Prep for supper with the Bishop and other parents of women in formation

Just in case - some pictures to share tonight of our time in KC for the dedication of the Little Monastery - Lumen Christi!

The three Americans that took their habits in May!

 Hallel's home visit - April 2014 in the snowstorm

Just thought I should be prepared for tonight... mostly I love to gaze at these precious times!  Bless-bless, Barb

"When your cross gets too heavy, drag it." Ann Inveen

John and I were both marveling at the wonderful gift I was given yesterday with having grandma Verly here canning with us!  She was having a good day, and we count those as precious and to be celebrated!  For her to come and share in a family work day with her stories shared and smiles and love for her grandkids and great-grands... I see where my husband got his love of children and being open to LIFE and raising LIGHTS!  I put this picture on facebook yesterday and got an outpouring from around 100 people - she is loved and appreciated by many!

Rose gets a hug and most cherished time with great-grandma! 

I am constantly having tears fill my eyes this morning for one reason or anther.  I just had a sharing from one of my sister-in-laws.  She quoted her mother, another wise and wonderful great-grandmother..."When your cross gets too heavy, drag it."  Ann Inveen 

I love this!  She shared it in a response to this quote of St Francis:

I know that both Anna and Ann have persevered through many trials in their long and fruitful lifetimes - both losing children and husbands and working hard and smiling through it all!  They certainly have dragged their heavy cross over many hills and dales going down the narrow path laid out before them.  They radiate the LIFE/LOVE/LIGHT they have been blessed with as a result of their putting one foot in front of the other! 

Whenever I am with my mother in law I know that I am very far from measuring up to her example of working hard with a smile.  She is such an example of cheerful service and giving without counting the cost!  Yes, she taught me about being a farmwife from baking to canning to being patient and understanding that the farm work comes first, and she even taught me how to bake bread which she did a couple times a week for her family of 10 kids, dad and a hired man!  It was so special for Ruth to share with her grandmother the sharing of raising chickens for eggs... grandma had 300 hens while Ruth has 12, but still...

It has been such a wonderful blessing to have this woman so much in our lives!  Ruth started her life laying between grandpa and grandma in their bed each morning while I helped Pat milk cows!  So blessed and loved!

It was pretty cute this morning sharing morning prayer with John before he went off to work.  It is the feast of St Gregory the Great, and John was wondering if he was the one that is shown slaying the dragon.  Well, I looked it up and discovered that it is St George...

But as it turns out there is a wonderful sharing of St Gregory this morning in the Meditation of the Day that really fits with this picture of St George slaying the dragon, so I am including it.  It is addressing the Gospel today from Luke4... It speaks of Jesus first healing Simon Peter's mother sick with a fever, and then at sunset people with various diseases were brought to him..."He laid hands on each of them and cured them.  And demons also came out of them and came out from many shouting, 'You are the Son of God.'  they knew he was the Christ."  Today's reading is so filled with The Truth of our Salvation and saving us from being devoured by the dragon at the end!

Meditation of the Day - Rebuking Demons...it was shared that St Gregory lived when the plague was happening in Rome

In the epidemic that recently killed a large number of people in this city (a bad man) was infected and came close to death.  When the brothers saw that his end was near, they gathered to pray for him. Suddenly he began to cry out with all the strength he could muster; interrupting the prayers of the brothers standing about him, saying: 'Get away from me!  I've been given up to a dragon to be devoured, but it cannot devour me because of your presence.  My head is already in its mouth!  Let it be!  Stop torturing me and let it finish me off!  I've been given up to it to be devoured, why hold it back?'

The brothers said to him, 'What are you saying, brother?  Make the sign of the cross!'  He answered as well as he could, 'I want to sign myself, but I can't because the dragon prevents me.'  When the brothers heard this they fell prostate on the ground, and with tears began to pray more urgently for his release.  And suddenly the sick man became better!  He began to rejoice with all the strength he had:  'Thanks to be God!  See the dragon which came to devour me has fled, driven away by your prayers!  Now intercede for me, because I am ready to be converted and to abandon completely my worldly way of life.'

And so this man, who was all but dead, was restored to life, and he turned with is whole heart to God.  Instructed by long and continuous suffering during his sickness, he died a few days later.   This time he saw no dragon as he died because he has slain it by his change of heart..."  St Gregory the Great (604)

She is the queen, yet she continues to serve with a smile!

Jesus, we are blessed by the wonderful examples that surround us on our journey.  By the prayers that surround us and we in turn provide for all those we are given to care for - for some of that time as mothers and fathers we are called to care for the physical needs and emotional needs but always we are called to care for the Spiritual needs of our loved ones/domestic Church/family!  St Paul in the first reading today - I Corinthians 3 - he shares with us that we are called to go from the milk fed us to solid food as we go from people of the flesh to "spiritual people."  "God causes the growth... we are God's co-workers; you are God's field, God's building."  May our field be bountiful and our building be a most glorious cathedral that leads others to want what makes it so stunningly wonderful - Jesus Christ and His Bride, The Church!  Jesus, we trust in YOU.  Amen and Hallelujah

Bless-bless, Barbara Luke the crazy-Catholic, who has a lot to learn about being a good servant!

Since we cannot be certain whether or not we are chosen, it remains that we all should be anxious about what we have done, while rejoicing in God's compassion alone.  We must not trust to our own virtues.  There is one who can make our confidence strong, the one who designed to take upon himself our nature, who lives and reigns with the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever.  Amen.  St Gregory the Great

Can't get enough of these - such a gift!

God's not Dead - Newsboys

 

A dear friend just commented on this picture - "Wisdom in a jar! Lucky you!!! God Bless you all!"
  I got a chuckle out of it, so I thought would share the smile!

Danielle Rose - The Saint that is just me

A picture from Maria in Texas of her 3 - Patrick is changing and growing up!  In 6 days he will be a big brother, and in a month he will be a healthy 2 year old.  God is alive and well and healing in our world and Patrick is living glowing proof!  May we continue to pray for those that are suffering or lost so that the dragon may be slayed and banished forever!
http://www.dosmallthingswithlove.com/2014/09/st-therese-counted-cross-stitch-pattern.html  One last cute sharing on Nancy's blog with a guest crafter/stitcher, Therese!

The Word and Tomatoes with 4 generations

 Luke thinks that tomatoes that were on the vine just minutes before are good enough to take a big juicy bite!  Ruth and I had the joy of having Pat's mom out to help us can our usual 3 batches of tomato soup - another 43 1/2 quarts!  Making close to 90 quarts of tomato soup so far this year.  Today we added another family to our 6 as we made some for great grandma too - putting them in pints.

 Pat's mom will be 95 in a month from today!  She comes over and she is always wanting to be busy... when she finishes with one job - like cleaning onions on to the next of putting through the juice.  Rose was very interested and did some of the stirring. 

 Rose, this is the lady that taught me all I know about canning.  She listened on the party line and got this soup recipe over 80 years ago!  You are very blessed to be able to spend this time with her.

 Our big pot is getting more and more full... we did fill it to the very top once again! 

 Rose stirs and notices the bubbles, it is so close to the top.

 Luke up from a nice nap and eating his lunch watching mom just before she puts our soup in the 3 waiting canners... 43 yummy quarts of soup!  In morning prayer this morning before we started working there was much talk about how The Word/Christ in His Gospel and Epistles and foretold in the OT... armed with The Word we can cut through all that is around us of the world and we can find The Truth and live a good life. 

Servant of God Elizabeth Leseur writes:
Meditation is the gathering of oneself into the very depths of one's being to the point where, in the silencing of outward things , God is found.  There you will find the source of all good (God), strength, beauty (God).  There you will strengthen yourself in the thought of what is eternal in preparation for the struggle; and there you will understand, as your ideal becomes daily more clearly defined, both your own weakness and all that you can do here below in the cause of good.
Meditating and taking in His Word... we find the narrow path!

 Ruth and her grandma - "You used to crawl into bed with grandpa and I each morning while your mom and dad milked cows, Ruth."  "I remember looking up at the light that hung over your bed, grandma."

 Ruth got her first eggs from her chickens yesterday!  Grandma shared some of her chicken stories with Ruth.  Grandma would get 300 pullets each spring - Ruth got 12... there is a bit of a difference there.  But grandma just laughed out loud when Ruth told her that she will bring her some eggs from her chickens.  Such a blessing to share our lives and work together making our food.
http://familyfarmexperience.blogspot.com/  Ruth just shared the recipe and job on her blog...

A break in the canning to cut grandpa's hair and Luke thought the vegetables tasted good.

Working beside the lady that taught me all I know!  So blessed to still have her in our lives, and still wanting to come out and share this special time with us!
Jesus, we are so blessed to have our lives on the farm filled with all the goodness of growing food and then making wonderful things together from it.  Sharing the time and the stories of from times past and present.  To have young and old sharing the day and hearing the little ones saying "yum-yum" and the lids snap down after a long day's hot work!  It was so good to hear the Word from the first reading and the Gospel still in my heart, soul, and mind - knowing that Jesus is in control of my life and "the Lord lifts up all who are falling and raises up all those who are bowed down." Psalm 145 from mass today which is a Hallel Psalm!  Jesus, thank you for a good day of faith/family/farm!  Jesus, we trust in YOU.  Amen and Hallelujah

She said that she was rusty putting on lids and rings - "It has been a long time."

Bless-bless, Barbara Luke the crazy-Catholic, who learned about being a farm wife at the feet of this amazing lady, Anna Louwagie Verly!

"Who has known the mind of the Lord, so as to counsel him?"  But we have the mind of Christ. 

I Cor 2:16  The first reading from mass today.

I think of Bernadette and her sunflower dress when I see this...

 My biggest tomato picking - I got 10 off of one plant!

Beautiful morning for picking 2 brimming pails of red tomatoes!

A special smile is a gift!

Casting Crowns - Lifesong

 

Labor Day 2014... a step back into JOY

I admit that I have a second floor on this old square farmhouse of ours that I rarely get up to anymore.  Pat and I adopted always having our bedroom on the main floor and the kids upstairs, so with all gone I don't get up there very much.  The kids come and go for visits and for spending a spell while they figure out their paths.  John has been with us now for the summer and has gotten a job here in town selling trucks.  It just feels right for him to be close to his family and Church support and to be working in a field related to agriculture and using his people skills.  This morning I warned John that I was coming up to wash the bathroom and wanted his clothes off the floor.  I found it picked up, but the beds needed to be made, and I rejoiced at that.  I really enjoy making the beds and seeing it look nice!  Well, in the process I came across some wonderful keepsakes of the kids and grandkids and by them.  I came across this quilt that Ruth made for me the year she graduated high school - 1998!  I pondered why she didn't have a square until I realized that the making of the quilt and the fabrics she chose - lilacs, snowflakes for her January birthday, a farm scarecrow, and kitty pattern is Ruth!  The entire quilt was Ruth's offering!  I painted the center square of the family and Ruth used that as the center of the quilt!

My heart was overflowing with joyful feelings as I gazed upon this up stairs this morning.  Once it was full of my children - 4 bedrooms and a bathroom with a central hall!  Now it houses John for this time in his life, and Nancy comes and goes with her 3 while Bill travels with work so that they can fall in love with the farm as she does!  Maria gets here about once a year or so for some days from El Paso with her growing family - Romeo will arrive a week from tomorrow by C-section!

 I use my pictures to decorate... on the way up the stairs I am taken back to the summer that Hallel left to join the Community of the Lamb!  So special to see her with the grandkids - Simon and Mary!

In the hall a special one of little Mary with Roger in the hay barn...

More photos of when Gus was a newborn!

 A painting I did of our farm - an idea I got from a children's book!

This graced the upstairs always - the child Jesus gazing out at all my little ones as they grew.  "You are beloved to me, and you need to be like little children/humble to enter my Kingdom. Take up your cross and follow my example of giving without counting the cost!"

The quilt Susan/Hallel made before she left for college with all her special events of her life on it.  She had it with her always and it broke my heart to see it laying on her bed after she left.  It is a very special quilt for John now - "I feel like I am getting a hug from my Sue."  Notice the cow border wallpaper.  Susan loves cows and she picked this out and we painted her room and put it up for her in 2000.  She was about 14 then.  So much wonderful stuff has happened since then, but it is pulling at my heart this day to see this and remember how we long to get a real hug.  The painting over the bed is one that Mary did of Hallel with the bottle calves we had last year - two died so she put angel wings on them.

 We all know that it is ridiculous that the calves are with the dairy calves - but they look cute.

So special to gaze back into time and feel my heart swell with great JOY/sadness mixed.  Jesus, we trust in YOU, and thank you for our homes filled with memories of LOVE/LIFE/LIGHT.  Bless-bless, Barb

Out to work... pull weeds, pick garden, mow and weed eat... a good labor day. It was fun to do the inside work and find so much wonderful feelings to go forward filled with.