"You shall love him with all your strength..."

Talk about a time that strength is required of all of us... making the farm new for Ruth, Paul and the grandkids and calving at the same time is a lot!  Maria and Joseph and our family is also only a few months at their current post and then on to the next.  Nancy and Bill are in the process of settling into their new home and life in KC.  Hallel keeps us all grounded and filled with the strength we need with her prayers each day in front of Jesus in adoration and The Eucharist in Rome! 

I am borrowing pictures from the blogs of my girls today, as mine are slim pickings.  Dominic in the sun on the piano in his KC home last week. 

I am feeling very weak and old and feeble these days so the idea of strength seems a far cry for me.  I took a humiliating fall the other day on my way to pick up Rose from preschool at the Catholic School. I did a belly flop on the cement in front of the school and it seems that I bruised my ribs on the left side.  The pain is a lot and makes me move very slowly.  It is such a bad time for this to happen with all that is required of me these big days and nights.  Thankfully Ruth is out with Pat working with the cows and calves while I fill in for her at home.

Gus in their sunny new home in KC.  I hear that the weather is beautiful for both Maria and Nancy... in the 60s and 70s and the trees are budding down there.  That would sure help mentally with finding strength to face difficulties.  I am sure that Nancy's kids are outside a lot in the nice weather on their play equipment. 

The floor should be done today... an entire week's work.  I am so glad that Ruth is having it done as she has so much on her plate these days She certainly has a wonderful vision for this farm home she grew up in and now will have the joy of raising her children here.  Farm kids for the future!

I know that I must give what little I have over to Jesus these days by serving my family in every way I possibly can to help out.  We all know that it is hard to be loving to those the closest to us... it seems that the filters disappear and we let them have it and are nasty and mean to those we live with and are supposed to love the most.  Why?  May we find the strength to love with all we have this day!

Shut in a small room with carpeting and playdough on some old school chairs... a snapshot of my world today.  A recipe for a mess, and outside the door is huge noise from the workmen putting in the hard wood flooring.  No wonder I so cherished my time of peace on the road yesterday morning - my chapel on wheels comes close to my time in the adoration chapel and the rosary beads bring much insight and deeply rich prayer.  Fuel for gaining strength to face what the day holds!

Jesus, I am weak and lowly and humbly need you to come to assist me in having what I need to love with all my strength!  Your LOVE comes to me and allows me to rise above the ashes and be strong filled with your Holy Spirit.  Jesus, I trust in you.  Bless-bless, Barb

Cow TV is my constant companion these days.  Lord, continue to give us the strength to do a good job at this taxing time.  We had 10 calves yesterday and 4 in a two hour window overnight! 

A tender moment between mom and baby on screen. 



My nieces daughter in Seattle, Edith Averly! 

So big for me and for us on our journeys down the narrow path carrying/dragging our Most Cherished Cross - that certainly takes spiritual strength beyond my weak humanity!

Happy Birthday Dr Suess!  My favorite is "A person's a person no matter how small."  To me it speaks the Truth of pro-life!  Life is precious and to be cherished from conception to natural death!

Lord you have to give me the strength as I am an old feeble woman, but I am yours and I trust!

Mary is always with me on my journey! 

Lauren Daigle - Trust in you

lauren Daigle - I am yours

Lauren Daigle - here's my heart

Danielle Rose - Small things with great love

Taking shape....

Now the floor is in for the entire kitchen and the cabinets on both sides are being constructed.  Disappointing news that the man making the cement counter tops is leaving for a 10 day vacation, so that will be on hold til he gets back.  Inch by inch we move at a snail's pace.  In the scheme of things these months will be small on the picture of our entire life on the farm.  It just seems like we are making way for the future of the farm - Verly/Lanoue Cattle!

Many calves today!  I have lost track of how many in one day - I would say we are close to 10 since midnight.  Rose and Grandma watched one being born on Cow TV.  We said a prayer that Jesus would help the calf come out, and the next thing we knew the calf was here safe and sound.  Lord, we place our calving into your hands.  Jesus, we trust in you.  Bless-bless, Barb

Calving makes Rose a tired girl, and grandma gets to put her feet up too.  Thanks Luke and Rose for being good nappers for grandma. 

 

Luminous Thursday...

We are so loving our clear picture of the calving barn on our Cow TV.  If there is ever a time that you can safely be nose to nose with a huge cow and watch what it is up to without scaring it... It is such a great chance to watch them acting natural... especially when you know the signs of calving and can predict that one is about to have it's calf.  It is also pretty miraculous to see a calf born!

I spent the morning on the road in my chapel on wheels.  No radio, rosary in hand, and the Luminous mysteries taking me into the active ministry of Jesus while he walked the earth. How I cheered with great glee when St John Paul II introduced the Luminous mysteries.  There was a gap with the beginning of Jesus and the end... now we have the middle!  Starting with his Baptism, The Wedding of Cana, The Sermon on the Mount, Transfiguration, Eucharist!  I found that I could barely get up to  the speed limit as I basked in the alone time/silence/prayertime... the best!

We can watch them unnoticed and therefore really see them naturally.

The second mystery I devote to my 2nd child - Nancy and her family and loved ones... it is The Wedding of Cana today and immediately the words of Mary came to me..."Whatever he tells you do it!"  How do we hear what he tells us to do?  Through his Word and through The Church's wisdom... I was pondering the lesson from today's readings when we are reminded to face God and not turn our backs to him.  We need to face our sinfulness and humbly face God with each day.  If we only ask the mute man, who was healed, he will fill us in on The Truth that has set him free to finally find his tongue.  Listening to others when they share their journey to the Cross in their lives can give us great wisdom and He tells us how to go down the narrow path if we only listen with our hearts, minds and souls!  A young mother, friend of Nancy, shared this heart wrenching post of her last moments with her twin daughters born 3 months early...
http://www.motheringspirit.com/2016/03/this-is-the-story-i-have-to-tell-you/  Get the Kleenexes ready!  Such a beautiful testament to the beauty of LIFE, and how we truly glimpse heaven through this miracle.... much like the miracles witnessed in the Luminous mysteries!

Luke grabs a nap in this time of transition!  It seems like Ruth and I are perfecting teamwork with her helping her dad with calving and I helping a lot with her kids so she can.  It adds up to a busy time in our lives on the farm!

If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.  Psalm 95 from mass today.  Lord, may we always listen to your Words to us on this journey.  We love to listen to The Truth that will set us free to embrace our Most Cherished Cross and finding LIFE/LOVE/LIGHT/Truth, Jesus and His Bride The Church - we have so much to help us stay on the narrow path no matter the pain and suffering we endure.  Jesus, we trust in you.  Amen

Ruth carves out family time as she plugs along on getting the farm to be the home for her growing family of farm kids.  Bless-bless, Barbara Luke

Watching grandpa from a safe vantage point... grandpa has no idea that he has an audience ...

Danielle Rose - give and take

Casting Crowns - Glorious Day

Taking our faith seriously

Rose likes to come in and turn on the sparkly lights to see and admire... now we can see Ruth's hard wood floor - a lighter more natural color and very thick.  Outside through the 8 foot patio door is Pat heading by with the tractor on his busy day. 

The readings today are quite firm with us about how we, as Catholic Christians are called to accept and follow all the commands we find in The Word and through The Church!  We cannot pick and choose what we want to believe... we are called to embrace it all as Truth and the help we need to get to Heaven forever with Jesus, Mary, Joseph, all the angels and Saints!  I don't know about you, but that is my one and only goal above all else! 

Jesus, we long to be yours.  May I always die to self so that I may find my way down the narrow path into the eternal LIGHT!  This Hallel Psalm graced us in mass today - . (12a) Praise the Lord, Jerusalem. Glorify the LORD, O Jerusalem;
praise your God, O Zion.
For he has strengthened the bars of your gates;
he has blessed your children within you.

We cling to your promise that if we humbly kneel before you that you will fill us with your Holy Spirit so that we may be you in this world!  Jesus, we trust in you.  Bless-bless, Barb

 

Herbie hasn't gotten this much attention in a long time! 

Baby steps to the finish line!

the flooring got started today... here is the big reveal!  It is going to be wonderful!  Baby steps to the finish line with day after day ticking by.  Busyness with calving is making the days go by quickly.  It is hard but there is hope seeing the new place taking shape.  Bless-bless, Barb

Rose turns on the chandelier to see the sparkles... so much light to make our days and nights bright and sparkly and beautiful! 

This will be our bathtub... many baths after supper on the farm in the future of our farmhouse soon to be the home to 5 kids with their mom and dad. 

"Be patient with me..."

Luke playing with playdough while the newly white world outside the huge patio doors is a beautiful backdrop with the 3 inches of new snow that dropped overnight and blanketed our world.  Pat was up a lot of the night with 2 new calves and bedding so any new calf would be born on dry bedding.  It is a challenging time of year on the farm and the snow adds to the work. 

It was a special time with Pat's mom yesterday as we worked together to have a special welcoming surprise for caregiver, RaTerra, when she arrived home from a weekend away.  Pat's mom dried the dishes from her wheelchair, and got herself around the kitchen and office.  "I can do it." is her motto.  So nice to have her sharing the excitement and preparation. 

The morning prayer and readings today are about forgiveness... "The Gospel today is where Peter asks Jesus how often he should forgive 'as many as 7 times?'  What does Jesus say to him?"  "No, 70 times 7 times."  "I always think that too, but am surprised to read Jesus say; 'No, 77 times."  Either way it is more than we can ever imagine having to forgive over and over and over... I would say that in a marriage we are called to forgive that often each year!  Probably 70x7 times is closer to it!

A picture of service and LOVE!

Today in morning prayer this phrase, which we repeat numerous times daily in The Our Father was shared - Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.  This line above all others I slow down to really say and think about and mean with all my heart when I say The Our Father.  Yes, we are called to forgive as we have been forgiven and who better to remind us 77 times than Jesus?  Just ponder all that he has forgiven us for in the last few days, and all those big things that we are going to lay at his feet in the confessional on first Saturday this weekend!  That probably adds up to 7x70 times right there!

Coming down the steps where our computer table used to be Ruth has this sweet light fixture above where the kids will have a homework/craft table...

Now up and down with my camera setting in the dark...

Reading the parable of the King and the debtor, who was ordered to be sold along with his family to pay off his debt..."Be patient with me and I will pay you back in full." he begged on his knees... He was then forgiven all!  The debtor in turn beat and threw into jail a man who owed him a fraction, and we all know how it ends..."You wicked servant!  I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to.  Should you not have pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?"  How often do we think that we have been wrongly attacked and that if only the other person had some patience with our missteps, but are we patient with theirs?  Do we lose our patience at the drop of the hat, too?  If we could find that place where we recall our own sinfulness, failures and mistakes, wouldn't we be more patient and forgiving?  Help us Lord to find this place in us.

Aglow with LIGHT at last!  Now the flooring starting at noon, and then the cupboards and then the bathrooms will be put in and the counters and the sink and the stove and fridge... the end is in sight!  I am so ready to find a new normal.

Jesus, how we long to find more patience in our lives with those we come in contact with most especially those in our domestic Church/family.  It seems that those we spend our closest time with in our family- those that we love the most challenge our forgiveness and ability to be patient with them is pushed to the limits.   May we recall how often we are forgiven by you each moment of each day.  The picture would have been one of thanksgiving and JOY if only the debtor had payed it forward and in turn forgiven what the man owed him.  There would have been much healing and LIGHT rather than being cast into the dark prison and the tortures set to work on us.  What are the torturers?  The angers and resentments and hate that fills us when we treat others with revenge and do not forgive their trespasses against us.  Lord, free us from our chains in the confessional!  Thank you for the wisdom and Truth we find in your True Church!  Jesus, we trust in you.  Amen.

Learning to play in the new home on the farm!  Bless-bless, Barbara Luke

I love her insight into how we are to be childlike just as Jesus told us!

Yes, we need look to the Cross to remember how often he forgives us each day!

So much in this Truth!  How often do we feel that Satan is laughing at the lies he has made the world believe, and in turn think that The Truth is falsehood? 

Francesca Batistelli - Lead me to the Cross

Laura Daigle - Trust in you

After a month with them... it is fun to see them at home now in KC.

Berna definitely misses her braids by grandma...

Yep...

Good to see that green on your plate, Dom!

Yes, Gus is adjusting too.  He has even started preschool in KC!