  "He's not heavy - her's my brother."

Lourdes the day after Hallel took her habit in 2009.  Many of the sisters went into the bathes for the intentions of John's healing and finding his faith through brain cancer!  It was all part of his healing and he fell in LOVE with Our Lady and The Catholic Church!  

I totally believe this with all that I am and all that I can ever say!  

Last night we returned from one of our whirlwind trips - we left here early afternoon and arrived at the Community of the Lamb Monastery - Lumen Christi/LIGHT of Christ in KCK at about 10p.  We were welcomed to spend the night with them, and shared in night prayer/Compline.  In the morning after morning prayer Farmer Pat made them breakfast with our farm fresh eggs!  

Morning prayer with Jesus there to spend deep wonderful prayer with for our family, hospice patients and all the needs of the farm.

Pat and I sharing night prayer with Marie John and Hallel - how I love when they sing Hail Holy Queen/Salve Regina!  Like angels!

Angels singing - the same way our Dominican Community of the Lamb sings it!  

A small prayer space for so late at night -  love to witness my daughter giving her all for her love for Jesus, Mary and The Church!  A bride of Christ for sure!  

Our bowl of coffee is very French and makes me smile to be with our nuns and a priest from Boston.  

Pat showing them our truck full of apples!  On to Maria's next 3 1/2 hours away for a bunch of applesauce canning!  

Mother daughter with a backdrop of a truck full of apples - we have now begun to bring the canning to the other girls - our canning on wheels!  

Father adoring Jesus on the altar at morning prayer.

Always sweet bouquets to make me smile - in our room for the night!

Wishing us a blessing as we drive away to St Robert and Maria with her 7 military kids!

Hallel reading at Morning prayer - and we chew on the Gospel - the parable of the Marriage Feast and the wedding garment - "I adore you O Christ, because you invite us to the Marriage Feast whether we are good or bad."  

3 1/2 hours later we arrive at Maria's home and quickly we are working to make applesauce - grandpa Pat runs to blender - all apples and no sugar!  

The sink was a busy place with grandma with 9 year old Evangeline and 18 year old Therese cutting them!  

Wonderful time to visit with Therese, who is heading off to University of Mary in Bismarck, ND in a week!  So excited for her!  

A fair picture from a few years back of the farm family!  LOVE!  We are so grateful for them allowing us to leave for 3 days spent with our 2 daughters and their families!  We are so blessed and lucky to have them!  

200 quarts that might last them a year.  They love applesauce!  

Running the colendar - all apples!  

Lots of cutting with smiles and sharing from the heart! 

This is why we do the work!  Hector and Magdalene love their home made food!  

Pat processing with our wedding canner!  48 years ago Pat's siblings gave this canner to us for our wedding gift - it has made thousands of quarts of food in that time!  It now travels to the homes of our girls so that Ruth does not have to do all the work!  

The crew!  Many hands make light work!  

Maggie is 5 and did her jobs too!  Grandma loved to capture her in pictures with the apples too!  

We could not finish them all, but the kids will enjoy eating them fresh too!  

We swung by the sisters to give them some to enjoy!  They love our food too, and it gives me so much JOY to share our farm food and hard work with ALL of our girls - even our nun!  

Maggie and apples...

A birthday painting I did for Maria - on the wall of her bathroom.  My parents cabin in Michigan and a children's book to give me creative inspiration.

Posing for grandma!  

3 years ago we helped them move to Viriginia for Joe to go the Major College.  We brought along applesauce.  Now we bring the apples and do the work!  

I need to end this for now.  We are back home - the boys came and mowed for me, but I need to water my tomatoes and make supper soon.  I am a bit kicked in the head after this crazy time of spending 22 hours in the truck!  Tommy came over today and got grandma to take a nap with him!  Thanks, Tom!  

Jesus and Mary, we love you save souls.  Bless-bless, Barbara and the 33 plus 13 in heaven.  

Body of Christ.

7 years ago in Fort Lewis in Seattle with the then 5 and now they have added Hector and Maggie!  

Charlottesville, Virginia - 4 years ago now.

Yes!  Please Lord and Lady protect all life from conception to natural death!  

Nancy with Godson, Simon, who is now 21 years old and a wonderful farm help as he works at ADM!  

Our County Fair now with generation #3 - summer fair time!/United in the Eucharist/Maria turns 43 - St Maximilian and Assumption - +JMJ+

Tom bringing grandma "the Body of Christ".  This has been a special item for our kids and now our grandkids!  Tom is #21 grand, and so it has been a blessing to many for many years!  

Birdie Barbara after Mass - how we love to share Mass as a family together at the 8a Mass with our oldest and youngest and their families!  We know that Nancy in Delano, Maria in St Robert, Missouri, and Hallel in KCK at Lumen Christi Monastery.  We are sharing Mass with our family of 34 together - United in the Eucharist!

Danielle Rose - See you in the Eucharist

See you in the Eucharist

Our good friend Fr Denny after Mass.  He is so important to us on our journey called Together Encounter Christ!  Our 3 older girls made theirs starting in 1996, and now all 7 of our family have become members of the TEC Family.  Now our grandchildren that have turned 16 have joined us!  

Cousins and a camera - grandma's obsession now going forward!  

Nancy from Catholic Sprouts - a picture taken on Easter Sunday in Colman, SD where my dad was a Permanent Deacon and learned about the farm life first hand.  I am a city girl that came to the farm and am still learning about this life!

https://familysoulstory.blogspot.com/p/my-most-cherished-cross-patrick-gerard.html

Tom at the fair with the fetal models we have at our Prolife stand. " That is what I looked like in my mommy!"  So important and special to see the little ones recognize the beauty of LIFE!  Last year...

This year with big sister, Joy!  We love LIFE from conception to natural death!  

Me with my mom and lilacs some years back.  She modeled for me being open to LIFE and saying "Yes" to the Holy Spirit in their lives!  Mom had 8 children, and said "yes" to 4 that had lost their parents in an auto crash = 12 kids!    The biggest most beautiful gift they gave to us was for them to bring all 13 of us into the Catholic Church 55 years ago!  Each day since has been a glorious gift - a pearl of great price!  

https://familysoulstory.blogspot.com/p/the-amazing-story-of-13-becoming.html

The County Fair holds a special place in the hearts of Ruth and Paul - about 25 years ago they had their first date at the County Fair sharing a malt and looking at equipment.  Now married 22 years and with 7 children.  They still have 4 year old Tom to keep them young and starting Cloverbuds still in a couple years.  

Tom and his grandpa Pat at the pancake breakfast on Saturday morning.  Our week at the fair is filled with one activity to the next.  On Saturday we had a Ribbon Auction too!  

Our 5 children 18 years ago just as #4 daughter, Susan, was leaving for France to enter Religious life as a nun in The Community of the Lamb.  She is now a fully professed little sister of the Lamb!  

!4 year old Rose showing her calf in the beef show this year - there was 4 farm kids showing this year.

David and Rose showing a cow calf pair - David got Reserve Champion.

6 years ago - my dad on his 61st wedding anniversary at the end of August.  Mom had passed away in March after falling and breaking her hip.  Dad followed her 7 months later after living in my farm monastery on hospice.

https://familysoulstory.blogspot.com/p/deacon-robert-cross-my-dad-on-hospice.html

How my mother loved St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross!  It was her feast day a week ago!  

The Steak fry starts our fair on Wednesday night!

Our total was 1200 this year!  How high will they go - up and up year after year!  

Joy had fun with the costume contest - her goat named Ninja was her cheerleader - they took 3rd in the contest!

Rose won intermediate premier showmanship, and this beautiful belt buckle!  She had to show every animal from beef to rabbits and chickens!  

Love this - Saturday was the Feast of Mary's Assumption to heaven!  

18 year old David washing his calf for the ribbon Auction!  So much work plus all that they do like working in the 4H Food stand etc!

The Assumption to heaven where she is our mother!

I found these words from Pope Benedict to be so beautiful!  "Being in God and with God, she is close to each one of us, knows our hearts, hears our prayers, can help us with motherly kindness and has been given to us , as the Lord said, precisely as a "mother" to whom we can turn at every moment..."

Our birthday girl, Maria Theresa Clare, with her 2 oldest about 13 years ago by the Manistique Lighthouse in Michigan.  Her birthday is on the 14th - the Vigil of the Assumption of Mary.  Over the years we would go to Mass and sing "Ave Maria" on her birthday!  

Ave Maria!!

Last year in their forever home under their gorgeous weeping willow tree for her 42nd birthday! 

I happened to see West Side Story and heard this song - Maria!  
 

I used to enter many pictures in Open Class and before I knew it I was asked to become the superintendent.  I have lost how many years I have toiled over sorting and placing them on racks and covering them with plastic!  So many!  I no longer enter myself as sharing here on my blog and in facebook has fulfilled my desire to share!  

John and I had a chance to share a Rosary before we sorted the photos for Open Class to go back with their owners.  Never too hard to take some time for praying together!  

Our Sunday feast after sharing Mass as a family on the 20th Sunday of Ordinary Time was at the Fairgrounds as they were busy watering and washing their beef animals.  Ruth even brought her coffee pot and creamer, and all things sweet to celebrate our Happiness and JOY!  

Tom and grandma in a golf cart as Pat is on the fair board.  

The one picture I entered this year of the cows and calves out on the pasture behind our house at sunset in May.  

Tom is 4 and will be in Cloverbuds in 2 years - behind him is his brother, David 18 and sister, Rose 14.  His older siblings - Simon 21 and Mary 20 are now graduated from 4H and so adding up all those years makes a whole LOT!  It is good that the love for 4H goes back at least 3 generations!  Ruth and Paul's parents, then our kids and finally our grandkids!

Wow!!!  I love her!  

The 3 Lanoue girls working on their goat before the show.  LOVE to see them sharing their love of goats!  Rose now goes and does chores for the neighbors, where Mary fell in love with goats!  

Rose in the show ring!  

My mother loved her, and she is very important with Hallel's Community too!  

The Gospel a week ago - Peter walking out to Jesus - "Lord, save me!"

"Truly you are the Son of God!"  Yes!!!

Mary loves goats and her little brother, Tom.  This was 3 years ago...

TRUTH!!!  

Mary is an intern for Beef Council and was taking some pictures during the beef show!  

David Reserve Champion cow calf pair.

Tom and Gina are now 4 1/2 - four years ago in grandpa Pat's huge hands at the county Fair!  

Her words of wisdom - Edith Stein!

Luke with his blue ribbon cow calf pair and Joy helping him show the calf.  Joy's first year of 4 H!  

How did it ever come to the point that LIFE in the womb is not protected and cherished?  Lord, help those innocent little ones in the womb! 

4 years ago - this week will be applesauce time!  

So many apples!

It will be a huge relief to see our apples in jars this year!  

4 years ago at the fair!  Joy was 5 and Tom was 9 months!

Just as St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross was killed in Auchwitz so was St Maximilian Kolbe, whose Feast day is on Maria's birthday!  He died to save another man's life!  

Simon years ago with champion cow and calf pair!  This year he helped get the show halters on the cows before they went into the ring!  LOVE that the family still work together!  

Jesus, how we love and worship you!  May I die to self so that I may serve without counting the cost!  Jesus, we trust in you.  Bless-bless, Barb and the 33 here and 13 in heaven.

Sound of Music - Maria