Born during Lent 91 years ago!

The annual family photo taken at our weekend family Christmas - Cross Christmas Camp 2015.  There are a dozen missing, and we have new member Raegan and are expecting at least 3 new ones including our granddaughter in May!  Yes, we are over 110 now and it all started with my parents in the center.  Today is my father's 91st birthday, and I wish I could be with them in their quiet sunlit home and driving to Stillwater to mass with them.  I am so grateful for the times I am blessed with them and we sit and share and visit and enjoy meals and naps and rosaries together.  Pondering my dad's March 6th birthday it seems that it is always during Lent whether early or mid - never close to the end but always in Lent!  I am sure there were those years that it fell on Friday and fasting from meat and small meals were embraced by my parents as Catholics now for these last 45 years!  How they love The Church and I have devoted a page to this story for which I am forever grateful!

http://familysoulstory.blogspot.com/p/the-amazing-story-of-13-becoming.html

I am so lucky to have both of my parents still with me, and yes they have their struggles with aging but continue to prop each other up  and go forward down the narrow path!

 

Lent is such a wonderful time in The Church to work on our relationship with Jesus helped by His Bride, The Church.  My dad being born during Lent really held next to no meaning for him up until 1971 when we all came into the Catholic Church... 44 years ago on this past Christmas Eve!  It was pretty cool to find this shared by another convert, who has brought hundreds along with him into the True Church - Scott Hahn...

"We arrived in Rome just in time for Pope Francis to lead us - and tens of thousands of our fellow pilgrims - in the Angelus in St Peter's a Square. As I approach my 30th anniversary as a Catholic this month (March 30), I am more grateful than ever for the fullness of faith that I found in the Catholic Church. Deo gratias!"

 

I love having him for a friend and each day be lifted up by our shared love and excitement for finding The Truth!  How I long for others in our families to find this in their hearts, minds and souls.  I was challenged today that I had better not be praying for those in our family to come to know Jesus and the True Church out of being judgmental rather out of LOVE.  I do it out of LOVE!

Only two siblings missing from this picture taken a year ago at dad's 90th!

 

Lent is a rich time spent in the desert examining our relationship with Jesus and how we need to make strides in coming closer to him.  As Catholics now for 44 years we love the Seasons of The Church, and the penances/the crosses we encounter take us ever deeper into our humbly turning to Him!  Some could feel that having a birthday that always falls in Lent could be a downer, but I am sure for my father it is a badge of honor that he has embraced and is happy for.  He is now a permanent deacon in The Church and has a ministry to others which he carries forth.  Now with his age it is mostly in our family, and with over 110 that is no small matter.  The prayers alone for all of us take them time each morning.  How powerful to have those prayers out of LOVE being lifted up for each one of us each day of our journey!

A selfie with dad and some of my siblings...

 

What brought the Prodigal son home to his Father's house in the Gospel today?  Hunger!  My dad has always hungered after The Truth and listened to The Holy Spirit directing him.  The result is nothing short of amazing!  Yes, there were a lot of hard times along the way, but that is how the seed breaks apart in the soil and then comes forth into the sunlight to bear much fruit!  May we always hunger for The Truth and die to self so that it may dwell in us!

A year ago in my sister's home to celebrate!

 

Jesus, I love the words of St Paul to us today in the second reading II Corinthians 5 - God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ... For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.  After experiencing your unconditional love and mercy towards me in the confessional yesterday... I am reconciled to You!  You came running to me and embraced me and put the robe on me and a ring on my finger and killed the fatted calf for a feast with me... this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found.  Yes, Lord!  I was lost and dead filled with sin and darkness and you have replaced that with LIFE/LIGHT/LOVE!  May I in turn give without counting the cost to those in my world.  Jesus, I trust in you.  Amen

Another great father to his family!  Farming is a life not a job!  Bless-bless, Barbara Luke

Taking time to share a meal on a very busy day on the farm.  It will be so nice for Ruth and kids to be here on the farm so that they can see Paul/Dad/farmer and so much more!  Our farm future is very bright, and we love to have the excitement and help of the little ones!

Mary got to feed Hillary her bottle yesterday, and fell in love with her.  I hope to borrow some more pictures from Ruth to share more of the kids and cows/calves on the farm. 

St Therese... the Saints are so important to me!

Peace is a prized commodity these days in my life!

Lauren Daigle - Trust in you

Matthew West - Forgiveness

Casting Crowns - East to West

 

Supper in the dining room after a big day on the farm

It started with lunch for Mary in the flooding in sunlight in the new dining room... David serenaded us on the piano.

Then there was Rose in the sun.  The same place where the dining room was before, but new and sunny with the huge patio door.

The kids helped cover the pile of gluten, clean the garage and had fun making this restaurant out of boxes. 

Gathered around John's double folding table for our first farm supper together on all the chairs we could gather from up and down.  It was so great to finally come together in the new dining room. 

Blessing our first farm supper - as Aunt Maria crowned a meal with more than one vegetable with meat and potatoes.  Paul cherished his meal with his family in his new farmhouse!  Hope for many more!

Ice cream sundaes to celebrate with our homemade strawberry jam.

How we love our supper together for the first meal in the new home on the farm.  More to come!

We love our farm family time sharing food and talk and music in the background. 

Dancing and playing in their fun playhouse made of some of the big boxes.  Bless-bless, Barb

Morning awash with tears...

Rose with the calf bottle down by the old farm sink in the basement - the sink I use these days to wash my dishes after meals in my makeshift basement kitchen.  No dishwasher now.  I will be feeding 9 people a farm dinner hot dish in about an hour down there.  Yikes!  Chances are we will eat in shifts with all the activity going on around here with calving.  The kids just went out and watched a cow have her calf.  The first one since midnight, but yesterday we had 6 down from 10 the day before. 

Dad helps Rose fill the bottle with milk replacer for Hillary our orphan calf.  She gets a bottle twice a day and the kids like to have this fun job.

 

Tears are my companion this morning - more than usual.  Starting with sharing this heart rending story with Pat this morning...

http://www.motheringspirit.com/2016/03/this-is-the-story-i-have-to-tell-you/  about the loss of identical twin girls yet the joy of the miracle of LIFE!  Please take the time to read and weep!

Dad's hand is strong and special time shared - Rose is carrying the bottle out to feed the orphan calf.

 

Pat and I were blessed with sharing morning prayer together before I headed in for first Saturday mass and confession while the sorrowful mysteries/rosary was prayed throughout the Church.  Yes, cleansing contrite prayers in the confessional are common for me!  How I love you, Jesus, and fall at your feet with humbly to lay all my sins at your feet.  I am forgiven no matter how unworthy I am... much like the tax collector in the Gospel today..."O God, be merciful to me a sinner."

Thanks Ruth for the wonderful pictures you gift to me.  You don't have the time to blog, but can manage a few pictures for old mom, and I carve out the time to share from my heart probably too much.  The kids say that this is my therapy, and I hope also somewhat a way of evangelizing my Faith and love, love, love of The Catholic Church! 

Love the light and the faces of each. 

 

I sat in the peaceful church after mass and did my litany of our family names including middle and saint names... quite an amazing list of the great names of The Church and my phone let me know that John was calling as he traveled from the TEC retreat to speak for a CCW gathering and share his story.  More tears?  Yes, as I shared with him prayer and insight into his story of sharing the "miracles" and getting away from the timeline.  Also asking for prayer needs at the end and praying aloud right then and there as his ministry has blossomed in returning the LOVE through Prayer no matter where for all the needs he encounters.

The two smiling faces?

 

More tears as I spoke with Ruth about our lives in this crazy time... good tears that wash away the hard times we all are facing.  Thoroughly wash me from my guilt and of my sin cleanse me.  It is mercy I desire not sacrifice.  Psalm 51 from mass today.  Tears are like that for me - happy or sad they pour forth and show the depth of my emotion and hurt and joy!  From the first reading from Hosea 6..."his judgment shines forth like the light of day!  He will come to us like the rain, like spring rain that waters the earth."  I do feel that a morning of tears is a morning of powerful experience of the Mercy and LOVE of Jesus for me!

The new farm sink is in!  The view on all sides is all we had hoped it would be... Ruth's vision for the farm are truly a beautiful one!

 

Jesus, how I weep at all you have done for me.  Even the hard times are gifts of your cross which bring to me LIFE/LOVE/LIGHT/The Way/The Truth/ The LIFE- you Jesus alive and well in my life.  Surely, I have reason to weep for sorrow or for JOY!  The JOY is so immense and overwhelming that the spring rains water my heart, mind, and soul to bring forth the Fruits of the Holy Spirit!  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  Galatians 5:22  May they recognize you in me, my Jesus.  May I die to self so that you may live in me. Jesus, we trust in you.  Amen

The floor is done... being able to see the driveway from the kitchen is a whole new experience, and to see the front of the shop and all going on in the yard in front of you while standing at the sink... Wow!  Bless-bless, Barbara Luke

Mary standing at the sink... watching the show called Faith/Family/Farm out the window.  Many canning projects will happen here!

All 63 feet is done... now plumbing, counter tops, and we can start to live here and share farm life and yes there will be tears from time to time especially from this old lady... "What else is new mom."  the response of my kids when I tell them that I cried for joy or sorrow about something.

Paul's office and my glass of wine last night...

Ruth is Pat's main helper outside and I help out with her kids.  Thanks, Ruth.  They are ready to live on the farm!

playdough in the art area under the dragon fly lamp!

One more for good measure - thanks Ruth for your wonderful camera. 

Yes!

Lauren Daigle - Trust in you

"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