The Pat and Barb Verly family and their 5 children, in laws and grandkids along with many prayer warriors have been drawn together by John's cancer... sharing daily for 8 months started this blog- Family Soul Story - Our faith, family, farm and now our cancer journey called HEALING have colored and deepened our world. WE continue to share and depend on the support of our prayer warrior community, that has lowered us into the Lord's presence for His healing!
Hector a year ago here for VCC - Verly Christmas Camp #1! It will be a week later this year as Pat has now his ticket bought to fly out on Sunday morning for Seattle and start the drive back to the farm for our 2nd VCC!
A year ago and now so close and the excitement is building! A big shopping at Sam's in SF for our paper products so that dishes are not a problem for our huge meals in the shop. The cleaning will happen towards the end of next week, when Pat arrives with our family from Washington! Captain Joseph will fly into SF on Thursday!
Ready for the Minnesota cold last year. This year with more snow the Garvin Park tubing hill is in our fake plans. Nancy's bunch got 5 tubes for Christmas! Zoom!!!!
Patrick and Evangeline a year ago now... They have a huge 2 day trip with grandpa to get here this year. Grandpa loves to see the country and left this morning after giving a weather report as they travel through SD and Montana. "It looks good for travel." he reported. "Well, we certainly have done the praying for safe travels, health, and wonderful times, so that is covered. And they will only amp up this next week."
Very cold weather these days with sundogs - the other side was behind our huge cottonwood tree! It is supposed to start warming up quite a bit now.
Joy came for the day yesterday with the cold and the sundogs...
We have our routine of public TV, Jacuzzi, water color, our power went out at lunch time for a couple hours - so it was a cold lunch and then snuggle with grandma and read books then a nap, finally a movie on Disney + with a couple ice cream sandwiches and hot chocolate. She loves to come and get spoiled at grandma's house. She brings me so much JOY!
Popcorn in my mother's chair with her painting on the wall, soft kitty to pet, and public TV by the Christmas tree. The LIFE!
Sunshine, but so cold!
Running the circle is part of her day... grandpa said to run 100 times - she did about 12.
This circle was where my dad got exercise... from bedroom- laundry room- dining room- kitchen- bathroom and then back to the bedroom - around and around!
Ignatius loved to get brushed by Joy through the day.
She brought her unicorn jammie complete with tail and mane to put on after she got out of swimming and playing in the tub!
Miss sunbeam - Joy Jean Jellybean!
The neighbor cat, Riley, came in for a big drink on a cold day and got brushed, too! He was a kitten of their momma cat, Cookie, from years past. Our cats and Riley are not friendly, so he had to return to the cold...
Joy brought along their New Year Card! LOVE!
A birth announcement on the back! Tom-Tom is a precious gift! My wheels are turning on getting my 3 new grandbabies together for the first time! Outfits? Yes!!!!
8 years ago fluffy steers with their winter coats making us feel warm in the cold!
Such amazing words for LIFE - the greatest gift we are able to have to make our love grow more!
Nancy speaking about taking time with kids - not screens!
Ruth's Patron Saint with words of Truth! LOVE! By embracing our Most Cherished Cross we are allowed to die to self and find LIFE/LOVE/LIGHT!
Love our Church and how we are given to much with each new year, month, and day!!! Our cup overflows!!!
More brushing with Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus looking over her shoulder.
Some of John's senior pictures that we took - his dad's western shirt and cow boy hat.
The actor - now burns to share how he found his faith through a half-hearted prayer and then fighting the battle of his life against brain cancer!
Now with wife and children as the Lord continues to show him a humble wonderful path to follow.
Coming back through cow country a couple years ago. I predict that Maria and the 7 will hear many times..."Look at all those cows!" "Look at all those bales." "Look at all those bulls." How he loves to see the country side!
Watercolor with Joy! Rainbow shirts, and blue hair - how she loves her colors on a picture of Joy with Eve, JoJo, baby Thomas, her calf Snowball, and 2 kitties - Iggie and Cally!
Evie gets black hair. I have a rule about black... it covers up other pretty colors, so use it sparingly!
From Nancy - 9 year old Berna with her 3 week old baby sister, Regina.
Tomorrow night we will celebrate her Baptism into The Church!
Mom left behind this prayer book of daily meditations by Pope Benedict XVI that she read for 10 years over and over! Today was such a wonderful voice for The Truth of "going into the House" with the Magi to find Jesus - "This house represents The Church" Yes! Regina Maria will be entering into The Church and encountering her Jesus to start her journey of Family sharing our Faith!
Another humble man of The Church today - Brother Victor left behind by my father for me each day! How I feel them helping me and guiding me! "All peoples of the earth are invited to the banquet of LIFE prepared by God who is Love, and who loves every one of us without expectation."
Berna and 3 week old baby sister! Soon we will gather around her for her special day! Tomorrow will be a day for her recall year after year - Baptism day January 8th!!! Bless-bless, Barbara
iMemories My mom giving a tour at Christmas 1991 in Taylors Falls, MN! Every thing she touched was so beautiful!!!
8 years ago baby Luke getting his first bath in the sink while his sister, Rose, watches - there is only a year and a half between Rose and Luke.
A picture of loving care - Ruth washing her newborn son with her baby daughter taking it all in. Rose is now a very loving and caring older sister to her newborn brother, Thomas Robert! She cares for his every need when she can help out. She has watched her mother care for Luke, Joy and now Thomas with such devotion and selfless giving of love and care.
My greatest joy is watching my girls and girl in law being such wonderful mothers - Open to LIFE and raising LIGHTS!
Christmas 2014 - a masterpiece!
Ruth with her vision of a "theme" for her family! I dressed my 4 girls alike, but Ruth's boy-girl-boy-girl-boy-girl-boy pattern calls for a much more special way of making them come together in a work of art!
By the light of 35 candles - birthday cake 7 years ago!
At grandma Verlys 9 years ago!
CCC 9 years ago...
CCC 2019. No CCC last year and a small special CCC 2021! This year with new Thomas just a month old!
CCC 2021 after mass on the 4th Sunday of Advent at St Joseph's Catholic Church in Amery, WI. Such a wonderful theme of coming together with Simon 17, Mary 15 1/2, David 13, Rose 9, Luke 8, Joy 4 1/2, and Thomas 1 month.
Ruth is very much wanting her family to do things as a family - sharing family time is a top priority for them. For her birthday last night... all 9 of them went to enjoy a movie - Sing 2 - together. Sharing family time is carved out for them knowing that with Simon a junior and Mary a Sophomore means that before they know it they will be away from home asking the Lord to show them the plan that he has just for them.
Family admiring the newest member of their family in November. This is on my wall now and reminds me of their many blessings!
These two will be Godparents for their baby brother! So special!
How special for these 3 - they will bridge the gap of age.
2 years ago we were in Washington - Maria and Pat are talking to each other now about flights for
Wonderful Ruth Ida Rose with her month old son, Thomas Robert, at our family gathering CCC a couple weeks ago. Today our oldest child is having her 42nd birthday!
She was due around Christmas but came a little over a week later. She has been the best big sister there can be for a family... caring and calm and loving towards her younger siblings and now equally wonderful as a wife, mother, nurse, Creighton Model instructor, farmer on and on.
Being LIFE-giving to each other has been an example to all of us in our domestic Church/family!
Joy joins the happy group! She has been blessed with being a big sister for the first time, and that will suit her well in her life. Learning to give and to share with family is a very special gift that allows us to die to self and be more Christ-like in our lives.
Visiting baby Jesus with her new LIFE - the best gift we were given with two new little ones - Thomas and on Dec 16th Nancy had her little girl, Regina Maria!
A masterpiece, and Ruth shared that she is being spoiled today by her husband and kids - how she deserves to be loved and appreciated by them all!
My card this year celebrating our 3 new babies in the family! Yet, all 33 of us are united in our domestic Church/family! I might not mention all by name, but we they are always with us in our hearts and our LOVE grows more with each one of the 33!
Sharing our Faith as a family is our greatest JOY! My heart burns with LOVE knowing how our shared Faith in Jesus, Mary and The Church gets us through all the difficulties and blesses us with the ability to return the unconditional LOVE and forgiveness we have been given to each other!
Those the closest to us are the ones we hurt the most! "Wounded, I will never cease to love." The motto of The Community of the Lamb, and such a lesson to us on how we are to LOVE no matter the hurts or wounds! With a family our size - I am guilty of being thoughtless and disappointing loved ones unintentionally. I am humbled and wish I could change things, but...
What JOY as they dance in Ruth's kitchen on Sunday! How we should turn on the music and dance more often!The big hit since CCC dance - Crab Rave!
Tom-Tom joins in his infant seat...
4 years ago - Ruth's birthday and Joy was the baby - now she has a new baby brother, and can learn how to be a big sister! David was sleeping and Paul is holding him up in the picture. He missed the ice cream birthday cake and we all laughed when they showed him the picture the next day! O, Dave!!!
19 month old Birdie Barbara and 6 week old Thomas both smiling! LOVE!
Simon and Mary as Joseph and Mary with baby Jesus, Romeo, 6 years ago! A picture of LOVE that came into the world to free us from sin and death!
I John 4 today!
God sent his only-begotten Son into the world so that we might have life through him. In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as expiation for our sins.
From St Mother Teresa today! Silence is where we hear and know our Lord in our hearts, minds and souls! So right to think of the silence that all things grow and the sun, moon and stars... Wow!
So much here from Pope Benedict XVI! Take the time to read it in silence and allow the HS to speak to you the Truth!
So sweet today from Brother Victor! "waiting for our silent love and adoration." We need to ponder Him with silence and our rosary beads in our fingers as we pray to Jesus through Mary!
Today is the Feast of St Elizabeth Ann Seaton!
Peter said to him, "Jesus Christ heals you.
Get up and take care of your mat." - Acts 9:34
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton received great solace
by bringing her sorrows to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament
and speaking heart to heart with Him there:
"How sweet, the presence of Jesus
to the longing and harassed soul!
He is instant peace and balm
to every wound."
St Elizabeth Ann Seton
United States ~ 1774-1821
Convert to Catholicism Three basic points led her to become Catholic:
1) belief in the Real Presence 2) devotion to the Blessed Mother, 3) conviction that the Catholic Church led back to the Apostles and Christ
Mother, Widow, Educator, Musician, Linguist, Religious
Established schools and orphanages
Foundress of Sisters of Charity Two great devotions: 1) Abandonment to God's Will 2) Ardent devotion to the Blessed Sacrament
Feast Day - January 4
"The accidents of life separate us from
our dearest friends, but let us not despair.
God is like a looking glass in which souls see each other. The more we are united to Him by love, the nearer we are to those who belong to Him. - St Elizabeth Ann Seton
So special to see this now in my girls and their newborn babies!
Love to see Jesus adoring and loving his Mother of God - eating her chin! I have seen it with my own girls and their children that have loved their beautiful mommies so much, too!
Christmas 6 years ago - we have added many and our love grows more and more! Bless-bless, Barbara and the 32!
LOVE how we are blessed by the Lamb of God! Showing us how to bear our suffering in silence and die to self so that He may live in us!
LOVE Mother and child - so powerful and humble and sweet!
