John Patrick...Riding into a Very Bright Future!

In my haste to get a birthday wish posted this morning before laying down after working overnight... John's dad kind of got missed in the photos.   John loves and admires his dad so much... I just had to go back and find some to add now!

We had built in family vacations any day of the week - picnics and walks in the pasture and enjoying family/farm times!  Who needs to go anywhere special?  Family time made everything we found to do together special!

John and the girls - is it any wonder why he is so comfortable with girls?  And always felt so loved and secure, and wanted his sisters around him as he faced the giant threatening to take his life?  Together they stood united as he was destroyed by the brave, David - John!

The happy day of your birth!  So much LOVE and LIFE!

In the loving and protecting STRONG arms of your father at 6 months at the headwaters of the Mississippi!

Holding up the fence and mom! 

Adorable one year picture!  Who needs studio pictures?

My favorite - silouette pictures at sunset in the back pasture!  The head that is now clean of cancer and loss of hair due to radiation... a minor loss in comparison of your live saved!

Learning at the feet of your father - fence making is an art and your dad is the master artist!  It is literally like putting a complicated puzzel together! 

Classic Johnny out with his dad in the tractor picture!  Before the grandkids came along there was the one and only boy, John-John!

 A warm moment in time!  How John loves and respects his dad, and Pat is such a good dad to his children... so involved and caring about all that concerns them, and passing on his faith as well as his love for the created world through farming is so huge!

So this is what a son looks like?  He is so wonderful and amazing... as were all of our children - all 11 of them - 5 here with us and 6 praying for us in heaven!

Caring for God's creatures is very real on the farm... they even come into our basement when they need special warmth and personal care! 

John with Ricky the Racoon - he still has him and he came to the hospital to give him some comfort early in the cancer journey - You are and always were in the Lord's hands, Johnny!

I promise that I am done... Johnny!  Instead of covering you with food, presents and hugs on this your 23rd birthday... I kind of did my crazy thing with my obsession - pictures!  Mostly I am praying for you, and do every moment of every day with every beat of my heart and every breath that I take..."Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, watch out for my son,pecious John Patrick, and keep the cancer forever away from his brain!  Thank you for his healing and future, which lies ahead of him bright and beautiful!  Jesus, open the door onto the narrow path to LIFE carrying his Most Cherished Cross into the LIGHT of the Resurrection!  Jesus, we trust in you!  Amen and Halleuia

Bless-bless, Barb

Sirach 47:2-11

David
2 "As the fat is set apart from the offering of well-being,

so David was set apart from the Israelites.

3 He played with lions as though they were young goats,

and with bears as though they were lambs of the flock.

4 In his youth did he not kill a giant,

and take away the people’s disgrace,

when he whirled the stone in the sling

and struck down the boasting Goliath?

5 For he called on the Lord, the Most High,

and he gave strength to his right arm

to strike down a mighty warrior,

and to exalt the power* of his people.

6 So they glorified him for the tens of thousands he conquered,

and praised him for the blessings bestowed by the Lord,

when the glorious diadem was given to him.

7 For he wiped out his enemies on every side,

and annihilated his adversaries the Philistines;

he crushed their power* to our own day.

8 In all that he did he gave thanks

to the Holy One, the Most High, proclaiming his glory;

he sang praise with all his heart,

and he loved his Maker.

9 He placed singers before the altar,

to make sweet melody with their voices.*

10 He gave beauty to the festivals,

and arranged their times throughout the year,*

while they praised God’s* holy name,

and the sanctuary resounded from early morning.

11 The Lord took away his sins,

and exalted his power* for ever;

he gave him a covenant of kingship

and a glorious throne in Israel." 
What a delight to find this as the first reading in mass today... Johnny is my David!  How I love the strength and love of God that is found in wonderful sinful human, David!  I have never read this in the Bible - it was like a total gift this morning before I laid down - I had a huge smile on my face!  John has slayed the giant- brain cancer- and is now raised up to LIFE!

Johnny is 23 today! My wonderfully healed son!

The famous "John falling down and the girls in Easter hats picture"... So many mother hens to pick him up and dust him off...or maybe just to ignore his little boy antics!

So sweet and touched by God in the healing of cancer after a mighty battle - David against the giant!  Jesus, we thank you and trust in you... you saved John to do great things in this world or maybe a better way to look at it is -he is called to do small things with great love. 

The nest years are a warm memory that I will hold close to my heart today.  Knowing that all of his sisters are sending their love and prayers his ways, as are mom and dad!  Feel the hugs of love, Johnny!  Happy 23rd birthday! 

Warm thoughts coming your way!!!!!  So glad that you are still with us in our paradise here on earth... carrying forth the baton of health and LIFE!  Jesus, hold Johnny close to your heart burning with love for him!  Jesus, we trust in you.  Bless-bless

Texas Lesson on living our faith!

I go to Maria's blog today and found that she had made an entry!  It was a good one!  They shared the news of their new baby #5!  She added the most amazing Therese story... that girl is a wealth of beautiful Catholic innocent faith of a child...I quote from her blog here..."And a quick very cute story to go along with that news: We end our nightly prayer time with a prayer for the health of our new addition. The first night that we referred to the baby as "#5" Therese quickly commented: "Daddy, when we get to Heaven we might have to get a van for all those kids!" Oh, I LOVE that girl!"  It is so beautiful that she captures the wonder of family whether we have them here with us or they await our arrival in heaven someday and are with us on our journey of life as spiritual lights! 

 Then this sharing took my breath away..."But, moving on to less interesting things around our humble abode:

Therese has had an itch for quite some time to help the "poor people". It was kind of hard for her to understand that it isn't as easy as wrapping up a baby doll and knocking on a door, so after some creative thought, the kids and I spent a morning drawing pictures with which to wrap a few dollars for people who beg at the street corners. I had explained to her that often you need to wait for a "poor person" to ask for something so that you know what they need, and this seemed to be a hands-on way to apply the principle. So, since creating these picture packages, Therese has had the opportunity to personally hand two of them out from her car seat when I roll down her window. It was very touching yesterday morning when she did this. She, in her little three-year-old voice said "God bless you" as she handed it to the middle-aged gentleman. And he could only respond with grunts and a smile... he was mute! What a gift to just be able to realize his misery and so be able to personalize our prayers for him. We would have never been able to do this if we would not have rolled down our window and given him this tiniest of gifts!"  Thank you, Joe and Maria family for your vigilance in sharing the joy of giving without thought of ourselves - true Christian love!  Jesus, we trust in you!  Bless-bless

35‘For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; 36naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ 37“Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? 38‘And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? 39‘When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40“The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’Matthew 25:35-40

"....for she is carrying the King of glory and new light."

Pat and I are blessed with rising and sharing mass together this morning!  It was the Presentation of the Lord, Jesus, in the temple today, and Father spoke of the "glimmers of light" that we have received in our lives that reveal to us the coming of our Salvation in Christ!  We pulled up the driveway to smile at the heifers out in the pasture enjoying the morning sun and also looking with longing and curiosity at their friend Lilly the dog!  How wonderful in this warm dry winter for them to be able to exercise in the pasture rather than being huddled together in a yard filled with snow and snowbanks as they had to last winter.  The work is so much less this winter with the lack of snow!  Pat loves it!  When Father Paul spoke during the homily about the "glimmers of light, and some have had huge experiences of LIGHT!"  Yes, I would call many of my journey much more than glimmers!  Last night in our faith formation class we shared a lesson on the Holy Spirit and there was mention of the Charismatic movement in the Catholic Church... I had to share my personal experience with my parents praying over me to receive the Holy Spirit when I was about 16, and how it transformed my life and my relationship with Christ became so real and deep within my soul - I burned with love and understanding of HIM!  This led my parents and myself to start attending a Charismatic prayer group, when we moved to Minneapolis at a convent in Wayzatta!  This was my first exposure to nuns and it touched me deeply to see these women,who had given their lives to Christ as his Brides!  So much so that when I and Pat's sister found ourselves in a Christian Commune in Boulder, Colorado... I started to think about that our life there of wearing long dresses- separated from the men, with time each day for Bible study, prayer and chores - "This must be what it is like to be a nun.  I want to be a nun!"  When I returned home to be told by my parents that they through scripture at an Ignation Retreat - Isaiah 55: 1-2 - that they were joining the Catholic Church with my younger siblings - "You ( I was the oldest of 11 and about 19 years old) and your two younger sisters can descide for yourselves."  "I want to be a nun, so of course I want to be Catholic!"  I said without a hesitation!  We all 13 within a few months took our first communion at Christmas Midnight Mass at our wonderful convent- all the sisters had been praying for this day, and the Holy Spirit shed it's bright LIGHT to reveal the Truth of the True Church!  Every day since has been the most gloriously lit path!  I had to sit in mass and feel that the light has been a beacon or for sure a lamp upon a lampstand - giving light to the entire house - not just a glimmer!  And when Father spoke about some of the moments of light we might have experienced - he mentioned healing and I felt that he was speaking just to us!  John's miraculous healing is so huge and so cast in LIGHT that is seen by many!  Tomorrow is his birthday #23, and how I was thinking of him today on the vigil of his day of birth - the Presetation of Jesus in the Temple!

Lord Jesus, Your light is so radiant in our lives... the idea of a glimmer just doesn't fit!  I see this bright glorious day just reflecting the wonder in my heart - watching your call to me unfold in such miraculous ways!  Speaking of the Holy Spirit always reminds me of the many times in our marriage I have been amazed by the wisdom and courage of my husband to see clearly your Truth and Light and to bravely speak it!  Most especially when he set our path into life and love by clearing away any doubts... "The World needs LIGHTS!"  Patrick spoke these words clearly and without hesitation when all others were saying that it was too much of a mess in this world to have more than one or two children - some said none - at our Engagement Encouter!  It made me hesitate that we were being selfish to want to have a large famliy - but the Holy Spirit spoke with clarity the Truth through my amazing husband!  This has been our entire marriage, and is now carried forth with our children!  Such a ministry and such a mission of the Truth of LIFE and LOVE,which our Church in all its wisdom asks of us as dometic churches - families!  Jesus, you are so beautiful, and families that cling to you, and all that you ask of us as we embrace LIFE... we find a slice of heaven here on earth!  We are armed with the armor to face all the gaints that come against us with Courage!  WE are filled with Wonder and Awe at the beauty of your Church and all the blessings we receive through your wonderful glorious sacraments!  How we rejoice in the Gifts of your Holy Spirit... Wisdom, Understanding, Right Judgment, Courage, Knowledge, Reverence, Wonder and Awe!  Jesus, we trust in you.  Amen and Halleluia

Bless-bless, Barb
"To present our experiences at the temple is to sacramentalize them.  To present our eperiences is to recognize that all experience, from the smallest to the largest, has a supernatural dimension.  We offer our experiences on the altar of the fact that we are loved just as we are, and that everything that happens to us is an opportunity to draw closer to Christ.  We present ourselves at the temple because our lives,our work,our sacrifices are not our own...Before we present ourselves at the temple, we see ourselves through the eyes of the world.  After we present ourselves at the temple, we see ourselves with the eyes of God....Outside the temple, for example, I'm an aging spinster, alone and unloved.  Inside, I'm a woman rich in insight, wisdom and friends; I'm reminded that I have a unique and special mission.  Before we 'present' our drug-addicted son at the temple, we are crazy with worry.  We feel like failures as parents,that our life's work has gone for naught.  After presenting him at the temple, we remember that we have given our very best, that love is never wasted of lost, that our child is in the hands of God.  In fact, that is exactly what Mary and Joseph did with Jesus."  Heather King is a Catholic convert, contemplative, writer... this sharing is from http://www.magnificat.com/
"Sion, adorn your bridal chamber and welcome Christ the King; take Mary in your arms, who is the gate of heaven, for she herself is carrying the King of glory and new light.  A Virgin she remains, through bringing in her hands the Son before the morning star begotten, whom Simeon, taking in his arms announced to the peoples as Lord of life and death and Savior of the world."  From the procession with blessed candles beginning the feast of the Presentation today!  Wow!  Our Church is the BEST!  Thank you, Holy Spirit!

Sparkling clean clothes in sparkling white snow...

So good to be hanging out with Our Lady of the Clothesline on such a glorious day to start out February!  It makes me happy and feel like spring is in the near future!  Our Lady looks to be smiling in calm enjoyment too! 

Bless-bless, and we are glad to see the snow melting and no jacket... Yes!  We love hanging out with you, Our Lady, and the clothesline is one of our favorite places.  The fresh air and the quiet of nature lifts our thoughts and prayers to YOU.  "Hail Mary full of Grace - the Lord is with thee."

Mother and child

I borrowed this from Nancy and Maria's new blog.  They are both blessed with being stay at home moms and are combining their input and sharing about how to keep a Catholic home, and do those small things with great love that is required of mothers.

http://dosmallthingswithlove.blogspot.com/  It is just at the beginning stages at this point, but they have vowed to start doing entries once a week, so that should add up to 2/week!  You can go there and check it out, but I just wanted to share how they described the mission of their blog - "The motto and title of our blog comes from St. Therese who reminds us that we are not called to do great things, but to do small things with great love. The life of an at-home mom, or the life of any parent for that matter, is composed of a million little things, and very few big things. We have a long ways to go, but through prayer and support we strive to change every diaper, make every meal, fold every shirt and sweep every floor with great love. For, as St. Therese reminds us, "Without love, deeds, even the most brilliant, count as nothing."  This is what I had so hoped would come from these two of my daughters, and Ruth too for that matter!  It would really be complete if Hallel could add to it from France and add the element of someone, who has been called to chasitity and giving up her actual family for a spiritual family!  She speaks often of the children that she encounters and plays and shares with.  We know how much Hallel loves little ones, and that the Lord continues to put them in her path, so that she may surround them with the love she has within her for them.  I have no doubt that when she is somewhere on "mission"- begging for their food from the poor - that the children come to her, and are touched by her love and concern for them.  Yes, she has given up having her own children, but that makes her able to give so much more to all children that she comes in contact with.  Her highlight of calling home is to hear with great joy and laughter the latest about all her cherished nieces and nephews!  We had better have some Simon, Mary and David stories for her... and they don't disappoint!  I am sure that Maria is expected to keep her up on Therese and David too, and Nancy had better start giving her regular Gus updates too!  The day Maria called to tell us that she was expecting #5 - we had to call France that day to have the security and power of Little Sister Hallel's prayers along with her Community of the Lamb - our new and expanded family!  It has grown much faster and larger than if Hallel had been called to marriage... with all the amazing little sisters and brothers that we now call family!  Especially those in Kansas City - look to us for family visits and how we love to go there! 

Lord, the gift of motherhood is such a lifechanging and powerful one - it never leaves us!  The nest years are so small and daily and love is what makes it all a slice of heaven here on earth - how I loved them!  Yet, now to watch them take wing and fly into their own nests with their little ones gathered around them - looking to them with such need for being fed the Truth and surrounded by unconditionaly LOVE! I have no doubt that they are learning the Truth of LIFE and LOVE, and will carry that forth into their school and everywhere they go!  We are humbled by the graces and blessings that are present when we give all of our small selves to you within our domestic Church - our family!  May we leave our selfish desires and wishes behind and look to the example of Your Most Holy Mother in all that she said "yes" to in her difficult world - a world that had none of the modern conveniences.  To raise a child required so much time and energy - they are now eased by all the things that we have to do so much of that "work."  Yet, as the girls say on their blog - we need to be productive and to do all those small things for husband and children with LOVE!  Show us the way to serve and love you and carry you forth into our lives and our families!  Jesus, we trust in you.  Amen and Halleluia

Bless-bless, Barb  Our Lady of Guadelupe - pregnant with Christ - watch out for all pregnant women, especially Ruth and Maria!

"The Lord will give you the bread you need and the water for which you thirst.  No longer will your Teacher hide himself, but with your own eyes you shall see your Teacher, while from behind, a voice shall sound in your ears: 'This is the way; walk in it,' when you would turn to the right or to the left." 

Isaiah 30: 20-21