Filled with Family/a stormy January weekend - "you have 7 kids in your family?!?" - "The Lord formed me as his servant from the womb." +JMJ+

9 year old Evangeline Mary with a vey snowy farm dog sitting by the Patio door.  Nancy and Maria came home for the weekend on the farm with their families.  It was stormy and so cold so it was spent inside both at the farm and in grandma's house about 3 miles away.  

Sisters - 13 year old Bernadette with her youngest sister 4 year old Regina. Our daughter, Nancy, who is their mom has 6 children from 14 year old Augustine to 4 year old Gina!  

Gathered around to watch 13 year old Rose give her humorous speech.  There were some good laughs when the unicorn in her dream breathed fire and had lasers come from his eyes!  Yes, it was pretty wild and crazy!  

Augustine and Big Dave having their ice cream treats!  

Yes, we have now added ice cream to end our feast of all things sweet after sharing Mass on Sunday mornings!  All things sweet!!!!  How else could you rejoice adequately?  

The 3 cousin/friends who are all within less than a year.  Joy has yet to turn 9 on March 31st to join the other 2.  With farm kitten, Tom- Tom.

Joy and grandma went to Mass at the nursing home yesterday morning with our friend, Marie.  Joy joined me all summer, so when she had Martin Luther King Day off , she was very excited to join me.  After Mass we sat in Marie's room and visited with her.  Joy shared about the cows getting out that morning, and Marie appreciated it as she is a farm woman from day one!  We also talked about family, and the fact that Marie has 8 children, and Joy is one of 7 in her family.  A rare family in this day and age!  "Kids in my class ask me; "You have 7 kids in your family?"

She is not alone!  Evie is one of 7 and Josephine is one of 6!  

The 3 boys in 6 weeks - George, than 3 weeks later Hector, and finally Jude 3 weeks after him.  They are all now 6 and in first grade!  This spring Hector will receive his First Holy Communion ahead of the other 2, who will have theirs in 2nd grade.  There is talk of Hector joining his 3 brothers as altar servers once he has received his First Communion!  Grandma's heart swells with so much Joy seeing their reverence on the altar!  

So much LIFE!!! Our family motto since Pat and I went to our engagement weekend - "The world needs lights! - Open to LIFE and raising LIGHTS!  

We were the only couple that wanted to have a big family due to the mess of the world .  When I asked Pat if we were being selfish to want to bring many children into this world - his immediate answer - "The world needs lights!"  Yes!!!

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

I guess David wanted to look ridiculous so here we go....  The big boys make me sad sometimes.

Rose on the stage!

At the feast after sharing Mass as a family of 30+!  The 3 littles are now 4! I am adjusting to having no new little ones in the womb to pray for in our family. There are some that I pray for in the extended family, and that is a gift to me!  

John proclaimed the Word of God at Mass on Sunday and he read Isaiah 49:3, 5-6 

"Now the Lord has spoken who formed me as his servant from the womb... I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth."  

I was just informed that due to the unrest in the Twin Cities the bus going to the March for LIFE has been canceled.  I was going with hubby and granddaughter, Joy, along with my brother, Jim, whom we were picking up in Glencoe on the way up there.  So sad.  

Grandma has been busy with these great shirts - "Pray like a girl." Berna and Rose are 13 and Therese is 17.  Therese is leaving on a bus tonight to head to Washington DC for the National March for LIFE on Friday.  Our family is not only united in our Catholic Faith, but ALL that our Church upholds as TRUTH!  Huge is that LIFE is sacred and must be cherished and protected from conception to natural death!  

I cannot fathom how it became acceptable to murder innocent babies in the womb!?!  Animals are protects while there is nothing to protect human life!!!  In some places even if they would survive an abortion - they are left to die!!!!  Evil and the most horrible ever imagined!  So many prayers for life!!

It was a work weekend for Simon, so we saw him now and then.  The only grandchild missing was Maty away at college at the U of M.  So that means that we had 22 of the 23!  

Tommy posing for the camera with a big audience.  They gave him a big beard with the app.

Two tables filled with kids, parents and grandparents too!  

Sharing Mass on the 2nd Sunday of Ordinary Time and then all things sweet and wonderful!  Sharing the FEAST after receiving the Feast of Heaven and earth!  

Birdie leads the Conga line through the kitchen! 

Now 3 year old Lucy, who is our youngest grandchild!  We have almost as many teenagers as littles now!  

5 years ago - Hallel was in France so I brought along a "picture of Hallel."  She is now in Rome, so there are special prayers being said that she is able to help the little sisters there find a new home.  It is very important for them to have a foundation in Rome!  That is where Hallel met them and heard the call to join them. 

She loves Jesus in The Word, and The Community of the Lamb spends much of their prayer with The Word of God.  Beginning the night before they read the Gospel for the next day and "mendicate/chew on it line by line!  She found her home and is now the spouse of Jesus after taking her final vows in 2018 - "I promise unto death."  

Pat unloading meat and our canned food with little brother Francis Xavier 5 years ago.  It gives us so much joy to share our homegrown food with our other daughter and her family of the Lamb!  

LOVE!!!  

Each night we gather for family prayer.  From going from youngest to oldest - that would be me - with our prayer intentions to a prayer/song in Latin.  Special time and wonderful way to end the day sharing our Faith as a Family on the Farm!  

The cousin group and Sweetie the mother cat - is she pregnant with the spring Easter kittens she usually shares with the farm family?

Filling up time inside due to the cold and stormy weekend on the farm... Big sister, Therese, with her beautiful flowers and little sister, Maggie!  

Much of Saturday was spent at my house beginning with grandpa Pat's famous pancake and bacon breakfast!  

Berna and Patrick are both 13 now and just a month apart!  Such powerful memories of Patrick's traumatic birth when Maria ruptured trying to V back and Patrick was born dead and resuscitated.  Grandma baptized him in NICU when he was just hours old!  I spent about a month at Fort Bliss, and barely got back to Minnesota in time to be with Nancy for the birth of Bernadette in Plymouth!  So much excitement in those days and now they are 13 and so happy and healthy!  

  https://familysoulstory.blogspot.com/p/the-story-of-little-lamb-grandson.html

I would say in the last few years grandpa has become the breakfast cook and his specialty is pancakes nice hot and thin!  He adds extra water and the kids love them!  He travels with griddles, mixing bowls, whisk, pancake mix, and bacon.  When we visit our families for a few days - grandpa's pancakes are breakfast!  They stand in line with their empty plates for them hot off the griddle!  

Another family tradition probably since our times in Michigan over 25 years ago is ice cream cones for dessert!  The 3 four year olds with ice cream and happy smiles!  

Gina is our next to the youngest at 4 in December.  A shirt she was gifted by her family when they went to Rome this summer.  Gina spent the week with grandma on the farm!  

Yes, we are all his creation and should be cherished and protected from conception to natural death!  

Tom and Gina are just a month apart and are found playing together most of the time along with Maggie.

St Mother Teresa gets it!  I am sure she is fighting hard for LIFE from heaven along with St JPII!  

4 years ago after our VCC - Verly Christmas Camp.  I was disappointed that I didn't get a family picture on Sunday... sometimes it is just too much to push for a picture when you get some pushback from some of the older kids.  

The only picture I took at Mass to show the two rows of young people... so amazing to see their faith as they are now making their faith their own.  So many prayers for the older ones to hold onto their Catholic Faith and make it their own!  How can you leave behind Jesus, who is there in His Word and Body and Blood?!?

A family meeting about a Boundary Waters Trip this summer!  Some of the girls might like to join too.  

Pouring over the maps and dreaming about another great time and safe travels by land or by camoe.

I think that the boys and Therese were all impressed by how strong their old 71 year old grandpa is!

The other side of the room watching Rose perform her speech for the whole family!  Tough crowd!  

Conga line around the table after mass waiting for the food to arrive - grandpa and Maria took about 8 kids shopping - "A zoo" according to grandpa! 

I think that grandpa is happy to have some older kids now that can face the challenge of The Boundary Waters!  

The second night we ran out of cones so we had to use cups!  

Grandpa serves from youngest to oldest - lots of choices!  

John and Hallel in France over 10 years ago.  We have been there 3 times now, and probably again in our future.  Hallel is currently in Rome, Italy!  

Regina, Thomas and Magdalene 4 years ago as babies!  Just ahead of them is Birdie Barbara and on the other side is Lucy, who just turned 3 on January 11th!  

I need to call this good enough, which it never truly is.  My rosary is calling out to me.  John and I are currently praying for a young mother, Marisa, who is to be on her way to Lourdes tomorrow night!  She has late stage cancer, and is traveling with her husband to France!  Lourdes was huge for John's healing which will be 17 years this summer!  Please join us in praying for Marisa.  

John with Father Craig after coming out of the miraculous bathes!  "Pour the water on my head because that is where I need the healing."  John to the attendant in the bathes! 

John fell in love with Our Lady of Lourdes and found his Faith through brain cancer!

https://familysoulstory.blogspot.com/p/johns-cancer-stories.html

John's Spirit Juice video!

We are so grateful to you, Lord and Lady!  May we die to self so that we may serve without counting the cost!  You formed us to be your servant from the womb.  Please protect ALL LIFE from conception to natural death.  Jesus, we trust in you.  Bless-bless, Barb and the 33 plus 13 in heaven

"Blessed are the ears that catch the 

secret whisperings of Jesus, and pay no 

heed to the murmurings of this world."  

Thomas a Kempis

"All my sermons are prepared in the 

presence of the Blessed Sacrament.

As recreation is most pleasant and profitable 

in the sun, so homiletic creativity is 

best nourished before the Eucharist. 

The most brilliant ideas come from

meeting God face to face. 

The Holy Spirit that presided at the Incarnation

is the best atmosphere for illumination."

Ven Fulton J Sheen

It is more than murmurings - it is screaming horrible voices of hate!  Lord, protect the TRUTH!  

Joy in the morning - Tauren Wells

Tauren Wells - Miracle

Goodness of God

Danielle Rose - the Saint that is just me

Hillbilly Thomists - Good tree

 

Family weekend out of the blue - Fake plans abound/Lucy is 3!/Ordinary time is anything but - "Speak for your servant is listening" +JMJ+

10 years ago Ruth and Paul had 5 kids.  They have added two since than... this was a big day as they won a national contest with Farm Bureau and won a pickup!

National winner in 2015!  

3 years ago Jude and Birdie with their new baby sister, Lucy.  On Sunday Lucy turned 3!  It is hard to fathom that our youngest of our 23 grandchildren is now 3 with no new babies in the womb or here with us.  As someone said today - "It has to end sometime."  

Nancy asked me to find her First Communion picture today, The crimped bangs and curled hair she found "funny".  I kind of felt sad when she responded that way.

Ruth's First Communion 2 years before Nancy's with curled hair and crooked bangs.  It must have been before we discovered crimping.

The birthday girl on Sunday with her cake and smile!

8 years ago Bill and Nancy lived in Kansas - not too far from Hallel and The Community of the Lamb in the heart of the poor in KCK.  Nancy looks close to have her #4 child - Josephine, who will be 9 in May.  Hallel had knee surgery and these are her crutches.  Oh the memories of shared time with 2 of our girls in Kansas, and Nancy having a new baby most every 18 months!  She now has 6 children with losses too.

Another memory of our Magdalene with her big sister Therese.  Maggie will be 5 in May, so this is 4 years ago now.  When she turned one she had surgery on her skull, as she was born with a closed font, which would not allow her skull to grow with her brain.  They had to add an opening to allow her brain to grow.  

With her loving brother Hector 4 years ago when they came for a visit from Fort Lewis in Seattle, WA.  

There are fake plans flying around for both Nancy and Maria with their kids to come for a visit to the farm this weekend!  I am feeling the excitement build.  Yes, we were just together a couple weeks ago for VCC - Verly Christmas Camp, but there has not been a weekend on the farm for a long time.  Too bad it is supposed to be cold and wintry after all this crazy nice weather.  

Baby Tom with adoring cousins Jude and Birdie.  Tom just turned 4 while Jude is 6 and Birdie is 5.  No longer little ones!  As Tom says; "I am a big boy!"

Tom and Maggie are just 6 months apart and are best buddies now.  He will be so happy to see her and Gina this weekend!  Grandma will have a get some pictures for sure!  

Tom was here a few days ago and it was warm enough to go outside without our coats on and visit our Mother Mary with our neighbor cat, Riley.

Tom with one of his farm cats that is now my cat - Neumann!  

Tom loves to come to grandma's house!  We got very close when he was small and Ruth and Paul first made The Parsonage into an Airbnb, and the following year they gutted and made 8 apartments in the brick building across from our beloved Catholic Church.  Tom and grandma spent many a day together and so he is my best buddy to this day!  

I have him trained to smile for his old grandma, and he does remind me - "you old grandma!"  Yes!  

I came across this quote from Saint Mother Teresa a few days ago.  It is one that Therese used with one of her watercolors, and it is good to see the second part!

The Trinity comes together at The Baptism on Sunday - God speaks when He comes out of the water - "This is my beloved Son"  The Holy Spirit is there in the form of a dove, So the Trinity is there - all 3!  

St Therese praying with me and John in the middle of the night when our hours of adoration overlap - John the last hour of Sunday and mine is the first hour of Monday.  Such a gift and a blessing to be able to pray together.

The first reading today from Samuel is the calling of God to the young Samuel.  After 3 times of hearing his name called he finally realizes that it is God calling him - "Speak, for your servant is listening."  After I receive Jesus at daily mass and on Sunday - I repeat these words as I cherish his presence in me - His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity!  

Verly Christmas Camp in our shop 4 years ago when George and Hector were 2 and Birdie was 1.

The live Nativity with one laying down on the job!

Mass together 

In the beautiful church - we have added 4 since this taken 4 years ago.  

So many prayers for LIFE to be protected and cherished in the womb from conception on!  

With my hospice people today we always pray to Our Lady - our Mother of Heaven and earth!  

 a borrowed picture of an owl on top of a pine tree with a lighthouse on Lake Michigan in the background.

Each year we have more and more teenagers among the grandchildren.  We added 3 thirteen year olds this year - Rose, Patrick and Bernadette!  

John and Bobbi and their family.  

Good to remember as we trudge down the narrow path dragging our Most Cherished Cross with heaven forever as out goal.  

All are now 4 and are best buddies - Tom, Gina and Maggie!  

Only missing our nun. Little sister Hallel, and Major Joseph who is stationed in Poland till May.  

Ruth and I are talking about meals for close to 30+, but we know that we need to take it as it comes.  Many will sleep here and there too.  WE love our big crazy family time and our fake plans until we see how it all comes together or falls apart in a good way.  Jesus, may I die to self so that I may serve without counting the cost.  Jesus, we trust in you.  Bless-bless, Barb and the 33 plus 13 in heaven keeping our eyes on heaven forever with them!  

"When Catholics are asked,

'Do you have a personal relationship 

with Jesus Christ?'

they should answer a resounding YES!

 

There is no closer union with Jesus than when

you receive Him in the Eucharist.

You too can say with St Paul,

"...and the life I now live is not my own,

CHRIST IS LIVING IN ME." (Galatians 2:20)

Rev Msgr Richard L Carroll, V.F.

John's Spirit Juice video of finding his Catholic Faith through brain cancer - 17 years ago on Father's Day 

Hillbilly Thomists - Good Tree

Goodness of God

Danielle Rose - Small things with great love

Salve Regina- Hail Holy Queen - sung by the Dominican sisters - our Community of the Lamb sing it like this each night before bed.  Angels singing to Out Lady Queen of heaven and earth!