Longing to be the poor/humble is when we turn to Jesus!

 Yes, I was naughty and made mom and dad pose with the glorious baby Jesus under the altar surrounded by poinsettias!  This is the final day of Christmas/Epiphany Sunday and I was gifted with sharing mass with my wonderful parents at St Joseph's in Taylors Falls, MN!

This will be a most cherished picture for me as my aging wonderful parents stand with the help of their canes... still together and sharing their LIGHT with all around them.  Their love of Jesus and His Bride, The Church!  Dad is wearing his Epiphany tie with the wise men and he star!  LOVE!
https://familysoulstory.blogspot.com/p/the-amazing-story-of-13-becoming.html

Sitting at the feet of my dad... he amazed me with sharing how he meditates on the mysteries while saying his daily rosary..."The first 3 beads of the Visitation I ponder her journey to the hill country, then the next 5 the actual encounter and the words shared, and the final 3 beads the result of the visitation with John the Baptist, Jesus and Mary."  Wow!  "You truly meditate on the mysteries dad!"

Then he shared how he does the sorrowful mysteries and how he follows many of the stations of the Cross on the Carrying the Cross mystery.  I found it very humbling and special to hear how he enters the mysteries and comes closer to our Lord and Lady!

 Sharing mass this final day of Christmas... baby Jesus amongst the poinsettias was a precious sight to behold.

Pondering the cry for help from someone close to me in suffering and poverty... I was reminded of my low spot 10 years ago with my new hip replacement... I was sharing with Susan/Hallel about how pathetic, weak and worthless I was.  "mom, when we are weak is when we turn to Jesus."  Suddenly I longed to always we humbled, poor and weak as I long to turn to Jesus always and forever!

Adoring the Son of God!

Words from the Psalm spoke eloquent words to me of how the Lord is there for us when we are poor and down...
For he shall rescue the poor when he cries out,
and the afflicted when he has no one to help him.
He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor;
the lives of the poor he shall save.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
Psalm 72

" They were overjoyed at seeing the star,
and on entering the house
they saw the child with Mary his mother.
They prostrated themselves and did him homage.
Then they opened their treasures
and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh."
Matthew 2
Love, the Gospel filled with their recognizing Jesus as REAL and TRUE in Word and Body and Blood!  Jesus, I love you with all I have, and it isn't much!  You are my all in all and I long to become more and more yours and less and less mine!  Jesus, we trust in you.  Amen and Hallelujah

Gerry.... it was wonderful to see his shining face at mass!  Rejoice!!!

Cathy!!!  Just back from visiting their newest grandchild... Patrick had #8 and their 18th grandchild!  Open to LIFE and raising LIGHTS!  Nothing is more wonderful than family sharing our faith!
https://familysoulstory.blogspot.com/p/my-most-cherished-cross-patrick-gerard.html

The Epiphany of Our Lord
"For by gold the power of a king is signified, by frankincense the honor of God, by myrrh the burial of the body; and accordingly they offer Him gold as King, frankincense as God, myrrh as Man."
St. John Chrysostom

From my many journeys with Christian music and my rosary beads for companions!

Sitting at his feet... my blessed place!

 "Today we must make our own the happiness 

which filled the Wise Men on their journey to Christ... 

Above all, we must imitate them

as they place at the Child's feet not only three gifts,

but also their lives...

We need to 'set out anew from Christ,'

with the zeal of Pentecost, with renewed enthusiasm.

To set out from Him above all

in a daily commitment to holiness,

with an attitude of prayer

and of listening to His word.

To set out from Him

in order to testify to His love

by living a Christian life

marked by communion,

charity and witness before the world."

Saint John Paul II

"Bless all those in the whole wide world and in our town." dad when he prayed with us kids

A bouquet of great beauty.. a Birthday Bouquet for our oldest Ruth on her 39th birthday!

As we gazed at the wall today mom and I recalled how Ruth and Paul had their marriage blessed by Saint John Paul II - "Bless us with a happy healthy family" was Paul's request of him.  The picture 15 years later is that exact answer to prayer!

LOVE!!!!  So beautiful inside and out!  My hero for family and LIFE and wonderful Ruth and Paul now parents of 6 beautiful LIGHTS in this world!

Mom and I also shared the family creed we live by in our family and now extended family as we share our faith in the One True Church... Being open to LIFE and raising LIGHTS!
https://familysoulstory.blogspot.com/p/my-most-cherished-cross-patrick-gerard.html

I am in awe of how beautiful is our church, and stunning with Christmas to celebrate for another day!

 My delight sharing morning prayer in the Office of prayer with Deacon Robert Cross!  Speaking of many in need in our huge family and how there is not much to do for them other than prayer.  "I am responsible for them." says dad.  "We all know that you pray for us each and every day, dad, and that is huge for help for the journey."

My parents shared with me this beautiful card from an old family friend, Fr Rinaldo Custodio!  He gave us instruction before all 13 of us joined the Catholic Church almost exactly 47 years ago!  Receiving our first Communion on Christmas Eve Midnight mass at the Cenacle Convent!
https://familysoulstory.blogspot.com/p/the-amazing-story-of-13-becoming.html

Father Custodio was our "family priest" over the years even coming to our family Christmas - Cross Christmas Camp about 7 years ago for our 40th anniversary of becoming Catholic!  He came and prayed healing over John during his battle against brain cancer 9 years ago!

I have joked with Fr Craig Timmerman that he is now our "family priest" as he is always there when we have huge needs or family occasions!  He came to France for Hallel's habiting, and Maria's entering the Poor Clares, John's brain cancer - taking him to Lourdes and through the healing waters, buried Nancy's Maximilian last Thanksgiving when he was stillborn at 20 weeks, marrying John and Bobbi in June, and the tears flow when I consider his support and being there for us!

Mom had written to their friends at Christmas a quote by her Uncle Joe about "aging is a ship wreck."  Father had responded with these kind words, and bringing hope to those struggling with all that comes with aging;
"Tis such sweet peace to know the Lord still lives in this old house."

 Chocolate chips make Ruth...

LOVE this 100th Psalm which begins each morning prayer!
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
his courts with praise;
Give thanks to him; bless his name.

When I am here with my wonderful parenst much of our talk is about our faith, and I truly do feel the JOY of entering his courts and gates with Thanksgiving!  Tomorrow we will share mass and that is the best - Eucharist does mean Thanksgiving!

Dad knows that I love to do the prayer of the Church with him and he waits patiently for me - he gets up at around 5a and me is more like 7:30a!  Then he sweetly makes me too much breakfast with hums and love!  I am so spoiled with my precious time here, and I am so thankful to my husband for giving me this peaceful gift of time with them!

My sister, Paula, with her husband and granddaughter here to put away Christmas.  Thank you!  My brother, Dan, just left after helping with computer and other help my parents needed.  LOVE to see them being so lovingly cared for.  We are so blessed to still have them with us and together in their own home!

Dad was recalling the prayer he would pray with us kids.."Bless all those in the whole wide world and in our town."  Thank you, Lord, for the wonderful blessing I have been given through my wonderful parents listening to the Holy Spirit in our lives.  Jesus, we trust in you.  Bless-bless, Barb

Epiphany tomorrow marks the true end of Christmas.

The Truth!

I have been blessed with Christian music on my many journeys!  This one is amazing!

His other song that came with me this summer in my chapel on wheels - Hills and Valleys!

Ruth Ida Rose day of birth! "Behold, the Lamb of God!"

Thank you niece, Bridget, for this wonderful picture of our Ruth and her family!  This was used for their Christmas card this year!  It is a perfect way to wish our oldest wonderful daughter, Ruth Ida Rose, a happiest of birthdays!  

Happy Birthday dear Ruth!  We love you so much and are so blessed to have you living the life you grew up with on the farm with your family.  You wear so many hats and they all look amazing on you!  You are so graceful and lovely in all ways from wearing your farm clothes to those of motherhood and farm wife to 4H leader and natural family planning instructor.  All ways of sharing with the world around you... your wonderful LIGHT!

Our most recent family photo also by dear Bridget!  Soon there will be 3 new little ones in the arms of Nancy with #5, Maria with #6 and Bobbi with #1!  WE love LIFE!  Open to LIFE and raising LIGHTS is our motto of the Pat Verly family, Paul and Ruth Lanoue family, Nancy and Bill Bandzuch family, Maria and Capt Joseph family and John and Bobbi Verly family!  

https://familysoulstory.blogspot.com/p/my-most-cherished-cross-patrick-gerard.html

Hallel sharing her LIGHT in the Community of the Lamb - The Gospel come to life.. The virgin with her lamp lit for all to see!  "Jesus, I promise unto death."

My most cherished Cross/Patrick Verly, who answered my question if we were being selfish to bring many children into this world..."The world needs lights!"  Yes!!!

These two are such a beautiful team!!!  Farming and family and Faith!  They teach me how to be life-giving in my marriage with all that I do and say!  Learning at the feet of my children is so humbling and powerful and beautiful indeed.

I am off for some precious prayerful days with my parents... encouraged by my wonderful supportive husband.  Thank you!

Jesus, this day is filled with many blessings and hours of travel in my chapel on wheels.  In the midst I will meet with my Godson, Dan, to work towards his confirmation in a few months.  Thank you, for the gift of The Church.  How we are filled with JOY at the announcement of the Truth... "Behold the Lamb of God!"  Jesus, we trust in you.  Bless-bless, Barb

I am so blessed to have them still in my life!  Thank you, Jesus!

Home to the farm with JOY! Tears for Uncle Tom over the 15 hours of travel/We are all God's Children!

Joy greets her long lost grandma with a huge smile while mom does her hair into a pony tail.

Pat and I rolled into our bed at 2a after 15 hours of almost non stop travel from Missoula to Marshall.  Many hours on the road were filled with the heart rending story of Uncle Tom's cabin.  Most chapters, especially in the last half, brought me to tears of pain and anguish, and occasionally tears of pure happiness and Joy!  Common theme... tears at the power and depth of the words of Truth shared by Harriet Beecher Stowe!  This book brought the horror of inhuman treatment of the African slaves into the light of day and soon to the Civil war and the end of owning other human beings and treating them like beasts!  Yet, there continues to be lots of carry over from this period in our history.

Joy's smiles are a gift to us!  Pat just had her out with him while he grinds hay for the cows and calves.

Home could be a quick stopover for me as I have some fake plans to maybe head for some days with my parents tomorrow.  How I love my peaceful times with them.  Pat and I listened to the Call of the Wild, and for the last hours to Tom Sawyer, which might have to accompany me on my 4 hour trip to my parents with rosary beads in hand and Holy hour for Father Denny in the morning before I leave.  

Pat in his happy place on the farm caring for the animals that he is in charge of... hay grinding day with assistant Joy Jean!

Today both the first reading from I John and the Gospel according to John are both full and rich and written by the amazing St John the Evangelist!  The words reminding us that if only we turn to Jesus and follow after him that we all are Children of God!  

"See what love the Father has bestowed on us
that we may be called the children of God.
Yet so we are.
The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
Beloved, we are God's children now;
what we shall be has not yet been revealed.
We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him,
for we shall see him as he is.
Everyone who has this hope based on him makes himself pure,
as he is pure."

I John 2

Morning prayer later this morning after our late arrival home were filled with thanksgiving for our safe travels through the mountains and the wonderful family times we were blessed with!

God's children!!!  Soon they will be joined by a baby brother, and grandma will return to help out and hold him and get the updated picture of their love and welcome into this world and their special domestic Church/family for boy #4!  

Jesus, we are God's children through our knowledge and love of you!  From the Gospel today from John 1

John testified further, saying,
"I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from the sky
and remain upon him.
I did not know him,
but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me,
'On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain,
he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.'
Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God."

Yes, Lord, you are the Son of God and your Spirit dwells within us and we cry; "Abba, Father" as we are His Children on matter our race!  Jesus, we trust in you.  Bless-bless, Barb

The truth indeed!

Dignity is huge!!!

Romans 8:14-17 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

¹⁴ For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. ¹⁵ For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, “Abba!^[a] Father!” ¹⁶ it is that very Spirit bearing witness^[b] with our spirit that we are children of God, ¹⁷ and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ—if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.

Read this in morning prayer this morning... after Uncle Tom... it really jumped out for us this day!  Wow!

15 years later with Maria on the anniversary of her entering the Poor Clares on Jan 1st/Mary the Mother of God

 Mass with Maria on this New Year's Day 2019!  On the way from base to St John Bosco Catholic Church we recalled that 15 years ago our family went to mass in Marshall, and said our goodbyes and took pictures complete with tears... we were taking Maria to enter the Poor Clares 2 1/2 hours from home in Sauk Rapids.

She went behind the enclosure and we were not sure if we would ever get hugs again.  5 months later she returned home to us after discerning that the Lord was not calling her there.  Now we see this beautiful fulfillment of His plan with her marriage and welcoming their 6th child in a few months... boy #4!

Saying farewell to the grandkids.  It is now late and we are 7 hours down the road, so this will be short.