Blessed Virgin Mary/Our Mother always with us... finding peace and allowing us to trust!

No mustache today!  She went all night without oxygen, and just a few tests to pass ahead.  We appreciate how much care they are taking with our precious bundle, little Em!  Our constant prayer without ceasing to Our Spiritual Mother fill us with gratitude, and trust, and hope, and peace, and the ability to take each hurdle and pass over it or try again!  A crisis nearby for a little girl brought us to our knees in our hearts and Mary listened as she came through.  Our prayers will continue for her!

Laying in her sister's arms brings on peaceful sleep, and she is being held by her sister a lot!  When we get home this will not change, and her brothers will join the love fest!

I am getting in touch with what a warrior my daughter is and how determined she is to meet every challenge that comes along with a peaceful level head and a can do attitude!  I tend to think of her as a St Joan of Arc all decked out in her battle gear and charging forward!  "I have the strength for everything through him who empowers me." St Paul writes to us and the Philippians today from prison!  Sometimes we feet trapped here, but then we realize that all is for her welfare and we relax, pray and trust!

Two peaceful content girls to have each other to share life with as sisters in a family filled with Faith in Jesus and His Bride, The Church!

Today in the Gospel Jesus reminds us that we need to focus on what really matters in this world - Father/Son/Holy Spirit/Faith and looking to our final goal which is to be forever in heaven with Jesus, Mary, All the Angels and Saints!  We cannot serve both God and mammon.  Yes, we appreciate and use all the material we are blessed with, and we are forever thankful and share generously with all that are in need.  It is not our entire focus or ambition to gain a lot of material things or gain a lot of power or prestige... we long only for Jesus through Mary!

She is so much like my girls!  These peaceful days- yes, it is amazingly peaceful to be in a NICU surrounded by babies... probably 25 or more!  You only hear some crying from time to time for diaper change or feeding, but it is such a peaceful and quiet atmosphere with many rocking or pacifiers or mobiles all doing their magic.  These peaceful days of the three of us gathered around our sweet new girl have been very special for us!  We have been filled with so much love for little Em, and she is a perfect little gift from above.  Her face, now without the tape and the tubes is missed now when we leave her for a few hours from time to time throughout our 12-14 hour days here in St Louis Children's hospital!  We feel loved and given all we need to face this challenge on our little Em's journey!

We are hopeful for leaving today... one step at a time and we find peace in trusting in the care of the doctors for our little girl, and that it is all in the Lord's plan through His Blessed Mother of God!

Jesus and Mary we trust in you.  We are lifted up by our prayers without ceasing!  Blessed the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in his commands... His heart is steadfast; he shall not fear..."  Psalm 112 from mass today.  Fear means two ways here... fear of God is respect and deep unchanging awe of Him, and our fear is lack of peace and trust... We need the first and wish to with that ban the other!  We have that promise, and we thank you, O Lord!  Lord, I long to be forever with you here, with a small slice of heaven in our domestic Church/family and then on to heaven forever with you, Our Mother and all the Saints! 

http://aleteia.org/2016/11/03/miraculous-recovery-attributed-to-blessed-pier-giorgio-frassati/?utm_campaign=english_page&utm_medium=aleteia_en&utm_source=Facebook#link_time=1478146121

Here is an amazing miraculous healing with the intercession of Blessed Pier Giorgio... read it and be amazed!  His road to Sainthood is looking good!  How I love to have the Saints with me... I love, love, love them!  Jesus, we trust in You.  Amen and Hallelujah

My daughter's daughter is a very special girl to me!  Bless-bless, Barbara Luke

Having some sisterly fun this morning!  She has lots of hair, but it didn't grow this fast! 

Pat is with his mom this morning, and Paul is out deer hunting with the 3 oldest.  It looks cold there, but here it is around 70 in St Louis! 

Hotel room morning prayer... St Charles in St Louis! "Children of LIGHT... stand firm in the Lord!"

How we are enjoying big sister Therese with her bundle of JOY!  She has been so excited for the arrival of her little sister that she has kept herself busy so the time would pass quicker.  She has made many of us bracelets and sent them in the mail.  I have a wonderful personalized potholder with a cross stitched saint on it.  She made a wonderful blanket for her new sister with a cross stitched family of 7 on it.  Now our wonderful Therese is in her special happy place with her baby sister in her arms, and she has been holding her a lot!  She has been giving her a bottle and just singing to her and swinging back and forth in the circular chair.  She brought another onesie to dress her in today, but we found her swaddled in this and underneath...

She rocked this spotted sleeper!  We are very ready to get home, but they continue to be cautious and want her to be off her O2 for 12 hours... we pray and hope it is soon!!!!  She is so wonderful and healthy and such a pretty and sweet girl!

Our morning started with wonderful morning prayer shared in our hotel room and the richness of the feast day of St Charles Borromeo... it was powerful to read how he worked very hard at a difficult time on our amazing Church to bring back The True Church after the Reformation... revise the breviary and the Roman Missal.  That is endearing to me with the breviary's importance in Catholic journey!  He was also a , so...

So adorable and wide awake after she ate.

We are reminded in the Gospel today that we are to "stand firm in the Lord" by St Paul and that we are to be prudent as children of the light in all that we do each day.  It really was good to start our day in prayer so that we may go forth and meet with determination and trusting in His Plan! 

We have found a wonderful place to pass the time!  Thank you, Ronald MacDonald...we have TV, washer, driers, showers, pop, snacks, comfortable chairs and an quiet room with recliners where Maria can put her feet up and take a nap!  Therese and I watched home improvement shows yesterday and ate peanut butter crackers and smarts.  We are having a wonderful time while we await our little sweet girl coming home!

Lord, it is good to be here with 3 of my girls!  It is wonderful to share prayer and smiles and snuggles and laughter along with the ups and downs that are coming our way.  We trust in you, and know that you are always with us as we stand with you...St Paul reminds us that "our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.  He will change our lowly body to conform with his glorified Body by the power that enables him also to bring all things into subjection to himself."  Philippians 3  So come Holy Spirit and fill us with the Way, The Truth and the LIFE/Jesus Christ within.  Allowing us to die to self, so that you may live in us and we may become your hands and feet!  Jesus, we trust in you.  Amen and Hallelujah

A pretty common sight... Therese loving up her baby sister!  Bless-bless, Barbara Luke

Comparing hair and face to aunts, mom and Therese! Evangeline has about the most hair of all!!!

"I consider everything as a loss because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord." Philippians 3

Good morning sunshine!  Both eyes wide open and a sweet smile for her mom this morning!  Yes, the mustache is temporarily back, as she is in NICU and is constantly being monitored.  They are being super careful with her, but she is doing wonderfully!  She is nursing like a champ!

Therese so loved holding her with her warm special quilt that she sewed for her, and the onesie that is now on her with a matching owl, and that was not planned, from wonderful Aunt T!

Therese got to give her sister a bottle with moma's milk in it. "I have never been able to feed a bottle before!"  Therese's long wait for her wonderful sister is now here, and she is such a wonderful helper for mom already! 

Therese has her live dolly to dress and care for.  So sweet and special! 

"I'm the little sister" from wonderful Aunt T!  Her IV is now out since she is eating so well!  The girls are so wonderful to see together surrounded and filled with so much LOVE! 

These words from St Paul to the Philippians this morning just were too great to not ponder here in the Ronald MacDonald room this morning!  Whatever gains I had, these I have come to consider a loss because of Christ.  More than that, I even consider everything as a loss because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. 

Isn't this the Truth?  Yes, nothing can compare to our love from Jesus for us in our humble sinful state - He gave his life for me!

St Louis is a pretty town, but we are not in a position to take in the sights... our hotel is just a few blocks from the Children's place.

It is all very nice and easy to figure out the ins and outs... we appreciate it all!

Quite the place!  Therese is having the adventure of her young life, and thankfully her new baby sister is healthy and sweet!

Helping the nurse when she is getting her IV out.

Snapping her onesie after getting her dressed for the first time!

It is such a great gift to me to be able to be here with my girls - Maria and her two daughters!  Joe's mom is holding down the fort at home with Joe and the 3 boys.  Soon we will all be together and we know of their prayers and thoughts!  It was so nice to have Little Sister Hallel call Maria yesterday from Rome and to know of her prayers and those of The Community of the Lamb all around the world.  We know that the prayers are at work!  How blessed we are to have such wonderful support and love of Jesus and His Bride, The Church!  Today is the feast of St Martin de Porres, and we have the wonderful readings from The Word feeding us and reminding us of how we are His alone and that is all we need to concern ourselves with.  The words "Jesus, we trust in you." are so meaningful in all these little hitches we encounter along the way.

One of the few bottles she will ever get from mom.

Jesus, we thank you for all the support in prayer we are blessed with!  No matter the darkness/fear/challenges we encounter on this journey - you come and seek and find us, the lost sheep, and place us on your shoulders and bring us back rejoicing!  We are beloved by you and all life is a gift!  Jesus, we trust in you.  Amen and Hallelujah

So much like her mom and sister!  Bless-bless, Barbara Luke

Friend of the poor and the marginalized, pray for us.

She was so happy to get her tubes out and just loved to celebrate in daddy's arms!

http://www.dosmallthingswithlove.com/2016/11/the-call-to-greatness.html  A great article by Nancy to help us all embrace our doing small things with great LOVE!

Danielle Rose - Small Things with great love

Third Day - Mountain of God

I wept on my trip at the two Third Day songs, including this one!  My son-in-law, Joe, plays the guitar and sings just like them, and so my ride was enriched by 9 hours of Christian music and tears and prayers - 10 decades of the rosary and a chaplet remembering my dead/souls in or awaiting heaven!  Thank you, Lord, for the wonderful music that was the wind beneath my wings!

St Louis or bust - traveling with the special souls

It was so worth a day in the car to witness Maria hold her baby girl for the first time!  We are thanking all for the prayers for her health as she is now doing wonderfully!

Maria out of the hospital on base and seeing her sweet daughter, Evangeline Mary, for the first time with no tubes and so happy and content to be in dad's arms. 

She seemed to just love to have her family around her!


Such a good and powerful trip with my 10 decades of my rosary and a chaplet remembering my beloved dead/the souls we pray for today on All Souls Day!  Jesus, thank you for all of our family here and in heaven.  Thank you for bringing our sweet Evangeline Mary to join our family now healthy and doing well.  Jesus, we trust in you.  Bless-bless, Barb

The look of contentment on both with T's cross stitch on the blanket she made for her new sister. 

Fall down here too, but it was 84 degrees here in St Louis!

Grandma is totally in love and our love just grows more and more with each new member - not stretched more thin.  She so looks like my girls did and so her mom, and her big sister, Therese.  That thick dark hair - like a piece of fur on her head  - is so familiar!  "Her holds my hand like she likes me... like she likes me a lot!"

"Viatores... the ones on the way to happiness" St Thomas Aquinas

It's this cute boys birthday today!  I got to spend the morning with him at mass and then while mom was in for her prenatal visit.  The baby had her hand up by her mouth in the ultrasound.

I had so much fun on this glorious day taking some birthday pictures of Luke while mom was in seeing the baby and listening to her heartbeat.  It has been such a powerful day with the arrival of his cousin, Evangeline Mary, in Missouri. 

Another birthday picture... with the red barn behind him.

The kids here for trick or treating last night - all Saints Eve!  It was so wonderful to read St Thomas Aquinas speaking about The Communion we have with The Saints...  "the ones on the way (viatores) to happiness, are led into it by words and examples.  Whereas the ones who have already achieved the end help others to achieve it..."

Prayers for Evangeline in church...

Prayers in the Eucharistic Chapel today - during Susan/Hallel's decade of the rosary we heard that our new granddaughter was here!  There are a few complications so I plan to drive down tomorrow starting very early in the morning! 

Prayers for our new granddaughter just as she was born by C-section in Missouri... continued prayers needed as we figure out the small issues she is facing.  Jesus, we place our sweet new little girl, Evangeline Mary, in your hands and we trust in your love and care for her.  Jesus, we trust in you. Bless-bless, Barb

Luke with Our Lady - "Why doesn't she talk to us?"  "She does in the Bible - she tells us; 'whatever he tells you do it!' "

Simon at school mass for All Saints Day today!

David carried up the gifts...

Happy Birthday Sweet Luke!  Happy Feast Day Little Sister Hallel!  And welcome to our family Evangeline Mary!