The Pat and Barb Verly family and their 5 children, in laws and grandkids along with many prayer warriors have been drawn together by John's cancer... sharing daily for 8 months started this blog- Family Soul Story - Our faith, family, farm and now our cancer journey called HEALING have colored and deepened our world. WE continue to share and depend on the support of our prayer warrior community, that has lowered us into the Lord's presence for His healing!
A weekend away for family celebrations... we had great fun together!
Sitting in the a ways back in the church yesterday, I admired all the gorgeous altars to many saints. I was unable to tell who they were on either side of Mary, so Mary and I went up to check them out. From a distance I began to realize that the one side of Mary - was St Dominic! Super special as our grandson due any day now is Dominic! Then we saw that the other side was St Rose of Lima! This too is super neat as our granddaughter, Rose, is named after her! Ruth Ida, our oldest, took St Rose as her patron saint when she was confirmed. They are share similar interests as St Rose did hand work and Ruth has made afghan after afghan and now does ornate needlework on special Christmas stockings for all 5 of her kids. So when Rose arrived they gave her the name of Rose Ida. Mary and I shared the news with Ruth and Nancy with great excitement! How amazing to have Our Lady hanging out with such special Saints to our family!
How we love our Saints! St Dominic is very important to us as our 4th daughter, Little Sister Hallel, is now in a Dominican order from France - Community of the Lamb!
The main altar has the Sacred Heart in the middle with St Anne with the young Mary on one side, and with St Therese on the other. Both of these Saints are big in our family as Nancy Anna, Mary Angela, and Bernadette Anna, all named after my mother and Pat's mother - Nancy and Anna. Nancy is the nickname for Anna! Then, of course, we have our sweet Texas granddaughter, Therese.
The Saints are such wonderful friends that walk with us on our journey. We know of the prayers of St Dominic for his little namesake. Jesus, we trust in YOU. Bless-bless, Barbara Luke
We spent some time at the beach yesterday, so I just wanted to share the cutest!
Berna running with her cute suit
She likes her hat a lot, and grandpa's hand too! Yes, her name is Bernadette and that is the wonderful Saint from Lourdes!
Gus with his farmer's hat and beach towel!
Sweet picture of new to be big brother and sister to their baby brother! We continue to wait and hope for his arrival soon...
The 12 minus me, the photographer, in front of a memorial for the unborn.
Such a wonderful weekend we had filled with celebrating the next step for family members.... 3 of them graduating from high school and looking forward to what the future holds. How I pray that they are asking the Lord for His direction and placing their Faith foremost in their lives... then all the rest will fall into place. Of that I am totally sure and confident. I can write on each of their cards without hesitation that the Lord has a path laid out for each of them, and although it will more than likely involve some difficulties that by embracing those crosses we find LIFE/LOVE/LIGHT!
Sharing a gloriously beautiful mass on the Feast of the Pentecost in a small town church in Hamel just on the edge of the Big City of Plymouth with our extended family of 13 all total... minus John, Hallel and Maria's Texas family. I was overwhelmed by the realization of all the Holy Spirit has led me to in my lifetime, after having the gift of sharing my story/journey with a group this last week! All those times that the Holy Spirit has led me through my parents, through my passing through doors that open, through the Divine Providence of meeting Marge at the U of M and through her meeting Patrick at her wedding about 6 years later and then the Holy Spirit speaking through Patrick's experience/wisdom - "The world needs LIGHTs!" Putting myself back at the point of graduating high school - that summer my entire family of 13 moved from Flint, Michigan to Minneapolis! Looking at the least expensive place to go to college in this new city of ours - I thought the U of M, but realized that if I waited for a year I could become a resident of the state of MN and go much cheaper. So it made sense to work a year and earn money for college - I had no idea what I would got to study either. My dad was working at General Hospital - opening a Chemical Dependency unit after years of working with alcoholics while a Presbyterian minister. So when there was a job at General Hospital in the lab charting lab results on patient's charts - I got it and started a job there. The old General hospital was a lot like the ones you see in movies with the old wards filled with beds separated by curtains and much drama there to witness as I moved throughout all the wards and floors and ICUs in my little white uniform and tape dispenser. Once again the Spirit was leading me as I started to think that I might want to check out nursing as a possible job for me. Never had that ever crossed my mind before, and soon I was trained as a nurses aide and working on the mens' medical ward... I fell in love with nursing - not only that but working with alcoholics - 90% of the patients are alcoholic! How it ripped my heart out to get them patched up and then to see them stumbling down Hennepin Ave as I rode the bus to and from work. Why go here today? Because I was always asking God to show me the path He had for me?
Such a gloriously beautiful Church, and then the chanting music, the Latin time to time, the Word read and making me once again "see" with the eyes of my heart The Holy Spirit at work throughout all of time in our Church and in my LIFE! The tears could not be held within me at the JOY of the mass we shared surrounded by our wondrous family - Nancy so close to giving birth is making it that much more emotional and powerful!
Looking back on the twisty turny, yet filled with spiritual direction from The Holy Spirit as I left high school and followed Christ down His Path for me... I am filled with excitement for our 3 new graduates from both sides of our family! The Holy Spirit is with us, and when we allow Him to direct our lives it is amazing, filled with JOY and may we share that with all and catch others in that net of Faith and LOVE!
The first day of ordinary time as Easter ended after 50 days - yesterday with Pentecost... but as reminded by my amazing friends on Facebook - each new day in The Church is extraordinary. There is nothing ordinary about it! John and I just shared midday prayer together as the morning was busy and we were running in different directions... We were able to share prayers for the needs as well as reread the Gospel for today... the 3rd time for me - last night before bed, this morning with Pat and now with John! Too amazing to share the Beatitudes over and over! What jumps out to me? The hungering and thirsting for Righteousness.... we will be satisfied! The persecution that comes to us from both sides and how we need to rejoice in this and be glad... this will bring us to rest in Heaven with Jesus! "For your reward will be great in heaven." St Ephrem is the special saint for today, and as we were reading the Beatitudes John was saying that Danielle Rose should put The Beatitudes to music... then we launched into St Ephrem sharing on Living the Beatitudes...
Sweet Luke touching the head of his cousin, Luke, while we share Pentecost and he sits on his grandpa, Patrick's lap.... surrounded by many rosaries draped on each pew of the church made for some fascination for the little ones. I was very touched when two year old Rose held out a rosary to me with a smile - saying to me with her eyes and her motions that she knows I usually have one of these in my hand and pray for all my needs. Yes, Rose, grandma loves her rosary and takes every spare moment to pray hers throughout my day!
In the face of the Beatitudes - this is the bottom line of each challenge we meet in LIFE on our path laid out before us by Christ... God - The Holy Spirit - is with us!
Jesus, so much this day of the benefits we have if we only listen to the Holy Spirit within and trust in His direction no matter what we face. How do we do this? By dying to self so that the Holy Spirit may breath life into these dry bones! "O my people! I will put my Spirit in you that you may live... thus you shall know that I am the Lord. I have promised, and I will do it says the Lord." Ezekiel 37
May we cast aside the selfish ambitions the world tells us to strive for, and look to YOU as we ask your plan for us! It leads to great JOY and Faith to share through LOVE with all those in our domestic Church/family. Jesus, we trust in YOU. Amen and Hallelujah
My parents, sister with her graduate son, Alex. Look to Jesus and ask him where he wants you, Alex, and you will find The Way. Bless-bless, Barbara Luke
Living the Beatitudes by St Ephrem
"Blessed is he who in tears has become like unto a cloud, and daily uses them to extinguish the fiery flames of evil passions.
Blessed is he who like a fire is ablaze with love and has burned up in himself all impure thoughts and corruption of the soul.
Blessed is he who has found a choice heavenly pearl and, having sold all that he had on earth, has bought this one jewel. ( I told John this was him with his finding the precious pearl -Faith- and wants only to share that with the world. he is now looking at a possibility of NET team and the ability to evangelize for the next year throughout our country!)
Blessed is he who has found a treasure hidden in a field, rejoiced and cast aside all, and acquired this one piece of land.
Blessed is he who ceaselessly remembers the day of his departure and strives to be ready and fearless in that hour..."
Rosaries and boys being lovingly close - no better sight to behold for this grandma!
The park next-door to my brother's house after the sun came out to make our extended family gathering picture perfect... a park full of little ones! The big slide was not too daunting for the brave three... Augustine now 3, Bernadette 18 months and Rose 2yo.
Grandpa watching over the 2 girls as they climbed the ladder and then grandma or Aunt Ruth caught them at the bottom.
Today is the Day!!! It is Pentecost Sunday the coming of the Holy Spirit which gives LIFE to the Body of Christ! With soon the arrival of Nancy's little one, our life is charged with the awaiting our newest member of the family. Actually the newest member will not arrive for a few more months.. the little boy that Maria is carrying in her womb! Yes! We believe and know to be true with all our hearts that a life begins at conception! So too we see all LIFE coming from The Holy Spirit! As we give up all that separates us from Christ - the Holy Spirit given us at confirmation leads us into all Truth!
"Come Holy Spirit, come!
Give them your salvation, Lord;
Give them joys that never end. Amen.
Hallelujah."
We are in the midst of getting 7 kids ready for mass shared - Come Holy Spirit, fill us with LIFE/LOVE/LIGHT! Amen and Hallelujah
Congratulations to you Alex! Bless-bless, Barbara Luke and family
In a beautiful church with our family... on each pew were draped many rosaries. They were held in wonder by all the little ones and handed to grandma with knowing smiles as they see me with rosary in hand daily. The LIGHT coming in from the stain glass windows bathing us as I was overwhelmed by the magnitude of this day - The Coming of the Holy Spirit. Tears were my companion throughout the glorious mass we shared... why my daughter and granddaughter asked is grandma crying again? I am filled with too much JOY at the reminder of how the Holy Spirit has filled my life with all the wonder and awe that one person could ever contain! Just having shared my story 3 days ago... it was all too close at hand and came crashing over me like wave after wave and I was unable to catch my breath and overcome!
Pat with two grandsons on his lap... So blessed! Pat leaned over to me and said; "The Church is alive and well!"
I always feel close to Hallel at mass - "we are together in the Eucharist, mom." And one of my special Holy Spirit moments I shared 3 days ago was the time I picked her up from Schoenstatt camp and she told me on the way home that she thought she would be a nun. It was so powerfully a moment of the Holy Spirit speaking that I had to pull the car over as I was blinded by the tears that sprung to my eyes. So also today... the Holy Spirit is alive and well! The dry bones have flesh and are filled with New LIFE! Bless-bless
Before mass at the Shrine for the unborn... Come Holy Spirit and protect all LIFE!
I turned off the fan to listen to the thunder and the rain coming down. Praying with Pat... he thanked God for the life-giving rain. When you have animals and crops that need rain - you feel that gratitude in your deepest places, and when it misses us or there is no rain for too long... then the prayers of beseeching pour forth! Yes, for a farmer, the weather keeps you in a state of prayer all the time, and that is just where the Lord wants us... weak and in need of HIM!
A wonderful young friend shared this today, and I love it!!! I am so in love, love, love with my Church each day, but after sharing my story a couple nights ago, I am full of so many feelings of wonder and awe! What are those - they are Gifts of the Holy Spirit! "They are: wisdom, understanding, counsel, knowledge, fortitude, piety, and fear of the Lord (wonder and awe)." In a short version of this is that we are able to recognize the Truth and embrace it and carry it forth into our lives! How I love The Church and today traveling 4 hours with Ruth, her two babies, Pat's mom, and my rosary in my hand... I will be able to ponder Christ through the eyes and heart of his Mother as we visit and share and care for the two little ones.
My travel companions for the day... Rose can make Luke giggle with joy at all she does - making faces or bouncing back and forth in her seat. She can also make him cry by taking his blanket away. It will be an interesting trip today.
Pat's mom will also join us on our travels as we are taking her to her daughter's house until we all gather to celebrate the graduation of her grandson, Carson. I would ask for prayers for Nancy and her son in the womb this morning... she has an appointment at 8a to see how he is doing, as she is having some small issues. Jesus, hold Nancy and Dominic in the palm of your hand. Please give us safe and Faith/Family/Farm travels this day and wonderful gatherings of our families. Jesus, bless the graduates and show them each their paths that you have laid out before them. Jesus, we trust in YOU. Bless-bless, Barbara Luke
I miss this little sweetheart... I will see her today and get some Bernadette hugs and looks of love with those big brown eyes!
Out to pick asparagus and I have to be quick before the dogs eat it... Then Herbie the cat found some shade under the rhubarb leaves. Fun to have some company while I am in the garden and such cute and soft and interesting ones too!
Sweet radishes love the rain!
One of my mother-in-law's words to live by - "Always take a pail and a knife with you to the garden. You will need it!" So true!
The tomatoes are starting to bloom... Pat and I went and bought another 10 plants today. We love to have our tomato soup and spaghetti sauce and then there is the salsa, stewed and juice. You need a lot of tomatoes to feed 6 different families! The rain is such a blessing!
My favorite thing to say? "This food was growing just 15 minutes ago! It doesn't get more fresh and yummy!" My first food grown with love and filled with so much fresh goodness! Bless-bless, Barb
