Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens.(Eph 1:3)

I have taken probably close to 500 pictures since we arrived here in Michigan at our cabin on the Big Lake... until I get home to my computer... they remain on the disc, and I can only verbally tell you of the beauty we are surrounded with here.  Not only the beauty of nature, but the constant beauty of family as we are so closely together here!  The picture that I am sharing today was the moment.... and it was brief... that John had his stem cells - the seeds - replanted in his body after his chemo had wiped out everthing including every last cancer cell from his body!  It was his new birthday and took only about half an hour to go in by IV into the port in his chest.  For such a simple and short procedure... there were 3 nurses in the room with Pat his dad and myself!  It made us realize that this was a big deal!

http://www.catholicmusicnetwork.com/cmn_cd_detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=50969 I just went looking for the song by Danielle Rose called If I touch him, from her I thirst album and discovered that she had a new albun... It is actually not up to recent as she has now decided to come out of the monastery, but it sounds amazing and if you are interested... click on this to check it out!  I will later add the link to If I touch him... as it is amazing and fits with the Gospel for today!

Today in the Gospel - is one of my favorite stories in the Bible!  The reading is Matthew 9:18-26...  In the middle of Jesus going to raise a little girl from the dead....Jesus is walking down the road after the girl's father comes to him and asks him to lay hands on her and heal her....  this is the part where the woman with the hemmorage for 12 years walks up behind him and says to herself..."If I can only touch his cloak, I shall be cured."  Jesus turned around and saw her, and said, "Courage daughter!  Your faith has saved you." 

Towards the end of Hallel's year with the Handmaids up in St Paul as she was discerning her call.... I attended a night of called "Cor Jesu" meaning Heart of Jesus...  It involved an hour of adoration with amazing music with guitar and great vocals and many young voices joining in - basically Catholic Priase and Worship... then there were about 3 priests there hearing confessions at the same time!  One of the most touching parts was the scarf that was draped around the bottom of the monstrance and hung down on both sides in front of the altar... those present were welcomed to come up and hold onto the "hem of His garment" and to have that special closeness with our loving and forgiving Lord and Savior!  to sit and witness this intimate sharing as those approached Him on their knees to fall before Him!  One of the most beautiful was to see a spouce of Christ... a sister that had been professed for about 20 years... come forward to kneel in love and devotion in front of her spouce and share with him so closely and publicly!  So wonderful and powerful to see and the reality of Him and His love and forgiveness filled the Church and all the young people that were there in great numbers in the Church!   The Eucharist, reconcilliation and annointing were so important on our journey and continue to be... Here is John in his mask at mass shortly after his stem cell. 

Halleluia, halleluia.  Our Savior Jesus Christ has destroyed death and brought life to light through the Gospel.  Halleluia, halleluia.  - the greeting of the Gospel today! 

this is rambling today...  I am sittinng on the deck looking out at the big lake... three are at this time heading back to work... we gathered chairs on the deck and prayed over them before they left... singing a new blessing song... there is the one that we all learned in KC with the little sisters and now can all join together here before meals - young and old!  This is a song that we learned at TEC and sing over those that are needing prayers at points along the way of the retreat, and now it carries over into our lives in a deeply special way!  So good to pray together as a family before we are divided by the miles as some return to the responsibilities of life...  we were blessed to all be together for those few days... all but Hallel!  Thank you Lord!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkODeoNrBiI I couldn't find the song by Danielle Rose that I wanted so I included when she is explaining how we can be together in the Eucharist... this is our connection to Hallel as she is now across the ocean!  Jesus we trust in you!  Bless-bless, Barb

Remembering the lady, who carressed her crucified Lord... in a way that spoke volumns of her love and closeness to her Lord!

As John and I spent  5 weeks in Rochester for his stem cell for the month of January and into mid Feb... I spent many hours in the chapel connected to the complex by the tunnel system... At mass I would see many familiar faces at the 12:15p mass and would then go into the Echaristic chapel to say my 8 decades of the rosary - the 5 for each of my kids and then a crown of thorns for all our prayer warriors, the first joyful mystery for my husband,Pat, and the second joyful for my 5 Godchildren.... then I would like to say my chaplet of mercy...

I was very touched at mass to see many kneeling on the hard floor and the obervable devotion that they showed to the presence of Christ in his body and blood... then I was moved to tears by a regular whom I noticed from the rosary before mass, then mass, and then move into the chapel to spend some time in the presence of him in the tabernacle.All those devoutly kneeling in the presence of the Eucharistic Lord!  No doubters here! As I would sit in the presence of our Lord in our tabernacle while in Rochester... the strength flowed from there to surround me there.  I saw familiar faces but was very touched to the point of tears by a lady, who would go over to caress the armless body of the crucified Lord that was in an alcove to the side of the altar...  She so loved and stood there gazing up at him with the warmth and devotion of one totally "in love." 

"In the cross of Christ I glory...never shall the cross forsake me, lo it glows with peace and joy."

No, this is not the chruch here in Mannistique this morning, but an old one from Rochester... I thought that it signified the wonder and beauty that surrounded us at mass this morning!  What joy to be able to worship with all of our family minus Hallel, who should be in France today in the arms of her amazing community of the Lamb!  Wishing all of you a wonderful family weekend in which we remember the gift of freedom that many have fought and died for... so that we could start at the cross as Father so eloquently reminded us today!

He shared a powerful story that made me wipe tears...  "A prisoner in the concentration camps had heard that with the end of the war in sight... that the Natzis would execute all of them, and then bull dozers would come in and bury everything before the enemy had a chance to come and see the atrocity they had done to so many.  They heard the sound of heavy equipment and all huddled together in prayer asking God to give them the strength to face the end...  They looked up to see a line of tanks break down the fence and on the front one was an American flag... He is now forever moved by this and salutes it although he is not American.  Next he saw a large crucifix around the neck of one of the soldiers in the tank, and at that moment he became a Christian!  He fell to his knees and genuflected to the source of Life!  Now whenever he sees a crucifix he falls to his knee and geunuflects!"   

May we all appreciate the wonder of this amazing freedom that we are blessed with!  And may we look to the cross and know that it is truly the "tree of life" and that is where true freedom for all the chains of sin and death are forever banished and we fly to the arms of our loving and forgiving Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!  Jesus we trust in you!  Amen and Halleluia!  Bless-bless,barb

"My Lord and my God!" Matt 20:24-29

"Jesus came and stood in their midst, although the doors were locked and said, 'Peace be with you. ' Then he said to Thomas,  'Put your fingers here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it in my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe.'  Thomas answered and said to him, 'My Lord and my God!' Jesus said to him,  'Have you come to believe  because you saw me?  Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.' " 

Although our doors are locked you come to us in your humble state and show us how to love you.... you are a beggar for our love that is knocking at the door asking us to give that beggar a cup of water or some clothing to cover their nakedness or some food to fill their hunger.  May your Word become the food that nourishes us as we go forth filled with your eternal food and drink that we are given in the Eucharist!  May we be like St Paul, who never walked with you on this earth... yet KNOW you as not many are willing or able to know you!   And I pray for the souls of my sister, Mary, and the tiny child, Thomas, who was 4 months in my womb and I lost at this time.... May they be in heaven with you.... helping me on this journey as I embrace the cross that these two losses meant to me.  Jesus I trust in you!  And I will lift up all you wonderful "prayer warriors" in the next hour as I am gifted with an hour of adoration to make this day as wonderful as it can be - here in the supreme beauty that nature has to offer on the Big Lake!  Amen and Halleluia!  Bless-bless, Barb

From the amazing beaches of Lake Michigan...

I am writing this on John's laptop... I haven't used it since we were in Rochester for John's stemcell transplant which was now 5 monthes ago!  The pictures that I have to share on here are limited to our time there and a few arsty ones that I have.... the sound of the waves surrounds me as I look out at the varying blues of the "Big Lake" - we are in our vacation home on Lake Michigan thanks to my parents... I yearn to share with you all the breathtaking beauty that is feasting my eyes as I look up at the whitecaps rolling in and the deeper and deeper blues as they go to the clear pale blue sky and the white seagulls swooping and diving in the wind.

I was just thrilled as I watched my 5 grandkids enjoying the sun, sand and water... so hard to keep the camera from constantly recording each special moment!  That is my problem here... I want to record and keep forever each and every moment!  This year is different for \me... my parents aren't here in their little "home" on the bottom level...with me popping down to visit to my heart's content. Instead they have taken up roots and now live in St Croix Falls, Wi.  I have taken the change better than i thought that I would, and even slept in their bed last night!  It is a delight to have my kids here with their kids and they are all so relaxed and able to share one with the other in a special way while on "vacation" from all the pressures of life! 

I was almost afraid to look and know that for sure tomorrow is the feast day of St Thomas the doubter!  Why? Because it marks the 24th anniversary of the death of my sister, Mary and the discovery of my 6th pregnancy being dead in the womb... I named him, Thomas, and lost him the night before my sisters wake while staying with my parents that lived in Taylors Falls.... I spent the night in the hospital in St Criox Falls across the river over night as I lost so much blood that I had to have IVs overnight!  In the middle of this amazing special place - I am being flooded with these very deep hard memories that are "the cross" to me... a cross that is with me and makes me who I am... a woman, who has experienced loss and as a result values life that much more!  I am forever changed and molded by these experiences and tomorrow will be a day to give them their due! 

Many references today to the Word and how we cling to that in our lives and gain much insight and wisdom in our daily lives from your amazing Words of Life!

... It has been a powerful day for me after just returning from KC...from Amos 8 today; "Not a famine of bread or thirst for water, but for hearing the word of the Lord."  And again from Luke4:4 uesd today as the responce to the psalm -"One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God."  How wonderful is your Word.... we hunger for You!  Jesus we trust in you!  Amen and Halleluia!  Bless-bless, Barb

A year later... more of our early time with cancer fall into place.

Mary loved to put on a blue apron and help with the dishes both days!  So good for her to share in this small part of the life of her Auntie Sue and her community!  On the way to Mass on the first morning there - the Feast of St Peter and St Paul - Hallel reminded me that on this day a year ago she traveled from Rome/St Peters to St Paul to see John in St Joseph hospital as he awaited the diagnosis of the tumor in his brain!  Of course... I was deeply touched by the memory and the power of the feast day that brought Hallel to join her family.After mass of ST Peter and St Paul - it was a special feast day for Simon-Peter and for his dad Paul... so we basked in the glory of a feast day with the little sisters...Little Davey wanted to blue apron too!Who knew that helping with dishes could be a fun family job to share after every meal?  I guess that I do remember that time with my family and later with my kids in the early days before the dishwasher in our new home just before John was born... before that I always had girls - 4 of them - up at the sink with me and sometimes in the sink!  I still put small grandkids in the sink for a bubble sink in between for dirty episodes or just a diversion throughout the day!Color us blue!In the dining room there are cloth napkins inside of a napkin ring at the place where you are to sit.... Mary makes hers and it will be there for everytime she comes to visit - for Mary... PINK!Mary liked the place in the chapel by our Lady of Guadelupe... Two years ago Susan told us that she was joining the community at this spot in the chapel - the tears flowed at the meaning and beauty of it all!Hallel is in charge of the chapel... it is beautiful and is the same everywhere in the community - truly they are united in the Eucharist in more ways than the fact that heaven comes down to earth!   I carry this peaceful beautiful place with me in my heart!  Once again many wonderful times spent there with the joyful community - as my mother in law said of her time there..."They are always praising God!"  That is why Hallel took her name!Pat described how Simon would sit by Hallel in the chapel at times of prayer and mass... He loves his Auntie Sue and she him... How powerful for a young boy to know and love the Little Sisters?  One way they change you is to make you realize...."We don't need it."A French supper - outside - as many meals were while in France.  On this ground they hope will be their little monastery where once stood the Belgian Catholic Church in the midst of this poor Hispanic neighborhood.  As we had lunch on this feast day of Simon and Paul - St Peter and Paul... there was a 30 something man named, Mike, in the kitchen talking to the little sisters... We were introduced to him and Simon was impressed because he had on a John Deere shirt... After he left the sisters joyfully shared that they had met him a few weeks before... he came with a friend.  Afterwards he had said to his wife for whom he had bought a classic mustang -"We don't need it... I think I will sell it and give the money to the little Sisters."  She agreed and that day he had handed them a check for $25,000!We made icons in the basement to take as a keepsake... this will be a cherished memory of their feast day celebrated in KC!  And the beautiful lesson that we all need to learn in this materialistic world.... "I don't need that."Simon and his dad love ice cream - so the perfect celebration of their feast day!Lamb of God - Eph 2:13-19 "In his flesh, in his person, Christ killed hatred.""Virgin Immaculate lead us along the way of pure love in the footsteps of the unblemished Lamb."  As I hear these words ring inside me and know that we are very blessed to have our daughter answering the call in this powerful way - I must again say fair thee well as we take to the road to head to Lake Michigan.  I might be in touch from there minus the pictures... you are probably all breathing a sigh of relief! 

Jesus we love you and thank you for your sacrifice of love and being a "beggar for our love".  We are humbled to see our Lord and God of the Universe knocking at the door of our heart!  Come and be our guest and we fall at your feet!  Amen and Halleluia!  Bless-bless, Barb