Family love of LIFE!

Not much time to share today - happy feast day to my brothers, Phillip and James!  Nancy, Bill and Augustine are here to see little Rose and we are to head in to the hospital soon.   She is such a joy and delight, and it seems that we are in the midst of one big celebration of her arrival safe and sound!  She has been spending a lot of time in mom's arms nursing like a champion!  We just enjoyed a big family Krusties pancakes breakfast with Paul and the kids before they headed off to school.  Krusties always reminds us of Hallel/Susan, and that seemed to add her "in Spirit."  She did give her sister a call from France yesterday, so it is nice that she can talk to us and share in the family time that way!  She certainly did sacrifice her time with us, but we do a pretty good job of including her as much as we can!  We love you little Sister Hallel!

I will just quickly share some pictures from last night...  A new sister is the best - LIFE is a gift!

Dave wants him mom and Rose to come home - Maybe today!

Love come to LIFE - little precious gift from God, Rose Ida Lanoue!  Jesus, thank you for the beauty of openness to LIFE!  It expands our ability to LOVE with each new member we are blessed with.  May Rose always love and follow YOU!  Protect all LIFE in the womb, especially our two daughters, Nancy and Maria.  End the horror of abortion!  Jesus, we trust in you.  Amen and Halleluia, Halleluia, Halleluia, Halleluia!

Bless-bless, Barb

The sweetest little precious LIFE ever... Nancy and Bill's little fruit of their LOVE at 10 weeks!  We love you and surround you with our LOVE and Prayers!

Prayer for LIFE 

"O God, our Creator, all life is in your hands from conception until death. Help us to cherish our children and to reverence the awesome privilege of our share in creation. May all people live and die in dignity and love. Bless all those who defend the rights of the unborn, the handicapped and the aged. Enlighten and be merciful toward those who fail to love, and give them peace. Let freedom be tempered by responsibility, integrity and morality."

For William's family- "He leadeth me..." Psalm 23

Family and friends of William... I read with great sadness this morning of the passing of another young man, Willam Olson.  See his site - http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/prayforwilliam .  We are aware of your jouney of battling brain cancer through others who have fought the battle including our 23 year old son, John.  Just about 3 years ago on Father's day we were told that he had a tumor in his brain causing his double vision, and we had a year long battle to fight!  Also being a hospice nurse - it was hard to read of the struggles of these last days and weeks.  One thing is that the difficulties and suffering allow us to find some comfort in the fact that they do not suffer any longer.  They have walked into the sunset surrounded by prayers and love to find eternal Peace.  There were some experiences in pastures this last week that I wanted to share with you in the hope that they may be of comfort at this most difficult time.  A few days ago I had the joy of going into the pasture with my 3 grandchildren to see the cows and calves that had just been put out on the fresh grass for the first time this spring.  As we got close to the creek - we saw that they were peacefully eating grass close to their calves as they lay in the lush grass on a picture perfect day - such a heavenly vision to behold!  "1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. "Psalm 23

Then in the back pasture last week - helping my husband fix the fence for the cows to come out there... I looked down to see this cross... formed by the place we cross the creek with the 4 wheeler.  I had the opportunity to walk in the creek for a while - the living waters that gives vital water for the animals and grass to grow... Also contemplating the LIFE we have received through HIS Cross - the Tree of LIFE!  There are not really words to give you comfort at this point - know of many prayers.

I have been praying for William on the decade of the rosary that I pray for my son each day. 

 Jesus, hold William and his family close to your heart burning with love for them.  May they find comfort in knowing that You are the Good Shepherd, and are leading William into your pasture of PEACE.  Jesus, we trust in you.  Amen

Bless-bless, Barb Verly and family

Death is part of life - we each will walk into the sunset of our lives - may it be a time of peace and joy!  Jesus, we trust in you. 

"for the life was made visible..." I John I

Little Rose Ida is brought into the room for the first time after her bath!  She is wide awake and looks excited to meet her 3 siblings for the first time!  The two have come from school and have been waiting with anticipation for the first sight of their new sister - now life made visible!  She has arrived!  We are forever grateful and rejoice to have her here to love and to nurture in faith and life!  Mary is saying that she will teach her about the farm and the animals - "She will be a farmgirl like me!"  Simon is a wonderfully protective and loving oldest brother. 

He gently holds her and protects her from little Dave's hands reaching for her.  They seem to look into each other's eyes for quite a while - Simon is now able to see that the "pattern works!"  He felt that since it was boy-girl-boy... that Rose had to be a girl to keep the pattern going.  He is convinced that the Lord has a pattern in mind for his family, but no matter what he is overjoyed to hold his precious little sister, Rose Ida - life made visible!  So special today in our shared morning prayers for Pat and I to pray for Rose by name for the first time!  Pat prayed that she may continue to be a LIGHT to the world... I had to squeeze his hand at that point!  How I love my husband for revealing the Holy Spirit's call to have our domestic Church raise LIGHTS to the world!  I am out to move some gates, but will return to this later.  It is such a glorious day!  I am sitting here with the window open and the freshly washed air flowing over and around me!  Thank you, Lord, for making LIFE visible!  

It's funny how the things you are experiencing in your life make the Word come to life for us in different ways!  I know that when John wrote in I John 1 about "life was made visible"... he is writing about Christ/God coming into the world first as a tiny infant like Rose - totally dependent on her loving family.  And later as a grown sinless man, who was the innocent Lamb of God led to the slaughter for our sins!  He brought unto us Eternal LIFE and it became visible to us!  It became attainable for us to have and to hold ever within us and within our domestic Church/family!  Another phrase in the psalm used in morning prayer touched me due to the experience of Rose Ida coming into the world..."All the works of the Lord are to be trusted.  He fills the earth with his love."  Psalm 33  Have you heard people with many children say that a new child doesn't divide your love - she just makes it bigger?  So true!  It seems that the love of a family expands and grows with each unique and precious new member!  Thank you, Jesus, for filling the earth with LOVE in the new and glorious little one - Rose Ida Lanoue!

I know that our Blessed Mother, as well as Ruth, do not look at their precious newborns and think about the pain they are to endure in their lifetime - that Most Precious and Cherished Cross, that is part of all of our lives!  Yet, Ruth just described her first night with "visible life," Rose Ida, as one where she was wanting to nurse continually and not yet getting milk to satisfy her.  "I thought about giving her some formula, but then knew that the more she would nurse the quicker my milk will come in, so I just put her on and went to sleep."  Already little Rose is experiencing her first ever hunger with a purpose of getting the lifegiving milk from her mother.  With her constant nursing - Ruth will maybe have milk in abundance in short order!  "Now I am her pacifier."  She stopped nursing David about 3 years ago, so it has been a while... I can sense that she is calm and happy to have this experience again!  Thank you, Lord!

The Gospel today is from our amazing LOVE and LIGHT apostle - John 12!  "I came into the world as LIGHT...I did not come to speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and speak.  And I know that his commandment is eternal LIFE."  John 12: 44-50  Jesus, we are enthralled with the humble beauty of new life!  We are filled with more and more love as our earthly family grows to contain each one that you have called by name and numbered each hair of their heads - that was a lot of counting for our brandnew little, Rose Ida!  She is so content and at peace nestled in the loving arms of her family.  We think today of all those that have empty arms, aching to hold a little one.  It is hard to trust and be patient with losses or infertility.  Ruth has embraced a special calling to help women that face these issues in her Creighton Model training and now an instructor!   May she be used by you to help other women embrace the values and teachings of the Church as they follow the path of marriage and family.  Thank you for her calm and trusting life of family/sacrament of marriage/love of Your Church with all of its' Wisdom and Truth!  May she be a shining lamp on the lampstand for many to come to know your Way, your Truth, and your LIFE!  Jesus, we trust in you.  Amen and Halleluia, Halleluia, Halleluia, Halleluia!

Bless-bless, Barb

She looks a lot like my girls - maybe Susan/Hallel the most, and then my granddaughter, Therese, looked almost the same too!  So special in every way! 

Psalm 139

12 "even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. 13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, 16 your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. 17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! 18 Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you."

 

Family LIFE!

I love this!!!  Little Rose Ida surrounded by her loving family - I was telling Ruth that she is their second miracle child, but she reminded me that actually all of her kids might not have been here without the modern medical advances.  Starting with an emergency c-section on Simon because he was so twisted up in his cord that he was not able to be pushed out!  Then rupturing with Mary, and David arriving after being told no more children... now our precious little rosebud is here and we are so grateful and thrilled!  We give credit firstly to our Lord and secondly to the doctors, who watched Ruth so closely and cared for her so well!  Each one of these precious children have a very definite fingerprint of God on them!  It was a challange to get them safely here, and they are cherished all the more for how difficult it has been!  Jesus, we trust in you!  Bless-bless, Barb

Two loving sisters... their whole life ahead to share and be best friends/sisters!  Mary has a sister, and that is the best!!

Rose Ida is here!

I want to get this posted quickly, so I won't say too much other than we are all thrilled to welcome our wonderful little Rose Ida Lanoue!  She arrived at 9:20a and weighed 7lb 6oz and as you can see she is lovely in every way!  She has a lot of dark hair and I am thinking that she is alot like her mom, whom I have called my little rosebud too!  You can see that Dave is an instant loving big brother, and is thrilled to have a baby sister Rose!  The other two will be coming to see her and hold her and love her after school - more coming and nap time for mom and dad! 

Thank you, Jesus, Mary and Joseph on this your special day... thank you for LIFE and for the joy of welcoming our newest member, Rose Ida!  Jesus, Ruthie trusted in YOU and her hopes and prayers were answered!  Amen and Halleluia! 

Bless-bless, Barb

Boy or girl?

So sweet yesterday afternoon to see the little red calf laying in the deep lush green grass by the creek while her mother ate grass nearby... the boys walked to the creek right past her without even noticing she was there.  Such a picture as if right out of the psalms in the Bible!  I am so blessed to have the Bible come alive in my life on the farm and with the little slice of heaven/domestic Church we have!  I was so excited to go to May 1st and see if it was a feastday for the new baby... It is devoted to St Joseph - the worker!  How wonderful and then there was a meditation on Mary as the month of May is devoted to her!  "Every follower of Christ spends a long 'December' in a stable.  But May means to burst, with Mary, ever Virgin, into our fullest, most fecund (the quality of producing abundantly fruitfulness or fertility) flower."  (Heather King is a Catholic convert, contemplative and writer.)  So perfect as Ruth is getting prepared to be a fecund flower this very moment... She has embraced LIFE and Trusted in HIM! 

Mary picked lettuce from the garden to feed the little calves... they were too unsure about us to allow her to do that.  Maybe next time, Mary!  Well, it is thrilling to have this day - May 1st to be devoted to both parents of our Lord, Mary and Joseph!  We will get the call shortly to discover if we have a grandson or granddaughter!  We are all praying for them with great JOY and Trust!  Jesus, we thank and praise you for LIFE!  We recognize you as the Christ and there is no hesitation in our turning to you each day of our lives!  You are our LIFE, our LOVE and our LIGHT!  We are so filled with wonder and awe at the arrival of our new grandchild this day.  May your heavenly parents be rejoicing with us as we welcome this new and precious life into our arms!  Protect all LIFE, dear Lord!  End abortion and may LIFE be protected Mother of LIFE, Our Lady of Guadalupe!  Jesus, Mary and Joseph we trust in you!   Amen and Halleluia, Halleluia, Halleluia!

Bless-bless, Barb

The little calf no longer in the lush grass - now surprises the kids by walking across the creek.

Blessed John Paul II on Joseph the worker

"What is crucially important here is the santification of daily life, a sanctification which each person must acquire according to his or her own state, and one which can be promoted according to a model accessible to all people: 'Saint Joseph is the model of those humble ones that Christianity raises up to great destinies;...  he is the proof that in order to be a good and genuine follower of Christ, there is no need of great things - it is enough to have the common, simple, and human virtues, but they need to be true and authentic.' "

"Mary, who probably  couldn't read but who took care of the baby and cooked the meals, is our greatest saint.  To be a mother is to stretch yourself as far as you can possibly go.  It is to say, There!  That is everything I have; that is my blood, my heart, my bone marrow.  And it is then ti be called to give in yet a different way, a different direction.  Just when the mother wants to rest, she is called to more openess of heart, more self-emptying, more patience, more work, more letting go, more love...Mary, What simplicity.  What confidence.  What humility.  What purity - for in order to magnify God, you have to become transparent yourself."
Heather King